Gurasis: 0:02

so, before we get into the final segment, I have introduced this new segment to the second season of the podcast and I call it know your host, where I give my guests an opportunity to ask me any question they might have.

Dilyana: 0:15

Yeah, I'm curious now to know your experience in with immigration and how you come in the canada and what bring you here and what your story. What is your story?

Gurasis: 0:27

wow that that that might take another episode briefly, okay, the main, the main point, yeah no, I'll tell you very briefly, of course.

Gurasis: 0:36

So I came to Canada in 2018 as a national student. I came to study this amazing program called media strategies and advertising and that was like a one-year program I came to do. And one of the questions you might be thinking that why Canada? Sometimes I think about it. Even I don't know again, I think it was just destined to come here and but I think, if I really think about that, I think it was because there's a lot of familiarity being an Indian in Canada and you do have certain relatives and certain friends and family to you know, look up to in case of any downfalls that you might have throughout your journey. So I think that's what made my parents a little more comfortable to send me to Canada rather than any other country. So I would say that's why it was Canada to send me to Canada rather than any other country. So I would say that's why it was Canada.

Gurasis: 1:27

But once I finished my program, I was also, just like many of our listeners, international students or immigrants. I was starting to find a job. I also tried everywhere. I tried multiple interviews. It took me, I think, two years to finally get the job which I'm doing right now, because pandemic was also the added pressure and since I studied for just one year, I got the my postgraduate work permit for just one year and because of that I had very less time to figure my things out. You know, getting the maximum points that's possible for my PR, the best permanent residency, and I think for that I even had to go to a different province because in Quebec I could not get a job, being just an Anglophone. I had to be bilingual and I wasn't. So I ended up going to Halifax, nova Scotia, for some time. I stayed there and I tried to just navigate the life here because I was all just like you said, moving to Vancouver was like a second immigration. It was for me as well. I was just starting from scratch again, with no friends, no acquaintances, nobody. I didn't know anybody at all and that's how I think I somehow find the jobs and the new policies came in. Life did work out somehow. The other things just work out and I think I was very positive throughout.

Gurasis: 2:42

Not always I've had my downfalls as well. I've questioned myself. I have questioned my skills and my abilities. I have also fallen into that imposter syndrome pit which took me some time to get out of it. But I think LinkedIn community was really helpful for me. I took on this like a 30-day challenge to post at least like a 30-second video for 30 days and that gave me a lot of traction and that helped me connect with a lot of people and that gave me the courage and I'm not alone in this journey. There are a lot of people who are kind of going through the same struggles as an immigrant which how the same way I am going through it and yeah, I think that's how further things work out.

Gurasis: 3:23

Eventually, after a couple of years and I got my permanent residency and I was like I think it's time for me to lend a helping hand to the people who have, who are sort of in the same boat as I was, and I'm sure those guys I needed help at that time and I'm sure there are many more current immigrants or aspiring immigrants who would need that help as well.

Gurasis: 3:46

So I was like I think it's time and I think podcasting I felt like would be the right medium for me, because it required less resources than a YouTube channel and that's why I took on this journey to also break those stereotypical modes that we immigrants are asked to fit in, which made us, which made us us, which made me actually question myself, and I don't want other people to fall, uh, under the same trap of questioning themselves. That's why I was like, fine, this podcast is, is a medium, will be a go-to resource for anybody who's trying to navigate a life as an immigrant here, and that's why I bring on people just like yourself to unfold their personal journeys of struggle, resilience and the whole process of finding home away from home.

Dilyana: 4:29

So, yeah, I actually want to congratulate you and I admire you for the willing to help others, to show them what it's possible for them, because not many people are going to do that and when that's really demand a lot of courage and also strength to to be able, when you struggle, to help others who struggle too. Yeah, that's I admire and congratulation for, uh, what you're doing no, thank you.

Gurasis: 5:00

Thank you for asking this question as well, and thank you for your kind words. I never knew knew I could summarize my five fears in such a small, in just like a few minutes. I don't know how did I do that, but I think I did a good job it was all right. Yeah, you did a great job, but I'm sure there are a lot of details that I would love to share. You know, maybe eventually in the upcoming episodes.

Dilyana: 5:25

But yeah, thank you for that question thanks a lot.

Gurasis: 5:27

We are very welcome. Okay, so they are now being in the final segment of the podcast. I call it beneath the accent. I'm gonna ask a couple of questions. You can answer them in one word or a sentence or howsoever you feel like. The idea is just to know more about deliana. So so, first question is what advice would you give to your younger self, and at what age?

Dilyana: 5:51

Actually, I can tell myself, like six years old or 10 years old let's say a little bit in this range that never stop to be curious as you are. Explore new things, learn new things. Never stop learning from life, from people, not only from school and from books, but in general. Maintain this curiosity and learning because it's helpful. The more you know about the world, the more you know about the people that can help you in your life in general.

Gurasis: 6:31

Tell us about a time when you experienced a significant cultural difference that surprised you a lot in Canada.

Dilyana: 6:38

When I was in France. It's just the same, the only one culture. It's just the same, the only one culture Mostly. Mostly they have other immigrants there also, but not so much like here. So my first encounter was with Latin American people and I find them very.

Dilyana: 6:55

I always find something that it's similar to Bulgarian as a culture, as a character, as a you know, psychology, and I love this. Their desire for life and everything, maybe the more different and difficult to understand for me. Even I'm curious and accepting and everything is maybe Chinese culture. It's kind of for me it's very, very different in like they were to think they were to live their way to from everyday life, like psychology even. It's kind of for me it's also Chinese, it's a bigger, how to say like ethnos. But they have also difference. After a while I started to find the difference between the Japanese and Singapore and Hong Kong and China, china. I started to see slightly difference, but still for me it's very kind of like extraterrestrial, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's for me. It's very, um, kind of unfamiliar, yeah okay, great answer okay.

Gurasis: 8:11

And are there any funny stories related to your misunderstanding around the accent or the?

Dilyana: 8:16

English. Yeah, many times people don't understand me, even in French. I don't know why my teacher in yoga doubt that I want to. I'm going to be good teacher because of my accent. But what I found maybe in English is not so pronounced, not so difficult to understand, because English in general is not so difficult, in French a little bit more. You need to have a little bit specific pronunciation Especially with the R's, you know.

Gurasis: 8:55

Yeah, r's, yes, it's very different with the R's, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, sometimes the nuance, they can think about something else, not what I mean yeah, I think, I think it happens with the many of us, because I think for me, for example, people coming from india, they speak like multiple languages and our ways of pronunciating, pronunciating see, but right now I just messed it up pronunciating pronunciations or, uh, you know, how we enunciate words is very different how we do that in our language, like, for example, in punjabi or hindi and like which is which are languages which I speak along apart from english. We have a very specific way of emphasizing on certain characters, but here it's something else in english yeah, yeah.

Dilyana: 9:41

Yeah, it is um, if they are not so familiar, for them it's strange, but if after that they get familiar with the accent, it's absolutely.

Gurasis: 9:50

I always say it gives a little bit of time to get accustomed to each of those accents.

Dilyana: 9:53

Be a little patient and everything will get better yeah, yeah, don't uh don't frustrate about this and don't uh kind of think inferiority something, that's something wrong with you?

Gurasis: 10:05

no, tell us about the first friend that you made in canada and how did you meet them?

Dilyana: 10:11

oh, it was in my um. Because I didn't know what to do until I'm waiting to start the school or university or find a job. I went again to improve my French. So the first friend was, I think Colombian, and then Peruvian, yeah, and then I think Mexican, but, yeah, definitely Latin American, one Colombian, one Peruvian, yeah are you still in contact with them?

Dilyana: 10:45

no, it was contact, unfortunately, but when I was in quebec the first five years, yeah, we was very much in contact uh, what's something that you ate for the first time in canada, and did you like it? Quebec uh, in, uh, you have this, um, pudding, pudding. And then the other thing was the maple syrup from the tree, and then they put in the snow and they make it like ice cream with the maple syrup Ice candies yes. Yes, ice candies. Yes, that was very, very interesting for me.

Gurasis: 11:16

And did you like the poutine. Would you try it again?

Dilyana: 11:18

Not much. The sauce not much, Not really.

Gurasis: 11:29

It's too heavy If you had to describe yourself as an animal or any creature.

Dilyana: 11:31

What would it be? And why I like horses? Because of the freedom that they represent, sometimes ego, because when they fly, I feel that it's freedom also so you would describe yourself as a horse or eagle yeah, there's something forceful a force when they the horse run is beautiful. They have strength.

Gurasis: 11:48

Also, they're very friendly in same time if you could have one superpower, what would it be to be?

Dilyana: 11:53

able to move with the speed of light in different parts of the the world. So not be reliable other transportation, but superpower with um to be able to really help people who struggle in a way that sustain their life.

Gurasis: 12:12

I also would be very helpful if you had to create this one law that everybody has to follow, what would it be?

Dilyana: 12:19

maybe fair exchange in everything, uh, so you trust everybody without doubt, and then you know that you will be paid in some how, some way. Don't, don't be afraid that you somebody gonna. Why just just be. You trust each other more and exchange in in a fair way.

Gurasis: 12:43

I love, love that Beautiful answer. Okay, so describe Canada in one word or a sentence.

Dilyana: 12:49

Diversity, freedom, independence.

Gurasis: 12:54

And, lastly, if you could leave me with one piece of advice, deliana, what would it be?

Dilyana: 13:00

Keep the inspiration that you have for the work that you do. It's so educational and good and, uh, yeah, I think you're you. What you're doing, as I say, I I like very much and, yeah, you, you want to help people. That's more important.

Gurasis: 13:18

So keep the good work, thank you and finally, how would you describe your experience of being on the podcast?

Dilyana: 13:26

I like, like very much this kind of curiosity and learning from other people, right From their experience, from their knowledge, what they have to say and what advice they can do for others. I like this educational part of podcast.

Gurasis: 13:45

Perfect. Thank you, Dharana, for being on the podcast, sharing your story and adding value to my listeners. Thank you.

Dilyana: 13:51

Thank you so much to invite me.