It’s been two years since we immigrated to Canada. Whenever I look at the picture of me sitting at my office in 2000 and compare it with the picture of me taken in my daily life after I came to Canada, I cannot believe my eyes, as if these were two totally different people. Judging from the mental appearance, the person in the first picture looks calm and full of self-confidence, but the person in the second picture, with brows tightly knocked, is full of worries and uncertainties for the future and for life.
Why in such a short time there is such a difference in my mental appearance?
The person in the picture taken in 2000 was a financial controller in the Chinese branch of a multi-national company considered one of the top 500 companies in the world. He is a chartered accountant in China, using his own expertise to serve the society. After I made up my mind to immigrate to Canada, and after I experienced various kinds of setbacks in finding a professional position, I realised that I have to start from scratch if I want to return to my profession. At the same time, I am more convinced that if I want to succeed in Canada, I need to make double the effort. The only way to realize my dream is to persevere, keep on learning and master local knowledge and experience.
Now that I am in my 40s, language becomes the most difficult barrier. In order to overcome this barrier, I enrolled in an adult credit school to learn English and western accounting. Whenever I encounter difficulties, I remind myself of a classic saying in Chinese traditional culture, “As long as you set up your mind to do something, your efforts will not be in vain”. So long as I know my direction, I will be “like a Bamboo’s tooth-like roots that bite into the green mountain and never let go”. It is never too late to learn. The key to success is to persevere, continue steadfastly and make constant efforts.
Last year my daughter went to Gr. 11, she needed to choose a direction for her major. She wanted to take commerce, his father’s profession, and become a Certified Accountant. I appreciate my daughter’s choice and believe she will be more successful than I, and as the saying goes “Indigo is extracted from the blue grass leaves, but it is deeper in blue than the grass leaves”. However, I did not forget to remind her that in Canada, a country that upholds democracy and free and fair competition, there is a long way to go and much learning to accomplish if you really want to become a CGA and CA. You will surely need the spirit of the bamboo’s roots that hold fast the green mountain and never let go. Only with continuous and constant efforts can you realize your dream and reach your objective. My daughter looks at me thoughtfully after these words.
Now I read at the dinner table every day till midnight, and my daughter studies till midnight. We are both learning Accounting. Our textbooks are the same. We discuss the same assignments, have same subjects for conversation, and secretly compete for higher marks for each test. The older one and the younger one, with a difference of almost 30 years in age, are seeking the same goal and at the same time enjoying the joy of learning.
For the father who is approaching 50, can he succeed in his career path? In this new world, in Canada, will that face as shown in the picture taken recently, the face with the tightly locked brows, and full of worries and uncertainty for the future and life, turn into one that shows as much self-confidence and calm as before?
*The title is a verse from a poem written by an ancient poet who is also famous for his painting of bamboo trees.
BAMBOO IN THE ROCK
Translated by Xu Yuanchong
Upright stands the bamboo amid green mountains steep;
Its toothlike root in broken rock is planted deep.
It’s strong and firm though struck and beaten without rest,
Careless of the wind from north or south, east or west.
Background Information
Written by a new immigrant, the article expresses the writer’s optimistic, uplifting, and positive attitude towards life. It shows how he refuses to give up after various setbacks in finding a professional job. Instead of admitting defeat and giving up in despair, he keeps on learning and holds his objective without wavering until he realizes his of his ideals.
Michael Wang immigrated with family to Canada by the end of 2005. Graduated with a major in Accounting from Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, he worked as a Chartered Accountant in a department of the provincial government, and taught Accounting in university. In 1995 he worked as a Manager of Finance and Accounting and then a financial controller in Thailand Chia Tai Group’s enterprises in China.
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?Writer’s Photo in 2000, China?
(Writer’s Photo currently, Canada) |
