A New Home, A New Beginning
Gabriela Covaci - February 2025
According to the stress scale, of the top three most stressful life events, one is moving. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, roughly 80% of the world's population has never travelled internationally. But suppose you factor in more and are interested in listening to a real-life story. In that case, I will tell you how, myself, a seven-month pregnant woman hiding the truth from her parents and leaving behind a fantastic career, left her country and decided to make Canada her home. In my native language, we use one word for home. In English, they have two words: home and house. House describes the object; home is where your feelings and emotions are. Canada is my home, and the feeling I have at the airport when I am back from a trip and the officer looks at me and says, “welcome home,” brings me butterflies in my tummy!
I wish I could come up with a word that describes all I have said above, but that will be almost impossible. The challenges each newcomer faces when they immigrate to a different country are unique formulas for each of us that will put you exactly where you are now, in most cases better or equal to what you left behind. To accomplish your objectives, it is one person who can help you be who you are, and that person is you. But on our journeys along the “yellow brick road,” each of us has a story to tell, which usually starts with a destination.
My name is Gabriela Covaci, I am 57 years old, married, and have two boys (21 and 31), one born in Romania and one in Canada. Before immigrating to Canada, I worked as a national trainer, crafting and delivering training programmes that aim to improve the performance and skills of the company’s trainers. I was also a part-time university teacher at The Open University in Romania. My husband worked as an orthopedic doctor back home.
I travelled and worked across Europe, preparing for and participating in major company events and attending conferences while working for McDonald’s and Avon, two major international companies.
My life was complete, and I was successful in my home country, but I still felt I could do more.
One major reason why I chose to immigrate was to change my passport and citizenship, as I desired greater global mobility and access to better opportunities. The Romanian passport would make international travel complicated, with zero access to other global opportunities. Changing my citizenship to Canadian also came with a strong sense of security, political stability, and freedom that aligned with my long-term personal and professional goals to have the ability to travel and work freely in any country I choose.
In 2003, we decided to call Canada home after 6 years of waiting for our Comprehensive ranking System (CSR) application to be processed. When I immigrated, if you were a Romanian citizen and wanted to immigrate to Canada, Canada evaluated immigration candidates based on a points system called the CRS. To reach higher points, they factor in your age (younger candidates score higher), education (higher levels of education receive more points), language proficiency (strong English and/or French language skills measured by IELTS or TEF/TCF exams), work experience that is relevant to what you can do in Canada and depending on the number of people on your family an amount of money that needs to be transferred before your arrival. You are not allowed to access any government social support, and therefore, you need to show the Canadian government that you can support yourself for a few months until you get a job and be self-sufficient.
Why do I want to leave your home country when you have such a great life?” That is a question I still receive when people listen to my story, still after 20 years.
After the fall of the communist party in Romania and the revolution of the winter of 1989, I felt that the entire world opened under my eyes. In December 1989, Romania experienced a historic and dramatic revolution that led to the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communist regime, which marked the country’s transition to democracy. Nicolae Ceaușescu had ruled Romania with an iron grip since 1965. His regime was characterized by extreme political repression, economic mismanagement, and widespread human rights abuses. The population suffered from food shortages, lack of basic freedom, and severe austerity measures as Ceaușescu pursued policies like paying off the national debt at the expense of citizens' well-being. Back then, I was 22 years old, in the final year of my bachelor's degree, fluent in English and French, and eager to explore multinational companies entering the Romanian market. I was part of the team that opened McDonald’s in Romania. A few years later, I transitioned to a field close to my interests–, and joined the team that launched AVON Romania.
“I promised him that if he came with me, I would support him fully, ensuring he could continue working in his trained profession”
I had just completed my Master of Business Administration - Professional Diploma in Management a month before we moved. With all my experience working for two major multinational companies (McDonald's and AVON), I knew my career was booming. However, that didn't stop me from proceeding with the immigration application. It was a difficult decision for my husband, who had opportunities to travel and work abroad and many chances to stay in different countries. I promised him that if he came with me, I would support him fully, ensuring he could continue working in his trained profession, which he had been doing for over 20 years before we moved to Canada. And that was our deal.
If you are immigrating as a couple, there is always a half part that wants to go and a half that doesn't. From the transition and adaptability in a new country where I chose to come, and he followed me because he loves me, I was the one who wanted to come. It was my decision to immigrate, and I think he hoped we would never get the visa. I was the principal applicant, and the invitation to the interview came at the best moment: I was pregnant with our second child. When we arrived here, everything was new and challenging, from social status to career adaptability, but not impossible to achieve. Returning to school, buying our first house in Canada, and getting our dream jobs, each goal was achieved, but with ups and downs.
Because what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!
We came, as he likes to say - with my wife, one kid 11 years old on our side, one on her belly and six suitcases. This is all we had. We landed at Pearson Airport on a torrid summer day. At the airport, we went to the immigration office and completed our entry papers. After one day of flying, heavily pregnant, I was so tired and exhausted that all I wanted was to have a shower and go to bed. But on the back of my head was always the pressure that, as a principal applicant and the one who wanted to make this step, I had the responsibility to deliver what I promised. Talking about the airport, we landed in the midst of the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak and Toronto became one of the hardest-hit cities outside of Asia. Picture COVID outbreak reduced, and this is how Pearson Airport was when we landed.
I remember that, like today, when we arrived, we came with two-way tickets, and my husband told me that I had to promise him that if we felt it was not working, we would go back. I said YES, but I knew that I did not come to leave.
No family members, no one here to guide or help us to settle. We rented an empty apartment and started our new life journey in Canada. But we did it, and we are so happy in this country that I would never imagine before! Happiness for us is defined by our careers, the successful careers our children are in and the beautiful home and city we settle in.
Following my arrival in Canada in 2003, I helped coordinate many multicultural development projects spanning local and provincial grounds and actively volunteered for various organizations;
2011 - International Women's Day - 100 Year Celebration, Club for Internationally Trained Engineers in Canada
2012 & 2014- Join Women on the Bridge, YWCA Sister Program, Global Hamilton: Communication in the Workplace for Internationally Trained Professionals
2015 & 2016 - Guest Speaker- Topic Youth Tech Training through Ontario Works, Mohawk Students Leadership Academy, Halton Multicultural Council Gala
2017 & 2018 - Hamilton for All, Canadian Immigrant Fair Toronto - Speaker, CanPrep -webinar facilitator
2020 - TEDEx Conference Youth Halton, Mohawk X - Student Leader Conference to name just a few).
In my roles as a Career Specialist, Training Specialist and Instructor with Mohawk College and Hamilton and Halton School Boards, I assisted with career planning and assessments, oversaw community employment and access, facilitated workshops in employment and career services, and participated in various conferences and summits.
Before I moved to Canada, I travelled to more than 32 of the world's 194 countries and worked in more than five. When we chose Canada, we didn't have too much information about the country, and we had few opportunities for countries you can apply for based on the immigration program they have.
People choose to immigrate to a new country for various reasons, often aligning with their personal goals, needs, or aspirations. All these needs have been fulfilled. I am congratulating myself on one day deciding to make Canada our home, and I gladly say that I haven't looked back since!
Gabriela Covaci
Gabriela Covaci is a dynamic trainer and career specialist who aspires to help everyone realize the necessity of career development and the value of self-assessment and strategic planning. Gabriela has helped coordinate a multitude of multicultural development projects spanning on local and provincial grounds. With a reputation as an innovative and effective case manager, trainer and mentor, Gabriela looks forward to supporting and coaching women interested in breaking free of stagnation
