PPCII - Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigrant Integration

Rosie Salcido-Schmidt met her Canadian husband in her home of Mexico. Although they had planned to continue living in Mexico after getting married, they decided to move back to Canada as it was easier for him to get a job here. It was a natural choice for them to settle in Peterborough as her husband had relatives in the area and she wanted to be close to family.

Despite having travelled between Canada, Mexico and the United States for a few years before the move, Rosie found it hard to settle in her new home. “The fact that you suddenly find yourself surrounded by strangers in a different environment with different customs, with a different language, different food … for me, coming from a warmer and very family-oriented country, I felt totally lonely and sad”, she expressed.

The weather was a drastic change from what she was used to, and she initially struggled with the lack of information about assistance for immigrants and social support. Even after having settled for a period of time, Rosie continues to miss the support of her friends and family; her mother came from Mexico to support her when she delivered her children, but was missed when she left.

In the process of settlement, Rosie and her family did not have any difficulty finding housing in Peterborough. Childcare was also not an issue as she stayed at home with the children. There were some challenges with finding a job as she did not have the requisite “Canadian experience” and Canadian credentials. 

Rosie is proud to share that she now has a supportive circle of good friends. Her desire to keep busy and feel useful led her to pursue her interest in makeup. She started her own business in makeup artistry, doing makeup for bridal parties, proms, graduations, fashion shows and “girls night out” gatherings. She says, “My business has given me satisfaction and rewards. It also gives me a feeling of acceptance and belonging.” Rosie has also taken on a new role as co-facilitator of the New Canadians Centre’s women’s group, which aims to provide social support for immigrant women in the Peterborough community.

Rosie’s tips for successful integration:

“Dropping everything and moving to a different country is extremely hard in my experience, so I think it’s important to let people know that it is not easy to adjust, but it is also important to try to reach to them and let them know that there are people and groups around them that are there to help in that process. My advice is to get out, make friends and surround yourself with lots and lots of people.”

Written by Yvonne Lai, Outreach Coordinator for the Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigrant Integration