From Langley, British Columbia, Canada, just outside Vancouver, Cedric shares with us his experience of living abroad and the opportunities that taking on an adventure has afforded him over the past few years.
"I have always had a desire to come to Canada to study or work (or both). In 2008 my now wife and I decided to take the plunge and come to try our luck in this country. At that time the idea was to see what possibilities there were to find work and, if possible, to settle here for at least a couple of years. What started out as a short-term project has now turned into 12 years of living here.
I work as a Process Engineer at Daiya Foods (http://www.daiyafoods.com/), a company involved in the development and production of plant-based foods. Some of my responsibilities include improving current processes and working with the R&D, Production and Quality departments in the development of new products, as well as researching what equipment will be required for the production of new products.
The first few years of living in Canada can be difficult as you have to get used to new things, especially in winter when - at least on the west coast - most of the time it's dark and you miss the sunny days, and it rains a lot here, but I still find it an amazing place to live.
When you arrive in Canada it is not so easy to find a job, in this country they question a lot the preparation that foreign professionals can have, but in all the companies I have worked for they have seen that Mexicans have an excellent academic background and are capable of excelling in what we do. As is also the case in Mexico, work can cause a high level of stress, but here in Canada the well-being of workers is taken into account and companies do everything possible to help reduce or try to eliminate it.
From a distance, I can see that Universidad Panamericana gave me the basis to face important professional challenges outside of Mexico and have the confidence that my academic preparation helps me to excel in any branch and industry in which I wish to work".
