Nothing is Impossible
My name is Hope Mbouyi and I was born in the Congo and I am the third oldest child of eight children. I have six siblings living, today. One of my siblings passed away as a baby and the other fell sick from a virus that a doctor in the Congo diagnosed as a cold. Life in the Congo was not easy. In the Congo, everyone had to work hard to find a job. Even if people went to school, it did not guarantee that they would find a job in their area of study. The Congolese government did not meet the needs of its people. Many people were unemployed and were forced to move to the private sector. Even teachers were not paid on time or sometimes not at all.
In the Congo, my mother was a nurse and dad sold medical equipment. Life was getting harder and the political climate was getting worse. We had to stop our school in Congo. My parents made the decision to emigrate to China, which is where I spent most of my life. The challenges continued in China. My family and I were the first black people in the city of Guangzhou. People were actually running when they saw us on the street or in public places. Within the next five years, more and more foreigners from predominantly black countries came to China and the racism reduced significantly. I did my best to learn Chinese, and after I became more comfortable speaking in my new language the other students would ask me to sit with them at lunch. I made two really good Chinese friends, and they would come over to my house.
My father’s business wasn’t working in China any more. He then decided to come to Canada. My mother had to find a new job in a new place. She often felt that she didn’t know how to function. She got a job picking tomatoes on a farm. She’d be picking and crying at the same time. While my mother was dealing with that, we were dealing with getting used to school. We hadn’t attended school in years. We needed to learn English as fast as we could because we needed to find jobs. My mother returned to school so she could become a Personal Support Worker. We knew that we were going to stay in Canada so we needed to succeed. I started school at St. Thomas More. I learned that there is no such thing as “impossible.” There is always a way if you are willing to work hard. My teacher, Mrs. Danielewicz has supported me and my siblings a lot with our English. Even though it was just an ESL class, she would do her best for us to learn. Being in her class in my first year at STM was my happiest time at STM.
Everyone at my school was so lovely and caring but to have a teacher who cares, is a blessing. I am planning to go to university next year and study Global Studies. I know that God will lead me there and that he will give me the strength to reach my goals.