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Come from
Away

Come From Away

April, 2012
Volume 1 Issue 1

N o r t h e a s t A v a l o n R e g i o n a l E c o n o m i c D e v e l op m e n t , 9 0 O L e a r y Av e n u e , S t . J o h n s , N L A1 B 2 C 7
www.northeastavalonredb.ca communications@nearedb.ca (709) 753-5554

First Impressions
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1

First Impressions

Job Experience

I want it Spicy!

Soccer and Culture

About NEA REDB

UPCOMING EVENTS
1

April 21: Multicultural Day,

Kinsmen Community Centre, Town
of Torbay, 11am-4pm

In August 2004, Ayaz Ghani left his hometown, Dhaka, Bangladesh, to

pursue his undergraduate studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
His perception of a North American city was based on dense population,
skyscraper skylines, and underground subways - none of which were present
in St. Johns. Years later, he describes his first impression on the city that
he eventually came to fall in love with
When I first landed in St. Johns, I felt as free as a bird. Being away from
home for the first time and independent, I felt that tingling sensation of
excitement sparked through my body.
After crossing the immigration and customs at St. Johns International
Airport, I went straight to the information desk to find a brochure with all
the compiled information on the city for a newcomer. However, there was
none.
A lady at the desk directed me towards a kiosk full of brochures, mostly
about hotels and B&B. After half an hour, I had handful of pamphlets on
where to stay, dine and tourism. These were certainly not adequate
information for a newcomer who would like to reside and settle in St.
Read more First Impressions on page 2

May 13-19: Mount Pearl Youth

Week. For more information, please
call Garry Fraser, Youth Services
Coordinator at 748-1010 or
email gfraser@mountpearl.ca
June 24: Paradise Triathlon. For
more information, please see
townofparadise.ca.
July 3-10: International Choral
Festival, Festival 500, Sharing the
Voices, St. Johns, NL. For more
information, please see
www.festival500.com .

Job Experience
One of the most important criteria of settling in a place (other than your
hometown) is the opportunity to start a career. The Northeast Avalon offers
jobs in many different industries, including oil and gas, technology, mining,
tourism, fishery, farming, manufacturing, service and culture. There are
many places that can help you regarding job search, and it can be only a
matter of time before you have a job that matches your qualification.
To work, you will need a Social Insurance Number (SIN). This valuable
document is a mandatory requirement to work in Canada and you have to
apply in person. To get your SIN, you need to apply to Service Canada
located at 223 Churchill Avenue, which is on Route 2 of Metrobus.
If you are an international student, then Centre of Career Development of
Memorial University of Newfoundland at UC-4002 will be happy to help you
with on and off-campus jobs.
Read more Job Experience on page 2

Come From Away

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First Impressions from page 1

Johns. Soon the excitement eroded and fear began to creep in.

We should embrace our

immigrant roots and
recognize that
newcomers to our land
are not part of the
problem, they are part of
the solution ---Roger
Mahony

Believe It or Not:
In 2006, international
migration accounted
for two-thirds of
Canadian population
growth. The remaining
third was provided by
natural increase, the
growth that results
from the difference
between the number of
births and the number
of deaths.

What I would like to

see is a compact
document with all the
contact details relevant
to obtain a job.

Luckily, I found a fellow countryman who came to pick up his in-laws from
the airport. He provided me with enough contact details to go on for a day.
Upon registering with Memorial University of Newfoundland the next day, I
was provided with all the necessary details necessary for residing and
settling in the province, and got to know that the situation could have been
averted if I had registered for airport pick-up arranged by International
Student Advising Office (ISA) at Memorial University.
Seven years have passed since then, and there is still no such pamphlet that
bears to the point information for newcomers to St. Johns or Northeast
Avalon. The newsletter begins the process of providing relevant information
to newcomers.
Come From Away is the first of its kind where the newcomers, from
another province of Canada or a country, will have the opportunity to
promote their wants and interests so that being away from home doesnt feel
like being away from home at all.
I would personally like to thank the Northeast Avalon Regional Economic
Development Board (NEAREDB) who were kind enough to publish this
newsletter and therefore giving us a platform to address our concerns, needs
and desires in making the transition to this beautiful province all the more
smoother.

Job Experience. from page 1

New immigrants or refugees are mainly supported by The Association for
New Canadians AXIS Program. This program is based in St. John's and offers
many different services that can help newcomers prepare for and find
employment. Their head office is located at 10 Smithville Crescent, or you
can visit their website at www.axiscareers.net.
Newcomers from another province of Canada or country can also use the
similar service offered by the provincial Department of Advanced Education
and Skills. The departments Career, Employment and Youth Services Division
develops programs and services all across the province, that help people plan
for, find and keep jobs.
Were you aware that newcomers need to assess their credentials from their
home country to see whether additional training, education or Canadian work
experience are required before being qualified to work in Canada? In St.
Johns and Northeast Avalon, Acquiring EXperience; Integrating Skills (AXIS)
offers credential assessment for educated professionals and trades person
who are willing to reside and settle in the province. You can contact them at
www.axiscareers.net.
All this information took me an hour to compile from various sources. What
would be beneficial is a compact document with all the contact details
relevant to obtain a job. Most newcomers, especially immigrants or refugees,
do not have access to computers, least it be internet service; therefore, they
require hand copies of the information.

Come From Away

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I want it Spicy!
Spices allow cooks to gain a lot of flavor without a lot of effort. Most
ethnicities have a cooking culture based on varieties of spices. No kitchen is
complete without the right assortment of spices. The use of spices and herbs
are usually seen among the newcomers delicacies.

The cultural integration

is seen in restaurants
offering foreign cuisine
in their menus alongside
the indigenous ones.

Food culture has become an important link among societies which have
normally been divided by their manners, languages and religions. The
cultural integration is seen in restaurants offering foreign cuisine in their
menus alongside the indigenous ones. For example, curry cauliflower can be
seen in the dinner menu of Blue on Water (319 Water Street), and Teriyaki
Udon Bowls is on the menu at Aqua Restaurant (310 Water Street).
The diversity and cultural integration in this province has started with St.
Johns being the focal point. Major grocery stores, like Sobeys and Dominion,
have an aisle for traditional and international spices as well as organic foods.
That aisle has been growing substantially since 2004 when I first started my
excursion to the local groceries. But the stores still lack quantity and
availability and due to the costliness of spices in these major grocery stores,
they are often not the number one choice for locals and internationals to
buy spices.
If you are looking forward to make sushi, Kung pao chicken, or any sort of
oriental cuisine, then Asian Variety Store (140 Water Street) and Oriental
Snow Market at University Center of Memorial University are the best
options in this city. They have frozen oriental vegetables, dried fish, readyRead more I want Spicy! on page 4

Soccer and Culture

Soccer has united a diverse multicultural blend in St. Johns. This can be seen
during the summer when people of all nationalities gather at Churchill Square
soccer field, and enjoy The Beautiful Game. Churchill Square soccer field is not
the only one packed with international faces, but grounds near Gonzaga High
School, St. Andrews Elementary School and Memorial University are filled with
players from all races, religion and culture.
Philip Awate Carter came from Eritrea in July of 2006, and felt lonely as most of
his families and friends were back at home. While he was watching a game from
the bench, he was invited by other players to join the game. Since then Philip has
became a regular player at Churchill Square soccer field, and made friends with
whom he kept contact on and off the field. Like Philip, there are lots of
newcomers who made everlasting friendship with local and international people
through soccer.
Soccer, more commonly known as football among the newcomers, is a sport
played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball.
see Soccer and Culture on page 4

Top: Bulk Barn spices packed in

plastic bags.
Middle: Variety of whole spices.
Whole spices are available at
Sobeys, Dominion and Taste East.
Bottom: Delicacies made from local
spices.

Come From Away

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I want Spicy! from page 3
made sushi and dumplings, and so on, along with the ethnic Chinese, Japanese
and Thai spices and herbs.
Have you ever thought of making butter chicken or falafel? If so, then look no
further as all the ingredients and spices are available at Taste East (62 A
Allandale Road). Currently, they are the only grocery store in St. Johns to
offer various middle-eastern and Indian spices. Home-made delicacies like
samosa and baklava are also available at the store, but are limited in quantity.

SEND US YOUR
RECIPES!
EMAIL:
communications@nearedb.ca

European and Mediterranean spices and herbs are available at Dominion and
Sobeys, but I personally recommend visiting Bulk Barn. At Bulk Barn, they carry
traditional everyday to exotic spices, like cardamom, coriander and Montreal
steak and so on, and carry over 4,000 products.
Thats all for now, but do share your recipes and they could get featured in the
next issue. Bon apptit!

Soccer and Culture from page 3

In Newfoundland and Labrador, soccer championships and training are administered
by the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association (NLSA). It is dedicated to
promoting the growth and development of soccer at all levels. The association
organizes provincial tournaments every year categorizing by gender and age. For
more information, please visit www.nlsa.ca.
Last year, glimpses of players with foreign nationality could be seen among most
youth teams. This is a very positive sign showing the rise of multiculturalism and
involvement of newcomers in St. Johns where soccer played a vital role to
integrate them into the society.
Indoor soccer facilities are available at Techniplex, 39 Churchill Ave., Pleasantville
and NL Sports Centre, 90 Crosbie Road.

Top: International students playing

soccer at Churchill Square soccer
ground
Bottom: Soccer game at King George
V Stadium.

Northeast Avalon Regional Economic Development Board

Our province is divided into 19 Regional Economic
Development Boards (REDB).

The federal and provincial governments have set five

core functions for REDBs:

Develop and coordinate the implementation

of a Strategic Economic Plan supported by
the integrated business plan;
Develop a strong partnership with
municipalities that incorporates the
strategies and priorities of municipalities in
the economic planning process;
Develop partnerships in planning and
implementation with Chambers of
Commerce, Board of Trades, Industry
Associations, labour

organizations, post-secondary institutions, CBDCs and

other zones in the region;
Undertake capacity building and provide support to
strengthen the economic environment of the zone; and
Coordinate and facilitate linkages with
federal/provincial/municipal government departments
and agencies in support of the strategic economic
environment.

One of the key initiatives of NEAREDB is to build and foster

Welcoming Communities for newcomers. NEAREDB is
pleased to sponsor and promote the first of what is hoped
to be a semi-annual newsletter written by newcomers for
newcomers.
If you have any suggestions for articles or would like to
provide your thoughts and impression on living in this
region, please feel free to contact us.

To learn more about NEA REDB visit: www.northeastavalonredb.ca or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NEAREDB