My name is Kayou-Marie, but I go by Kayou. I am an International Student who came to Canada in August 2019. I was born and raised in St. Maarten, a small island in the Caribbean. However, I have a mixed heritage; my parents were born on two continents. My mother’s Cuban ancestors emigrated to Haiti in the 1950s, then to St. Maarten in the 1990s, and some even moved to Canada around this time. My father was born on the Ivory Coast and has spent time in several different locations across Europe and the United States before settling in St. Maarten.

In September 2017, a devastating hurricane swept across the islands and left behind a path of destruction. My mother saw this as a fantastic opportunity for me to further my education abroad, so I temporarily relocated to Ottawa, where I stayed until July 2018 and completed the eleventh grade of high school. Then, as circumstances changed, I returned home and transferred to a new Ontario-accredited high school, where I graduated with an Ontario-based high school diploma. 

My decision to return to Ottawa was significantly influenced by the fact that I had such a positive educational experience during grade-eleven because I became extremely familiar with the city and also from having spent many summers there and because I also have family in Ottawa and would have access to the support and guidance if needed.  I submitted my application to the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, where I was accepted to both universities. However, I have decided to attend Carleton University. As I embark on this new chapter of my life, and relocated again to Canada in August 2019 to pursue postsecondary education. I was so excited to start my university experience because of my previous experience living in Ottawa. I was ready to reunite with old high school friends and make new ones in my upcoming journey.

During my first year at Carleton University, I was able to reside on campus. Through this, I was able to interact with people from all over the world, which made me feel more at home because we shared similar experiences. However, being an international student in a new country was not without its challenges. Despite having previously lived in Ottawa, when I arrived at Carleton University, I was met with a lot of culture shock because it seemed less diverse than I had hoped. In many of my tutorials for my classes, I would often be the only visible minority sitting in the room. It was difficult to accept that we were no longer in the majority but rather in the minority. It made me very cautious. Regardless, I made an effort to socialize with everyone. I was frequently asked about my accent, which was followed by additional questions about my background. I found it easier to simply say, “I am Caribbean,” rather than explain my entire background. While I was there, a common theme that I encountered was the common perception that I was from Toronto. At the time, I had never been to Toronto, so I found it rather unusual that so many people kept assuming I was coming in from there. As I began meeting more people at University, I realized that there was a very high population of Caribbean descent living in Toronto.  Knowing this, I began befriending many people from the city as it was a way for me to find common interests as many of the people had similar upbringings as they had Caribbean parents. As my social circle expanded, I began meeting many new people from West Africa, like Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. While growing up on my island, the only individuals from the mainland I ever interacted with were my father and his friends, who would occasionally visit. In addition, one of the advantages of living on campus is that it allowed me to meet quite a few international students, including some who came from islands that are only about 20 minutes away from St. Maarten.

For the past two years I have been learning to come to terms with the reality of COVID which has taken up most of my university experience here in Ottawa. This was not all that I thought about while coming to Ottawa to further my studies. It was a big adjustment for me, especially considering that I had to leave campus early and that my school was transitioning to a completely online format. It was a really difficult time, and as a result, I was unable to see anyone or really meet any new people due to the many limits placed on traveling and moving around, which prevented me from doing either unless it was absolutely essential. But thanks to my third-year placement, I was able to host Raven Zone and facilitate winter workshops with the International Student Services Office (ISSO) volunteers to help spread our knowledge and experience of winter in Ottawa. During each new session, I felt like I was making more progress because I’m learning new things, adapting my approach to fit the situation as I go along, and engaging with the students. Even though they took place online, hosting these workshops was a huge support for me throughout my time during COVID since it encouraged me to communicate with other people.

I am truly grateful for the relationships and connections that I have gained over the years, particularly during my first year of university life and the persons I have met this far during my journey.