Broke, hungry and only 20, I was too embarrassed to ask for help when I moved to Canada. I was all alone in a new country with no one to turn to for help. I couldn’t believe I was at a crossroads: back home in Latvia or homeless in Canada. Compared to his experience living in the Soviet Union, Canada seemed a free and safe country, not involved in major geopolitical conflicts. During polite small talk, people would ask about my family and how they were adjusting to life in Canada.