Five-year-old Ayomide Adewole woke up Friday morning bubbling with excitement.
She wanted to go right away to the Canada Day festivities at Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park.
Her mother Kenny had to explain to her daughter that she and the rest of the Adewole family will have to wait until Sunday for their chance to celebrate Canada's 151st birthday and take part in Canada Day activities for first time since they immigrated from Nigeria.
Even with cool rainy weather expected this weekend the park will likely be crowded Sunday with people taking advantage of the free activities with music and dancing all day at the band shell, a smorgasbord of ethnic food vendors, and the kind of stuff that makes kids happy like face-painting, arts and craft making, and free rides on the Little Prince train.
"Last year I wanted to go but it was just a few months after the birth of my daughter and something came up and I couldn't go," said Kenny. "I know what happens there and it's a fun-filled event and this year there's nothing that's going to stop me from going."
The crowds at the park won't be anything close to what they were used to in Nigeria.
Kenny and her husband Sola grew up in the capital city of Lagos, Africa's largest city, with a population of 21 million. That's nearly two-thirds the population of Canada in one city.
"Canada is big, but in terms of population it is so small," said Kenny. "Driving is easier here because everyone obeys the rules and when the light is red you know they're going to stop."
Kenny and Sola, both trained as accountants, had trouble finding work in their chosen field in Nigeria and through a friend they heard about Canada's Federal Skilled Workers Program.
Within six months of applying they were approved. Kenny did not want to leave Nigeria, an oil-rich country and one of the most prosperous African nations, but Sola did. So in June 2015 they left their home in Lagos to come to Calgary where a lot of their friends lived. They soon found out how cold Canada is compared to equatorial Nigeria, where the high temperature rarely fails to reach 29 C and the lows average about 22 C.
"When we first moved to Canada I was eagerly waiting to see snow and at first it was amazing," said Kenny. "The funnest part is my daughter (Ayomide), who was born in Nigeria, loves walking on the snow. When you tell her it's cold, don't go there she says, 'Mommy, I'm fine, I can handle it.'
"I don't like the snow. I love Canada, if it's possible to get rid of this cold. There's nothing we can do about it, but I'm getting used to it."
As cold as the climate is in Calgary and in Prince George, the Adewoles have been overwhelmed by the warmth of the people. Kenny enrolled in a six-month program sponsored by the Calgary Immigrant and Humane Society and while on her practicum she met a lady in Calgary, Jackie McKenzie, who took her under her wing as she adjusted to Canadian life.
"Canada is peaceful," said Kenny. "They have good social programs and I think for migrating from Nigeria, Canada is the best for free access. If you're coming the right route and are applying to become a permanent resident you don't have to go through any stress, you can get that right from Nigeria.
"One thing I love about Canada is when you tell people your problems they are always ready to help you and will go out of their way to help you. The people I have met in my own journey in Canada have built my confidence and that helped me a lot. I've met a lot of warm, friendly people and I'm just happy that I'm here."
Before they left their home in equatorial Africa they were led to believe it would not be difficult to find work as accountants but that was not the case. They spent long depressing days on the computer applying for jobs and when they did get to the interview stage they were rejected for positions because the employers didn't trust their certificates or because they lacked Canadian work experience.
Sola took a job as a cashier at Home Depot and Kenny had a part-time job but she was spending more on day care than she was taking home from her job. So they struggled to get by on one salary, with Kenny at home looking after their young daughter.
"My impression was when you get to Canada you would get a job like straight away but no, my husband was on the system from morning to night applying for jobs," said Kenny.
"I was so frustrated, I just cried and cried. It's so tough. People back home think once you are here you're getting millions and they expect you to start sending something home and when you tell them the story of what's happening some will believe you and some don't think you're saying the truth.
"They don't know what you're going through. But my husband is so strong. He always says that you have to believe in yourself, and being immigrants, don't let anyone look down on you. You have to prove that you can do it and self-confidence goes a long way. Right from Day 1, my husband said he knew he would get his dream job, he's so positive."
Eventually that power of positive thinking led to Sola receiving two solid job offers. He turned down Victoria and chose Prince George and they arrived in the city in November 2016.
Kenny also found work in a bank and three months ago landed a position that has proved an ideal fit. She took on a role as a receptionist and intake worker for Immigrant & Multicultural Services Society, where her smiling face greets 15 to 20 clients every day who walk through the doors of the office at 1270 Second Ave. She loves her job and can identify with her clients because she was in their shoes not so long ago.
"The people who work here are all down to earth, warm people, very supportive, and the clients respect you because they believe you are helping them," she said. "That respect is reciprocal, I respect them back. We offer our services free of charge and when they come in they feel warm and at home and that this is the right place for them. I know how it feels when you really need someone to help you out."
Kenny knows about 100 Nigerians who live in the city, most of whom attend her church. Not long after she arrived in Prince George she met her good friend, Sherry Scott, at the Salvation Army store, who helped Kenny get her through the birth of her youngest daughter, Demilade, in March 2017.
"She is a godsend, from the first time I met her she treated me like she had known me for ages," said Kenny.
"She came to my house to decorate the Christmas tree and she willingly volunteered to take me for my prenatal checkups twice a month. She's amazing. Even when I had my baby she was there in the delivery room with me and when I was discharged she was in my house to help me out with other things."
Sola's mother moved to Prince George in December. "At first she was complaining about the cold but now she's loving it," said Kenny. She's working on the rest of her family of five younger siblings, including an identical twin sister, Taiwo, to come for a visit.
Asked about what she misses most about Nigeria, there's no hesitation.
"I miss my mom (Florence)," said Kenny.
"I miss my twin sister. I haven't traveled back to Nigeria for three years. I can't believe I can stay away from mom for that long.
"I also miss my food. It's expensive if you have to bring it from Nigeria. One thing I miss is if I'm running out of salt you can walk two minutes to get a place but here in Canada it's not like that. You have to take a taxi, which is expensive, or you take a bus, which takes a long time. In Nigeria the food is in your neighbourhood."
Sola Adewole recently took on a new position putting his accounting skills to work as a controller and he and Kenny plan to put down roots in Prince George. They just applied for their Canadian citizenship and they soon will be in a position to buy a house.
