“Just do what you want to do” International couple live in P.E.I.

By Miwa Takahashi

Sept. 12, 2018

Miwa Hirata and Tajinder Singh Bola live in Charlottetown. Miwa Takahashi photo

Miwa Hirata studied design department at Hokkaidou University in Japan.

After graduation, she worked at an advertising industry.

She got off to a good start in her life, however, she was in an accident in Japan when she was 33 years old.

“That incident marked a turning point in my life. And also it made an opportunity to come to Canada because I would like to do what I want to do before my life ends,” Hirata said.

She has lived in Toronto for a year and gone to a language school there.

She was thinking of going to the Philippines, but the person helping her choose a new country said it was better to go to Canada than the Philippines.

“I didn’t think anything at that time. However, I am sort of fatalist, so I just followed the agent’s opinion.”

The language barrier was tough for her to overcome.

“I am still learning English, and sometimes I struggle to understand English, especially honorific words,” said Hirata.

In Toronto, she always listened to a radio to learn English. Radio is awesome because the thoughts coming from radio are conveyed to her, she said.

Also she can imagine a scene, with the way to speak and tone of voice, although she didn’t understand English. 

Eventually, she moved back to Japan.

 She won a logo for radio design award in 2015. That was the beginning of her work as a freelance designer.

She came back to Canada, following the boyfriend she met in Toronto.

Her boyfriend, Tajinder Singh Bola, came from India.

He moved to P.E.I. from Toronto. He used to live in big city in India as well, so he came here to experience living in small city.

He chose P.E.I. in order to get permanent residency status easily.

Singh Bola and Hirata live together. Actually, they have been going together for seven years.

He works as a supervisor in Price-Market and is planning to open his own business, a restaurant.

He is also thinking of going to Holland College to take culinary, but it is slightly expensive for him.    

He doesn’t have any communication problem in English and enjoys living here.

“I like nature here. Especially, if you walk in Charlottetown, there is a lot of place to see the beach and national park. And also people are really nice. They are more friendly than big city.”

At the end of November, Hirata will go back to Japan for about two years and Singh Bola will go back to India in January, then go to Toronto.  

Hirata said living with her boyfriend, having different cultures, was hard, however, she got used to it. Meeting his mother and father and spending time with him was good for her life.

Hirata doesn’t know what she will do in Japan.

“I think next time to meet him is after a year or two years. I am not sure what will be going on in my life. But obviously the time goes so fast.”