Humans of SBOC featuring Tarik El Assal
How a Moroccan immigrant adapted to a new life in Canada in the middle of a pandemic and the first nationwide lockdown
“Age isn’t important, rather it’s experience that makes you grow. Compare yourself with your yesterday self and don’t compare yourself to others.”
Tarik El Assal, Volunteer and Yoga Instructor
As a newcomer to Canada, what was the most challenging part of moving here?
I landed here in Toronto 2 days before the COVID-19 lockdown was announced. The first challenging aspect was the cultural adaptation. Over time, I learned that Canadians are like “peaches”; soft on the outside, but hard on the inside. Whereas, I am more like a “coconut”; hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. So it was hard for me to know people’s true intentions when interacting with them. For example, I didn’t realize that when people asked me “How are you?”, they do it more out of politeness rather than necessarily knowing how I am doing. It’s a question people ask to be nice. So I learned to reply by saying “fine” and move on to the main topic of the conversation.
When did you first learn English?
The turning point was when I started learning English in college in 2007. I lived by myself in an apartment and listened to lots of audiobooks by the Canadian author Brian Tracy. Over time, I picked up sentences, expressions, words, and meanings. Plus, thanks to my brother’s recommendation, I volunteered with the youth-run organization AIESEC in which we mainly communicated in English and where I felt more comfortable using the language. Also, thanks to coach Meriem’s advice, I took part in a regional public speaking competition in English hosted at our business school in Settat. I won it, which qualified me to the nationals in which I ranked 10th in Morocco. The next year, I coached 2 students who participated in the same competition, and from there I embraced using English daily.
How did you prepare for the public speaking competition?
Public speaking was one of my most feared situations. I didn’t feel confident speaking in public, so a friend invited me to a Toastmasters meeting in 2010. The club concept was unlike any other I’ve ever seen. A gathering where amateur public speakers deliver speeches, improvisations, and evaluations to help each other become better speakers. Everyone made mistakes but members were supportive of each other. When the public speaking competition came up in college, I already had some Toastmasters experience which helped me to be confident and to prepare for it with the help of my coach, who believed in me.
Given your public speaking experience, do you have any advice for our students?
One piece of advice: seek uncomfortable situations. Discomfort means that you’re going outside of your comfort zone and there are always opportunities for growth waiting for you as soon as you step outside of your comfort zone. Public speaking is one of those uncomfortable experiences that grow students’ personalities and makes them feel confident on and off the stage.
Why should someone join Toastmasters?
When you learn to communicate properly and efficiently, it’ll help you in your life, studies, at work, with family, friends — everywhere. On top of public speaking, Toastmasters members develop other essential skills like time management, critical thinking, active listening, and improvisation. You feel that you start to use the language with purpose and the club helps you in that with its high standards and members’ support.
What Toastmasters moment scared or challenged you the most?
Improvisations, internally known as “Table Topics”. It consists of speaking on a given topic for up to 2 minutes without preparation. Over the years, I learned that the key to improvisations is to be creative when developing the ideas of the given topic. Go off the beaten path when expanding on the given topic and take your audience on a ride. The crazier you go, the more fascinating the story gets.
Why did Spelling Bee of Canada attract you as a volunteer?
Back in April 2020, I felt lonely during the first COVID-19 lockdown, so I wanted to spend time volunteering. I visited the Volunteer Toronto website and found a fundraising volunteer position with Spelling Bee of Canada. During the interview process, Julie noticed that I was a yoga teacher and together we came up with the idea of Yoga Bee, an activity where we teach children yoga and spelling at the same time.
How could yoga be used to help children learn English?
Yoga is a practice used to take care of the body and mind, and it could also help with studying. When you use your body while studying, you remember information better. For example, if you’re chewing gum while preparing for an exam, it can help you recall the content of your studies if you chew gum during the test! The Yoga Bee activity combines physical movement with word spelling, which can be effective for memorization.
What do you like about volunteering for the Spelling Bee of Canada?
On the one hand, I like the quality of volunteers. Different energies are channelled to grow projects. Plus, our Marketing department led by Emily is modern and well-organized thanks to tools like Slack and Asana. On the other hand, I get to work on a project that involves yoga. I don’t usually teach children, so it’s a new challenge and the content we produce is timeless. The videos would serve any kids, even outside of Spelling Bee.
What about Canada attracted you to move here?
The immigration process was straightforward and fair. It took me 1.5 years to prepare my project to move to a new country and start over from scratch.
What is one improvement in your life since you moved here?
There are many positives. The most surprising aspect was the excellent and free employment services that helped me with adapting my resume, LinkedIn profile, and job search to the Canadian setting. Also, I like the wealth of available resources online like in the library and volunteertoronto.ca. Moreover, I enjoy using the bike-sharing system to get around the city and explore parks. Finally, I can teach yoga outdoors and online, which helps me meet new people.
How is Morocco different from Canada?
Morocco has about 300 days of sun! Plus, 7 degrees celsius is the coldest that it can get in my hometown, Rabat, which is a luxury to Toronto’s -15 degrees celsius in February. On another hand, Canada is a developed country, which offers more growth opportunities to fulfill my potential.
Do you have any messages for the children and parents of SBOC?
Based on my experience with my beloved parents, I’d suggest 2 principles. First, let children go outside of their comfort zone. If there is any chance to allow your children to try new things, let them! Secondly, befriend your child rather than simply just being a parent. The closer the bond, the better the relationship, especially during the critical teenage years. Such trust between a child and his or her parents can prevent danger, bad habits, and toxic relationships. Lastly, kids, keep learning and keep growing from your experience!
This interview is part of the Humans of SBOC series by Erika Carreon, where her passion for storytelling shines through. As a language lover, Erika dedicates her time to learning Spanish.
