I came to Canada in 2011 with my family, three suitcases, big dreams, my trusty Greek frappe, and 12 years of nursing experience in Medical Oncology, as a Charge Nurse, Clinical Instructor, and background in Nursing Administration. I thought I’d land here and pick up right where I left off. Spoiler alert: not quite. Like many IENs, my first challenge wasn’t nursing, it was survival. I applied for a job everywhere, and everywhere I went, the answer was the same: “Sorry, no Canadian experience.” I ended up working as a waitress at a Greek banquet hall and later in a bakery. Honest work, but a huge identity shift. Somewhere between serving tables and slicing bread, I wondered if I’d ever feel like a nurse again. And as the months passed, something else happened. I started to shrink. I spoke less. I doubted myself more. Registering as an RN in Ontario in 2014 was a huge milestone, but not without challenges. Translating over 100 pages of my University transcripts at $50 a page, paying for exams, and juggling family and bills felt impossible at times. Then came the RNCCAP and Jurisprudence exams, language tests, and the CPRNE exam. Finally, I was a nurse again, but my confidence had taken a serious hit. Everything felt different. The IV supplies, scope of practice, the new equipment were all unfamiliar. I kept asking myself: I was a good nurse back home… but can I really do this in Canada? What carried me through was perseverance, the unwavering support of my family and friends, and the guidance of CARE Centre. Step by step, I rebuilt my confidence and spent over six years at Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre as a Certified Chemotherapy RN, rediscovering my voice, my skills, and the nurse I always knew I was. I am deeply thankful, to my family and friends for believing in me, to CARE Centre for guiding me, to every nurse who supported me along the way, and to every patient who made me a better nurse.