Frances: I’ve been coming to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago to work on farms for eight years. It was hard to get here last year because borders were closed due to COVID. We normally come in the spring but it was July 6 before we got here and then we had to quarantine.
Quitia: Last year was my first year coming here with my mom. It was after harvest that we realized that we likely weren’t going to get home. And if we did go home, we might not be able to come back in the spring.
Frances: I have five kids and 12 grandkids back home. We talk to our family every day on Facetime. At first, it was hard knowing that we were going to be staying in Canada for Christmas and for the winter. But then people heard our story to the farm and brought us some of the ingredients we needed to make a traditional Trinidad Christmas dinner with dishes like fried rice and macaroni pie. And in the end, Christmas was wonderful. We didn’t miss anything except our family
Quitia: The farmers got winter coats and boots for us and it turned out to be a lovely Canadian experience. It is cold here though. It’s really hot back home.
Frances: It is too early to say what will happen at the end of this season.