Marcos Santana from the Corozal District, Belize
Marcos Santana had always wanted to study civil and natural resource engineering at university, but was barred from tertiary study because of the class system in his home country of Belize. “I came from a family of sugar cane farmers. I was not part of the right class and didn’t have enough money for university.”
Although Marcos tried for 10 years to get to university through soccer scholarships, Army service and community volunteer work, it was not until he moved to New Zealand that he was finally able to do his Bachelor of Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury.
“I knew Canterbury had one of the only courses in the world I wanted to do, and I was able to come to New Zealand because my wife was born here. We had been living in France (my wife’s home country) for a year or so, when we decided to move to New Zealand. And everyone thought we were mad!
“I had all these images in my head from what people had told us about Christchurch. I basically thought that Christchurch had sheep walking through the central city - so I was a bit disappointed when I got here!”
Apart from some language issues, which he soon mastered, Marcos found cultural differences the hardest part of moving to New Zealand.
“Where I am from, people are very trusting and sharing, and I had a few initial experiences here that made me a bit confused,” he says. “In Belize everyone wants to help someone - for nothing in return. But during my studies some people were very competitive, and wanted to send you on a wild goose chase so they could get the better marks. This was also strange to me, as there is no reason why we all can’t do well.”
Marcos says the job application process in New Zealand was also different from what he was used to. “When I first applied for jobs, I was so surprised that even if you were shortlisted for a job it could take weeks to hear something back, and that if you didn’t get it you might hear nothing back at all! I kept waiting and waiting, until I realised something was up.”
But now Marcos has a job as a roading engineer for Transit New Zealand that he loves doing. “It is neat to be able to drive past a cycle lane or bridge that I’ve designed that has made the road safer. Being able to see what I have achieved and show that to my friends and my family here and back home is great.”
Six years after arriving in New Zealand, Marcos and his wife, along with their new son, feel very settled in New Zealand and enjoy the lifestyle. “It just goes to show that when you find obstacles in your way, you just need to find a longer route to overcome them.”
