As I got older, my priorities, goals and expectations shifted. I wanted to buy a property and start my own business soon, but none of that was possible in Canada. It felt meaningless to stay there. I missed my family and friends in Beijing, too. By October, I decided to leave Canada for good. I gave notice at my job and to my landlord and booked a flight home to Beijing for early December. I planned to join my parents’ business—they manufacture innerwear.