OUR STORY
OUR STORY
A letter to parents with children away from home
Dear Parents
Hello Everyone! I am Yuming, founder of Injoy Development Group Inc. I am writing this special letter to share with you the intention of Injoy Development Group Inc. and the deep caring we have developed from our experience of being parents.
The establishment of Injoy Development Group Inc. originated in 2014. In the winter of 2014, I arrived in Canada as a new immigrant. My first concern was for my daughter, a second-year student at UBC Okanagan campus. I quickly scheduled a trip to Kelowna, BC, Canada for a visit. I was anxious to know about her studies and living condition.
The dormitory condition was decent, much better than a typical university in China, where multiple students share the same room. But there are still lots of things to be considered about.
Sound Insulation
Within the dormitory, there was barely any soundproofing between units. You could easily hear the conversations in the adjacent rooms. My daughter jokingly told me that once, while she was singing in her room, someone wrote the lyrics of her song onto the message board outside her door. Ever since then, she kept it down when talking or singing. Not only did she not want to disturb her neighbors, but she also did not need others to eavesdrop on her private life. She felt like she was constantly walking on eggshells while living at the dormitory.
Laundry
The dirty public washing machine became one of my wife’s biggest concerns. Sometimes, no machines were available as clothes were not taken out in time. We also witnessed dirty shoes being thrown into the machine, without the machine ever being cleaned, scaring away most kids from the shared washing machine. This forced many to wash everything by hand instead.
Kitchen
Some dormitories did not have a kitchen available. Students had no choice but to buy meal cards. My daughter had a hard time adjusting to the menu of the cafeteria, mostly fast food. The unhealthy options caused her to put a lot of weight in her first year. Not only was my daughter’s health jeopardized, but missing access to hometown foods made my daughter feel even more homesick. At the end of the first academic year, all my daughter could think about was steamed rice and a bowl of hot tomato egg drop soup, one of our long-time traditions that carry with it so much of her memories of home.
Transportation
Kelowna snows every winter. I felt cold and pain knowing my daughter sometimes had to wait half an hour in the -10+° cold for the bus. We bought her a car, but parking was challenging. Without covered parking, it was inconvenient either way, with or without a car. Oftentimes, she had to drive around the blocks a few times, hoping to grab a spot close to her room. Sometimes, she had to park far away and walk back to her dormitory. During winter holidays when she left the car at school for a couple of weeks, her car would be buried under 40 centimeters of snow, and she had to dig her car out.
Roommates
Would the problems be solved if students did not live in the dormitory on campus? There were other issues involved with off-campus housing. Families normally had set budgets, and price to value ratio was often the most important factor in evaluating housing options. Kids often chose to find roommates to save on rent. There were issues for young people with different routines and habits trying to share a house. My daughter witnessed many dramas among good friends who lived together and then afterward, never spoke to each other.
Through all four years of college, my daughter never found a perfect solution. So, she dreamed of an apartment designed and built for students that could solve all these issues.
With my daughter’s request and my wife’s encouragement, I partnered up with a friend, whose children also studied away from home, and initiated our first project – Unik-Town Student Apartment in Kelowna. During the project, the two of us, along with one other friend who had a similar experience, founded Injoy Development Group Inc.
The three of us shared a common identity – fathers of children who studied abroad. With our diversified life experience and our deep love, caring, and hope for our children, we started our journey of developing the perfect apartments for young adults. Through IDG, we want to bring together the best of western modern design concepts and exquisite Asian cultures. By investing in these properties, we can guide our next generation to gain knowledge of property and financial management. These elements will help provide opportunities and wealth for their coming future.