To Be A Blessing To Someone....

It's a very hot Sunday afternoon and we can't go on another day without the breeze coming from a fan- an electric fan, in this case! Altho' it's Sabbath Day and we shouldn't be out there shopping, we just can't stand the heat any longer so we decided to go out and buy one or we'll end up having to toss to and fro on bed again tonight. 

Kirby, my nephew and I went to London Drug at 21st St at Lonsdale to buy this most sought after appliance this summer.  I had a terrible headache due to the heat and I knew I needed a pill to alleviate the pain and going to this pharmacy-grocery-appliance store in one is such a relief knowing everything (almost) is here. Got my extra strength Tylenol and the 14" electric fan in just one stop. 

It was 7pm and nothing was there at home for dinner. McDonald's is across the store and we decided to drop by for probably just a burger. 

Kirby ordered Quarter Pounder meal and me, cheeseburger meal.

 We're halfway through when we saw a lady sat down at the entrance door holding this:

I noticed that most bypassers either just stare at her or simply drop a coin on her palm, and some just passed by without even giving a glance. I told Kirby about the lady. She looked young, in her checkered long sleeves and denim, a dirty sneaker and untidy hair. Kirby asked, "Tita, are you going to help her?". "Sure, but I don't have cash here. Can you go out and ask her if she's hungry?". My nephew has just got here to Canada, barely 10days. Speaking English is one of his fears. I urged him to go out and coached him what to say to the lady. We practiced it 3x then he left. I can see them from the inside through the glass wall. He talked to her and said, in Filipino accent, "are you hungry? My mommy will give you a food", then he pointed at me. He said he used the term 'mommy' instead of 'auntie' because the lady will easily believe I'm his mom because we're both chubby! I gave a thumbs up as a sign that I am asking the same question. She gave me back a thumbs up sign which means that she's indeed hungry. I then handgestured both of them to come in and met them at the door. I immediately smelled the lady's breath, she's drunk! But very hungry. I led her to the counter and told the cashier that I've seen her begging there and might be hungry because it's dinner time. "Good for you", the young cashier commended. Then I asked the lady what she wants to eat. In her Chinese twang, she ordered Caesar salad and orange juice and said "thank you" many times. I paid her bill and instructed her to wait for her food while I answered my phone.

 The taxi has arrived to pick us up. We left the store with her still inside. I am confident she'd be served what we ordered. Before we get into the taxi, however, saw her went out and sit down on that same spot and started eating. She waved her hands at me with a big smile and lip read her say "thank you". 

We left the store with Kirby asking, "are you happy we were able to feed the lady, auntie?". I answered, "are you?". He said "yes, you do that everytime". I smiled and said, "happiness comes when we share what we have". He ended, "I'm going to tell this to mom!"

On My 100th Day in Vancouver

Traveling to and staying in a foreign country always give me anxieties. The unsurity of things left me tensed for the first few weeks. Culture shock, adjustment period, people at work, weather changes, difference in time zones, language barrier (not a big problem 'tho) and a lot of unseen events bring many emotional fatigue and mental exhaustion.

Having someone I knew in this foreign land, my sister and cousins, and the familiar feeling of being in a religious group have somehow helped me get through frustrations. Technology, on the other hand had helped me get connected to the other side of my world and that keeps my sanity intact.

Learning is one thing I anticipated in Canada. I knew that there's heaps to learn in this new place.

THE JOB: When I started working as a Live-in Caregiver (the pathway to Permanent Residency) , there was a bit of resistance and that feeling of ambivalence that crept into my being. Or was it just pride? I used to work with big companies and now, I have a boss who personally directs and supervise my daily activities. Kinda odd, because I only work with 4 people but I felt like I am working in a multi-department company with the many tasks assigned to my job. Working one on one is another challenge. But working with a mobile, talking client is the more 'challenge-ier' part. I used to working with comatose, dependent clients and accepting my new role took awhile to sink deep into my system. 

THE PEOPLE: Another thing to learn is my transition to accepting the multicultural diversity that is so present in this country. One thing I learned was to never say words in my own language or dialect because you'll never know who understand them. Even the fairest of complexion or the smallest eye don't mean they're Chinese. Sometimes, they, too are Filipino who understand the dialect you speak. 

TRANSPORTATION: Public transpo has never been too complicated. Buses, sea bus, skytrain, ferries, helijets, bikes, planes. They have it all here. Despite the accessibility of public transportation, however, the skill to drive is a necessity in a developed country like Canada. But driving in British Columbia isn't just driving. It involves knowledge and skill, and a lot of practice to get a license. I'm blessed with a cousin who patiently teaches me and my goal is to get that Class 7 license in few more weeks. 

FOOD: Not very exciting. Most of them are too healthy and I admit, I'm not used to eating healthy. I shun vegetables but I love fruits! Yet, I drink soda and I don't drink milk. I prefer sauteed and fried over blanched, steamed or poached. I love eating. And most people I knew don't have time to eat! But me? I have a greedy appetite! I eat 5x a day. And I enjoy it. Who doesn't? Lately, I'm hooked to Japanese and Mexican. But Canadian? Well, I'm learning. 

MONEY: The loonie. The toonie. Who cares? I always knew a dollar is equivalent to 36pesos. Anything that exceeds 10dollar is expensive. My sister often laugh at me when I automatically convert the price to peso. But that's how it is! I'm a rookie and converting is a hard habit to break. By the way, debit and credit cards are everybody's best friend here. Not too many people have money in their pockets and now, I am too! 

FUN: Canadians are fun loving. But fun to them is dog, walk, travel and sunshine. To me, fun is movies, karaoke, dinner, travel, talking to sensible people and the internet. Well, I can adjust to sunshine and walk but never to dogs!

Most importantly, to succeed with my stay, I knew I have to continue learning. I have to continue with my quest to becoming successful and happy. At the end of the day, I have goals. One of them is to bring my children along. And to achieve it, "inasmuch as ye keep rhe commandments, ye shall prosper in the land". I keep hoping. For the meantime, I rock. I roll. And I'm happy. 

CTR 4: THE CALLING

My present calling at North Shore Ward is Primary teacher for CTR 4. This is my first calling in the Primary. I have no previous experience teaching children. I've been teaching and have served in the Young Women and Relief Society organizations and in adult Sunday School but not in the primary. I was a bit hesitant when I was called but knowing that the presidency will be of support, I accepted the call. 

On my first 2 Sundays, I was honestly bored. Singing children's songs, staying with kids while lesson is on going and oversee that they behave properly, encouraging them to be reverent, keep them paying attention to teachers, reminding them to participate- these aren't my thing! Last Sunday, however, I started participating and missing my students when they didn't come to Church. I started memorizing their names (there's 4 of them in my class) and slowly getting into their "world".

Today, as I taught the first time, I knew that God put me there not only because I am needed there but because I know I will learn more from the lessons and from the little children I teach. I eventually learned to love James, Jorden, Selah and Amelia. Their hugs keep my desire to share the Gospel to them. Their hunger and thirst for righteousness are overflowing. I now see the need to be more inspired, more enthusiastic, more ready and more dedicated to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that I'd be a part of their testimonies someday. And I know that this is where I am needed. I thank God for trusting me this calling,