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.
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