It is just like starting over
It had been 5 years since I submitted my application to migrate in Canada. Finally, the approval came and we traveled and landed in Calgary on December 11, 2007. We chose Calgary since my wife had a relative in that place to assist us to integrate to the so called Canadian System.We had applied for social security card and health card. And we enrolled my only daughter to a Catholic School. We stayed for 10 days in my wife’s relative and eventually assisted us to secure a temporary accommodation, which is just a basement.
Life in Canada is quite far from our day-to-day activities in the Philippines. Here, you need a car to move around and do your shopping. There is only one Bus Company that operates in the whole Calgary region. Sometimes, the designated bus stop is quite far from the place you want to go. Hence, you need to walk for hundred meters before reaching your destination. This will be gruesome especially if you are trekking in the snow during winter. As a new immigrant, it is not so easy to get Canadian driver’s license not even to talk about on how to pay the cost of the Car.
In my own perspective, Jobs are abundant. For a couple to have a job is mandatory in order to live comfortably. It will be difficult if just one spouse works and other stays in the house. We feel secure since you can always pay your health insurance, foods, mortgage, etc as long as you want to work.
Adjustment to our new life is not so easy. Homesick, boredom, changes of lifestyles, leaving other members of family and friends and finding new associates are hard to tackle with. I guess it always happen to most of newly landed immigrant. But, I believed we could overcome it and the fruit of our labor here in Canada will be harvested in the long run. It is just like starting over.
posted by Asthong Kutchong @ 5:58 AM
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