It was a huge decision for me and my sisters to move to Canada last August 2021. It all happened in the middle of the pandemic but it was a huge risk we took in exchange for our desire to achieve an international level of learning and experience.
It took us a whole year to plan. It was an intense experience since me and my sisters don't have an agent to process and complete our documents. Thus, we had to meticulously review all the rules and requirements. During the onset of Covid, traveling was highly discouraged. All commercial flights had been closed. Because of this, we had no choice but to delay our plans for another year.
“Was it all worth it?”
The whole process, personally, gave me and my sisters a lot of anxiety. At that time, waiting for a vaccine was not an option in the Philippines. Everyone's afraid to even go out because the chances of acquiring Covid were very high. This is also the reason why gathering official documents, and scheduling appointments like the ones for medical exams, biometrics, and RT PCR tests were extremely difficult too.
I remember, the day before our flight, we had to take a 24-hour RT PCR test to provide proof that we are negative for Covid. It was very costly considering that there were three of us traveling. However, it was a huge relief when we got our results back- NEGATIVE.
The very same night, we were busy packing and checking all our belongings. Me and my sisters weren't able to sleep at all. On our way to Ninoy International Airport, we went through several checkpoints. All of them requested proof of our negative Covid test result and proof of our travel. It was stressful. At the airport, we were surprised to see a long queue ahead of us. We waited for about less than 30 minutes for the officers to review our documents so that we could all board our scheduled flight.
Originally, our flight is from Manila to Narita, then to Toronto, and lastly, our main destination- Moncton. It was originally a 24-hour long flight. However, we missed our last flight in Toronto so we had no choice but to stay in Toronto for three more days. AirCanada re-scheduled our flight and provided us tickets from Montreal to Moncton. It was crazy to think that I and my sisters were able to go to 5 different airports in just a span of 3 days.
"Moncton is very different from Manila."
When we arrived in Moncton, we have a detailed isolation plan written in a document. We self-isolated for 14 days. In those days, we took calls and answer online surveys to ensure that we don't experience any Covid symptoms. It was a lot but I am happy to see that Canada set certain protocols to ensure everyone's safety.
Fast forward to now, 8 months have passed since we first arrived here. In a short span of time, I can confidently say that Canada, specifically Moncton, is extremely different from Manila, my hometown. Here are some of the significant differences I noticed:
1. The government is generally organized, practical, and systematic. I am surprised to see how Canada embraces automated systems in almost everything- this in return makes life easier for everyone. Imagine doing a simple task like scheduling an appointment for a vaccination- traditionally, you have to go to a vaccination site, line in a long queue, talk to the staff, and then check for an available schedule. In this kind of setup, chances are, it will take one whole day to complete one specific task. In the meantime, in Canada, one can easily complete the exact same task in minutes just by going to the province's official website. Their website contains all the necessary information which includes a link where users can schedule their own vaccination. In a span of a few minutes, after answering a series of questions, the system identifies the nearest vaccination site, it then populates the information for the available date and time which allows the user to select a schedule. I wish the Philippines can adopt this approach. It saves both the institution and the person involved a lot of time, effort, and energy.
2. Polite and nice people. Anywhere you go, Canadians, in general, are very polite and nice. Here, it is normal for strangers to greet you outside, whether just to say "Hi" or "Good day!". At first, I thought it was unusual but I realized that it is just their culture. Especially in the province of New Brunswick, given that the population is not that big, it is not always you encounter somebody outside. Of course, don't forget to return the kind gesture to them!
3. Pedestrian crossing - it is 99% safe. In the Philippines, my home country, it is impossible to cross the streets safely even if you are walking at a pedestrian crossing. With the large volume of cars in the city and the intensity of the traffic, people are always in a hurry. This is one of the reasons why there are a lot of car accidents in Manila. However, in New Brunswick, when crossing the road, all cars would stop for you until you're able to cross safely. Of course, in this situation, you have to also follow the rules when crossing the streets. Sometimes, just standing in front of a pedestrian crossing would prompt drivers to stop for you. Another option, if available, is by pressing the signal button on the lamp post to notify drivers that you intend to cross the street. If you do the latter one, expect all cars to stop as soon as you press that button! As of now, I can attest that pedestrian crossings here are 100% safe. Now, go out and enjoy your walk!
4. Food. On the downside, I am still not used to the food here. In comparison to the busy city I came from, there are fewer food selections and restaurants here. At the same time, Asian taste buds are very used to a lot of spices which makes most of the local food here taste bland. However, there's a diversity growing around the city as more immigrants enter New Brunswick. There are also various festivals, especially around summer. One of them is the annual Mosaiq Multicultural Festival organized by The Multicultural Association of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA). What is the best time to try new things than in summer?
5. The weather. One of the greatest challenges of moving from a tropical country to the Atlantic Region of Canada is the weather. At least I and my sisters arrived right before the Fall season which helped us adjust a bit. Unfortunately, there are programs offered during the Winter season and most international students moving here during winter will have to immediately face the intensity of the cold winter of New Brunswick. The cold season usually starts from December to March. It is on an average of 49°F with January as the coldest month. Despite the cold months, there are actually a ton of fun winter activities you can try and explore.
Comentarios