Manila V.O. - Waiting for the Passport with the Visa

[noelcezh]

thanks noelcezh.
are you going to calgary? or edmonton? bakit pala yun ang choice mo?

calgary dun kasi sister ko pharmacists ksi sya dun.

 

[badtzmaru]

Amen to your post canimmigrant. Immigration is a very difficult decision. All of us will have to adjust ... Culturally malamang ma-shock rin tayo. Most of us will be working there and I must say, be prepared. To those who have worked here in the Philippines with no multinational background, I'm sure ma-experience nyo rin yung difference ng cross cultural setup. You will be surprised at how the Westerners work. Pag may argument, they are aggressive, kasi ang nature nila is you really have to stand up and prove your point. The credibility is really earned and once nakuha mo na yun, then saka pa lang i-recognize yung true worth mo. Just by the thought, yung pagkainip sa visa ay biglang nawawala, kasi I'm thinking that I need to arm myself better. I have to sharpen more of my skills and better yet know the things that I will be going into.

@ hellokitty_catnip: welcome back. good to hear that you got your refund! woohoo ..... more money to use.

@heatspine
Salamaat! I was even planning to send a follow up email already to CEM that Easter weekend when the refund in check arrived just in time Maundy Thursday. hehehe! So hindi ko na rin tinuloy i-follow up re my passport since things seem to be moving along fine naman pala with CEM. Good job on the immigration site by the way! *thumbs up!*

badtzmaru/HelloKitty_Catnip

 

[sync05]

hi guys..
online na naman..
think positive wag kayong aayaw. haha.
darating din yan for sure.
;D ;D ;D

Anyway, sa mga recently na nadDM (paulferrer, ytsirc16, kiking, and sirempe). narecieve nyo na ba pp w/ visa nyo?thanks in advance
;D ;D ;D

 

[badtzmaru]

Hi all..

Just wanna start and bring up the location topic (and keep ourselves occupied while waiting)...:

Share ko lang po my thoughts because I stayed for a very short while in Canada, about three months. Baka ma-inspire kayo lalo.. haha! Maganda po talaga sya. Lots of green, clean air, etc. I lived in B.C. at the time, so Vancouver po napuntahan ko, and Victoria. And went to the Rockies (Alberta) on a long weekend, road trip with people I know who live there. Indescribable po ang feeling when I first saw/rode/drove through the Rockies. Sooo beautiful!

Vancouver

First off, the mountains:
The mountains in Vancouver stunned me when I first saw them (lol!), the ones you can see across the sea/bay from downtown along Georgia or Burrard Street and Kitsilano. I guess kasi I wasn't expecting it at all when I saw them just across the waters on my way to dinner in Kitsilano district, my first day there after arrival from the airport. Dusk pa noon and it was transitioning from winter to spring so the mountains were a bit colored in white 'cause of the snow on them, and the scene/sky was kinda dark bluish all around (dusk and cold weather at the time) so you can imagine ganda talaga ng view... (at that time kasi Vancouver seemed just like any other big city to me, nothing exciting, until I saw those mountains just across the sea..) lol! I guess wala kasi non sa highlands natin. Lol! Imagine nyo parang Manila Bay without pollution sabay instead of nothing at the end of the horizon, aba, merong nice imposing mountains on the other side. And these massive mountains aren't the sort we see here. Medyo parang nakakatakot na something. Basta may arrive sila. hahaha!! And then you learn those mountains are like just 30-40 minutes drive away. Oh my golly wow! hehe!

And then the people:
Mababait po mga Canadians generally speaking. From the supermarts, to the salespeople, to my neighbors, etc. Polite but friendly polite, not just civil polite. I didn't feel ostracized by the locals at all while there. I don't know if it helped that they're next door neighbors with a country like the US and somewhat similar culture that's why it's like that. Let's put it this way: Kung openness/approachability rin lang po -- according to a friend who has lived/worked in both Sydney, Australia, and Canada -- mas nagustuhan po nya locals sa Canada. And parang mas assimilated immigrants in Canada daw. Mas merong friendly/open vibe. Heck even their TV or print ads are modeled by Asians, and newscasters can be Asians, South Asians, etc. Meron pa nga ako napanood TV program with some Filipino in the cast and they portray Filipino Canadian immigrant/citizen characters na neighbors nung main characters or something. O di ba? haha! Assimilated na I guess.

Restaurants/Food:
Hit or miss. But mostly, I enjoyed the food more at the Asian restaurants: Japanese, Chinese, Filipino-Chinese... hehehe! It's either that or the theme restaurants (not too fond of those unless am terribly hungry or craving something like what's on their menu), or more expensive ones. Yung classic French resto along Robson, near a Kiehl's store or beside it, with expensive menu? Mmmmm... yun lang. haha! I don't think I'd go back there. Mas masarap pa po a similar counterpart nya (menu, price, etc) in Makati/The Fort. But then I'm no food critic nor a certified chef or something. Taga-kain lang. hehehe!

Others:
Maganda po mga parks nila. I'm happy to have seen many families in the parks. We hardly have those in Metro Manila. Instead of hanging out in a mall, you can do it in the parks in nice weather. hehehe!

Ang biggest con with Vancouver? The cost of living relative to other cities -- food, clothing, CDs, DVDs, etc. Taxes. Gaah. Enough said.

As for Edmonton, according to friends who've been there, nalulungkot sila pag dun sila. It's a flat area they say, and nothing much to do. And super cold. Maybe sanayan lang?

For me if there's a nice job in the Rockies, gusto ko dun.. haha!

So yun lang po. I don't mean to hijack the thread ha... just sharing some info that some of us might find useful with their decision-making on where to settle while waiting to get our passports back... Or maybe may gana lang ako tonight mag post. hehe! 8)

Others might wanna share too? Like Calgary, how's it like there if anyone here's lived there or have moved there? I read in another forum (I think) about a couple who easily found jobs in a month, then 6 months later, start na house-building nila. hehe! They didn't mention what their profession is though.

badtzmaru/HelloKitty_Catnip

 

[freetorch99]

Thanks badtzmaru, very inspiring and very interesting story. I can now imagine what Canada looks and feels like. ;D

 

[sirempe]

hi guys..
online na naman..
think positive wag kayong aayaw. haha.
darating din yan for sure.
;D ;D ;D

Anyway, sa mga recently na nadDM (paulferrer, ytsirc16, kiking, and sirempe). narecieve nyo na ba pp w/ visa nyo?thanks in advance
;D ;D ;D

@sinc

wala pa visa ko 10 days na since DM wala pa rin

 

[noelcezh]

@ sinc

wala pa visa ko 10 days na since DM wala pa rin

dadating din po yun!!! kami waiting parin po ma dm.... wahhhhh

 

[Pipoy]

Labor Month na! Sana mabigyan na ng visa tayong mga skilled workers. Hehe

 

[heatspine]

Thanks for sharing hellokitty_catnip. It's always refreshing to hear this good insights first hand. I haven't been there so the nearest that I can relate is to read experiences such as yours and from the other writings. Thanks also for the complement! I love posting and sharing kasi it keeps me informed. I too learn from the process. Ngayon ko lang natutunan yung mga different provinces and regions of Canada. What's more exciting is that I get to know the different attractions for every place. It's an exciting discovery.

I can imagine what you told regarding the mountains. I have a friend who went to Switzerland and saw the Alps and he said the same thing. It's like marvelling at awe on those huge rock formations and to his words "It reaffirms his belief in God".

I'm planning to land in BC, particularly in Vancouver. Just like you said, it's beautiful there. An added plus is my support system kasi many friends and relatives are based there. Pero gaya nga rin ng sabi mo, one thing that keeps nagging on the back of my mind is the cost of living. Need not expound on that area. Kaya I'm keeping my options open. I'll be sending my CV starting this May and I'll see where work will take me. Parang masaya naman kahit saan kasi it would be a totally new experience.

 

[paulferrer]

hi guys..
online na naman..
think positive wag kayong aayaw. haha.
darating din yan for sure.
;D ;D ;D

Anyway, sa mga recently na nadDM (paulferrer, ytsirc16, kiking, and sirempe). narecieve nyo na ba pp w/ visa nyo?thanks in advance
;D ;D ;D

Hi sync05! Nope still no passport for me today...

 

[Kiking]

hi guys..
online na naman..
think positive wag kayong aayaw. haha.
darating din yan for sure.
;D ;D ;D

Anyway, sa mga recently na nadDM (paulferrer, ytsirc16, kiking, and sirempe). narecieve nyo na ba pp w/ visa nyo?thanks in advance
;D ;D ;D

Hello sync. Di pa dumadating visa ko. I just called DHL-Manila kung merong na dispatch in my name and addressed to my agency in Mla, wala pa daw. God-willing next week nasa kamay ko na. God bless!

 

[paulferrer]

Hello sync. Di pa dumadating visa ko. I just called DHL-Manila kung merong na dispatch in my name and addressed to my agency in Mla, wala pa daw. God-willing next week nasa kamay ko na. God bless!

Hi Kiking! May number po kayo nung tinawagan niyo po? I-try ko din sana maginquire..Thanks!

 

[Kiking]

Hi Kiking! May number po kayo nung tinawagan niyo po? I-try ko din sana maginquire..Thanks!

Hello paul. Since I am from Davao, it's (02) 8798888 then press 6. God bless!

 

[paulferrer]

Hello paul. Since I am from Davao, it's (02) 8798888 then press 6. God bless!

Thanks Kiking! Called the Manila hotline, they took my number and said they'll just call me if ever they are in possession
of the passports. Good luck to us! More DMs and Visas for everybody please!

 

[ewhy]

hello...

meron po ba ditong nakapagpamedical na sa mga DMPs sa baguio? any feedback po?

thanks!

Good Luck sa lahat!