You May or You May Not

I am posting this to correct myself and I do not want to be associated anymore to a community here in NB. Also, I know many Filipinos are reading my blog because of NBPNP EELMS program so to avoid misleading them all, I am blogging this.

As your Filipino NBPNP (EELMS) to first land here in NB, we are your guinea pigs. I do not ask anyone to believe me but all I can say is all that I have posted here are all based on our own experience. Your choice not mine. You may or you may not. We have our own minds and we can think and decide to ourselves which is good or not. I just do not want anymore of my fellow Filipino NBPNP to experience what we experienced.

Okay, so my husband and I reported to a Filipino community here in NB. If I were given the chance to rewind everything from packing, to our landing, and to our most coveted integration to Canada, I will choose not to report with the community. Why? Because at landing we were obliged to do practice and dance right away. Not to mention the so many activities that we have to go through even if we do not like to plus some bad experiences that I chose not to detail. And, let me not forget the pictures they posted on facebook without our consents which later on we found out that they used it for funding. That's explain why Ashraf does not want to have picture with us when we reported to Population Growth because we have a companion who is from the community.

If you are reading my blog, you will know that we transferred to our apartment almost 2 weeks after landing and started to apply for a job only on the 3rd week. Why? Because of the so many unwanted activities that we have to go through. So many time were wasted but God is still good and guided us to the right path. As CIIP says during our seminar with them, learn to say NO, after all, this is Canada and no longer Philippines. We brought with us our CIIP seminar who really helped us in our integration here. With the many offices they have linked us with, my husband and I will forever be grateful with CIIP.

It is just sad that there are really Filipinos who will take advantage of you. They will even take credit of what we accomplished. Did they even know the struggles we had? The so many sleepless nights of waiting and depression. It is up to us to stop it and fight for our own rights. And yes, we do not owe them anything because we came here in NB as permanent residents. Whatever they used to picked us up in the airport, our accommodation and also the food were all paid up through that funding.

So, we did our last practice and last dance for the community. Sad and bad experience it is but we have chosen to charged it all to experience. We came here for a dream of having our little R and not to practice and dance with the community nor do tiring activities. We struggled to come here for our little R and there is no way they can let us down. My husband and I are just so thankful that we both now have work so we can divert our attentions to what our real purpose of coming here in the maple leaf country.

In the next few days and months, many first batch Filipino NBPNPs are doing their landing here in NB. Some will opt to report to them but most of them will not. It is for us to know and for you Filipino NBPNP to find out. Your choice not us but please bare in mind that as newcomers here in NB, we need to settle down first before anything. You will all come here with your settlement fund on hand but remember that money that we all have will slowly depreciate. You will buy your own things, groceries, rent and utilities will take much of your settlement fund. Mind you, settling and integrating to a new world is not easy. Yes, we do also need a community here, after all, we are all Filipinos but not to the extent of eating a lot of your time. A community will always be here for you but settling first is another story.

Leave with you the politics in the Philippines (which is also here in Canada with fellow Filipinos, tsk, tsk, tsk) plus the crab mentality and start a new life here as a Canadian. In that way, you will learn little by little, how smoothly integration to a new world will come to each one of us.

I also want to emphasize that not all Filipinos here are the same. We just reported to 2 wrong persons and maybe to a wrong community. We just found out that there are 2 Filipino communities here. Why? That I do not know also but you can ask yourselves why then get an answer from there. And for as long as they are the leaders in the community where we reported then it is okay for us not to have a community at all. Anyway, this is Canada. Settle first before anything and do not let anyone take advantage of you just because you are a newcomer.

"Saying yes to happiness, means learning to say no to the things and people, that stress you out." - Anonymous.

I am Hired

I am finally working after sending out 18 resumes to prospective employers starting on 16 May 2016. My resumes were revised for I do not know how many times. It was actually reviewed by MCAF and YMCA. These 2 non-profit organizations were connected to us by CIIP for employment counselling.

So, before going any further. I have a lists of plan for my job hunting. (1) Plan A will be more on accounting, administrative or secretarial, and front office jobs because I have work experience on it. I have applied for 16 jobs with Plan A; (2) Plan B will be trying my luck on call centers to which I know for myself I do not have experience plus the fact that I do not really like someone yelling at me even over the phone. But still I applied for 2 here. I was invited to start my paid training with Atelka (client is Rogers) this coming 14 June 2016 but I did not accept it for the reason that I was still hoping for jobs where I have experience on it, LOL; and (3) Plan C is when we run out of settlement fund, hahaha, I will go and apply with Tim Hortons, McDonalds, etc. but I cannot still take the courage to apply and work for a job under Plan C. Yeah, the settlement fund is still doing okay, LOL.

Also, while doing our job hunting, my husband and I are both doing volunteer work with The Kidney Foundation of Canada for its Give a Gift of Life Walk  for its 12 June 2016 event. I am also doing volunteer work as encoder with York Sunbury Historical Society and Fredericton Region Museum. Volunteer work, as discussed by CIIP, will not only make a good impression in our resumes but also a means of obtaining a Canadian work experience. Improving our network is one very important goal of volunteer works. I have now to give up both volunteer works.

Going back, out of the 18 applications, only 4 of them contacted me. Firstly, a pre-screening call from Adecco to which I have not answered very well because I cannot remember what position I applied for, LOL. Good thing the caller says I am applying for the position of Mail Clerk, thus, the call. But still I cannot remember the duties I have to hold there because of so many applications I send out, LOL.

Secondly, 2 written tests from Department of Finance (DOF) and Service New Brunswick (SNB) for both an Administrative Assistant positions:

I am really puzzled why the 2 government offices emailed me for a written tests when I do not know French. They are looking for billingual candidates but, yeah, I still applied for the sake of applying, LOL, but it also says on both job posts that "we thank all those who apply, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted." So, I was really happy when I received the mail from DOF. I went for exam and I wanted to run out the building when I saw my co-applicants. All of them Canadians. I am the only foreigner there. But I still took the test of 5 questions. One of which is to proofread an English and French articles. Wow, obviously I cannot answer it because even guessing it will do me no good so I just put a note that "I do not speak, write nor read French as stated in my application. Thank you." Okay, so goodbye DOF, LOL.

Then came an email from SNB. This time, we are 3 foreigners here. And, the test is so super easy. I was really surprised about it but here comes 1 category which contains 21 questions of French. Oh yes, your guess is as good as mine. I did not guess even if I can because it is a multiple choice. I just wrote the same note just like my DOF test. I was really puzzled so I called SNB and they told me that they thought I am billingual because it was stated in my online application with the Government and they find my resume good for the Administrative Assistant position but still they were sorry about me because I cannot continue with the competition anymore because they were really looking for a billingual candidate. Okay, case closed. I completely understand but still I am proud with my resume hahaha. Anyway, I might as well do my French lessons with MCAF. Anyway, it is free then I promise to try applying with a government position when I can speak, read or write French. I wonder if I can do it, LOL.

Lastly, a Front Desk Clerk position with Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel. I saw the job posting in Kijiji on 9 June 2016 and it says to apply personally. My problem that time was I do not have a printed resume and I do not know where to print along Uptown Fredericton. So I ran to MCAF to print (You can do computer and printing at MCAF for free). I literally walk under the rain because I forgot my umbrella. I wanted to ride the bus but I am late for 5 minutes and taking a taxi is too expensive so I decided to walk. After printing 5 resumes and waiting for more than an hour for a taxi at MCAF. I decided to walk again under the rain and went to Atlantic Store. I called a taxi from there and I was so happy a taxi came at around 4:00 PM. Yay, I have a gut feeling that I need to go and personally apply with the hotel so I asked the driver to go straight to the hotel. I was interviewed on the spot after arriving there at around 4:25 PM. The manager told me that he will call me next week if I passed the interview but guess what, the hotel called me pass 5:00 PM just as I am opening the front door of our apartment and is asking me to go back to the hotel for a final interview at 6:00 PM, LOL. I told them I just arrived home and asked politely if I can do the interview the following day to which they agreed. So, yesterday, 10 June 2016, I went back to the hotel at 5:00 PM ready for my interview. However, it was not my interview but my orientation. OMG, I was so happy I did not even bother hearing all what the manager is telling me, hahaha, because I am in cloud 9, LOL. I am finally working in Canada with a Plan A job, yey, and I am starting tomorrow. Philippine Independence Day and Father's Day is also my first day of work, so happy.

My husband, on the other hand, have had 3-4 interviews and a written test with United Parcel Services (UPS) as custom broker. He was asked to submit his medicare and SIN with UPS on Monday and is subject for a background check with his previous employer in the Philippines. Praying hard, he gets the job too but I am claiming it because UPS is requesting for his medicare and SIN. A happy week indeed.

Thank you dear Lord for all the help and guidance you continually shower upon us. I am beyond happy now because I not only have a full time job (even if I am on probation for 6 months) but my 3 months period of working is now ticking which also means that if and when I get pregnant after 3 months I can now be entitled for a paid maternity leave of 14 months. Thank you Lord, I cannot wait for that time were we can continue with our trying to conceive mode. A little more little R, a little more.

We came here in the maple leaf country just for you our little R and we will do anything and everything just to make our Canada dream come through. Our dream will not be a dream if there is no little R in it. And so, through God's guidance, we continue to dream and pray just for you and only for you little one.