Canada Beckons
Two days ago I stumbled upon
Jim Paredes’ blog about moving to Australia. My first reaction was, hey, we mirror each other’s reasons for deciding to pack and ship out. The difference is that Jim has reached that point – packing and shipping out – whilst we are still debating against ourselves whether we should pursue immigrating or not. Okay, I must be confusing you. We are landed Canadian immigrants. We got our passports stamped, secured our Canadian Social Security number, enrolled in British Columbia’s medical insurance program, opened Canadian bank accounts, etc. But that’s all we did in as far as migrating is concerned. We went back to Manila right after processing our papers, using the 3 years we have before we are required to stay in BC to re-think, re-consider and weigh all our options.
A lot of people would probably say, “Are you nuts, so many are dying to get approved and here you are entertaining doubts?” I relent. We are indeed blessed to have options available to us. But we can’t have our cake and eat it too, right? These same options are making it difficult for us to decide. Why go back to the floor when you are already in a comfortable, even luxurious, bed? Up to what extent should one sacrifice a secure present in exchange for an unknown future? Must we go back to A when we are already in V? It will not be an easy decision, especially for Do. Even though I admit I am for Canada, I fully understand my husband’s concerns and will not try to influence his decision beyond providing “what if” scenarios. I will play the devil’s advocate – or probably I am really the angel in disguise? – for as long as he needs me to. Anyway, we still have until the last quarter of this year to decide.
Works of Art
Boy am I glad I always have my camera ready or I would have missed 'preserving' my son's works of art (done when he was 2 yrs. 4 months & 2 yrs. 8 months old)
My Seoul
After 1 ½ years I feel I’ve lived long enough in Seoul to know everything I need to about the city – except, of course, the language. Quite a number of people I met here actually swear that to see Seoul is to see South Korea. They say it’s almost the same everywhere you go. A “great wall” of apartment buildings everywhere you look. Throngs of people in malls and subways, on the streets, and even on the mountains! The same mega-spicy food made even spicier by adding a generous serving of red pepper paste. Maybe I should really call this entry My Korea?
Seoul is not a popular tour destination for our kababayans, so I thought it might be interesting to share a bit of information about it and its people. Here goes:
- With a population of about 13 million, Seoul is competing with Metro Manila in terms of over-crowding;
- Don’t expect the men to stand up when a pretty lady rides a packed train car; but expect even the pretty ladies to do so when an elderly gets in;
- You don’t need a car to go around Seoul. It’s extensive subway system can get you anywhere in the city, plus some other nearby destinations;
- If you are a fan of
street foods, you’ll be at home here (minus the free extra “seasonings” from vehicle dusts and smoke, of course);
- You’ll see patients roaming the streets – tugging their IV bags along – within at least 100 meter radius from hospitals and/or clinics
- Don’t be surprised either to see patients
taking a break from their confinement by eating in nearby restaurants. You’ll even see some smoking in front of hospital entrances;
- You can leave your bags and valuables on top of food court tables to reserve a seat and get back after falling in line to get your food with everything intact (a miracle, indeed!);
- Vendors display their wares on the streets, and nothing gets stolen;
- You can leave your car unlocked in parking lots;
- The number of parking attendants can compete with the number of sales clerks in malls;
- Parking attendants can be mistaken for flight stewardesses (they’re impeccably and smartly dressed they can actually give the flight attendants a run for their money)
- The way they eat it made me think they’re scooping coleslaw…I was wrong. They were eating minced raw onions mixed with ketchup and mustard!
- Koreans are generally
pustureras. The hairdo and make up of cleaning ladies in malls can compete with no less than Imeldific herself!
- Don’t fall for a Korean guy just because he drives a Mercedez. Most drivers here dress better than their expatriate bosses;
- You’ll need to visit at least 3 stores before you can complete your grocery list (at least if you’re a foreigner).
- Seoul is a good place to start a
hobby, or get into sports. Choices abound, from mountain climbing, to biking, to speed skating, etc.
I could go on and on but I don't think it's a good idea to make this very long. I'll reserve the others for my future entries.
Blessing In Disguise
We spent sleepless nights before accepting this assignment in Korea -- an opportunity that opened a wide window for Do's career, but shut a door on mine. We soon found it a good decision, a real blessing in disguise. The opportunity to experience life outside of what we are used to; to have a taste of a culture far from our own; to meet new friends and see new places. There is still so much more to learn. So many new things to discover. This is one experience I'd gladly go through over and over again.
Life Is Exciting
It doesn't matter what happens, what we make out of life's experiences will spell the difference. Circle of influence, circle of concern -- this is one of the greatest lessons I learned from my mentor, Cecille. Even if sometimes the world seems too small and cramped, it is always within our power to influence it and achieve the impact we want it to have in our lives.
No matter how you look at it, no matter what it's made of -- life will always be exciting!
