Community The Lindsay Advocate
Canada has always carried a certain promise in the hearts of many immigrants, a land of opportunity, fair chances, free healthcare, and quality education for children.
Growing up, I never imagined I would one day set foot in this country I had only read about in books and news articles. Yet life has a way of opening doors when the time is right. My husband’s mother had long been living in Canada, and she became the bridge for us to come here. For my husband, the possibility of finally being reunited with his mother after so many years held deep meaning. He always believed he could give back to her better if he was by her side.
Life in the Philippines was beautiful in many ways, especially in our home province of Palawan, but the realities were difficult. Finding a job often depended on who you knew, salaries hardly kept up with the rising cost of living, and seeking government assistance felt like being scrutinized rather than supported. These challenges, among many others, pushed us to consider a new start in Canada.
Before coming, we carefully researched study programs and communities. My husband found a drilling and blasting course that sparked his interest at Fleming College in Lindsay.
We realized we’d have to leave our kids with my mom as we thought it would be too hard for us if we didn’t have a house to live in, and work to do, as soon as we arrived. So we made this hard decision to leave them for now.
We arrived on June 12, 2024, in Montreal. It was very cold to us, even though it was almost summer. But I think even though it was cold for me, its bearable and still better than the heat of the sun from the Philippines. The time we arrived was just right for us to be able to regulate our body and adjust to the changing weather.
Soon after, we discovered Lindsay. Coming from a small island city, we appreciated Lindsay’s calm environment, far from the loud, crowded, and traffic-heavy cities. It felt familiar and comforting.
However, we quickly faced the realities many newcomers encounter. One of the biggest hurdles was the cost of education. International student tuition is significantly higher, often several times more than what Canadian students pay. This meant that a large portion of our savings disappeared almost instantly, placing enormous pressure on us financially right from the start.
On top of that, we struggled to find affordable housing, and most rentals in Lindsay were already high-priced. With limited public transportation, we relied heavily on walking and e-scooters to get around, which wasn’t always easy, especially during unpredictable weather.
As school started, our carefully saved funds began to shrink. I continued remote work as a recruiter for a U.S. company, though I was still being paid at the Filipino rate. My husband took a job at a steakhouse, where he learned kitchen skills, but the workload eventually affected his health. We prayed for new opportunities, and soon he found a better part-time job at a Chinese restaurant with a very kind and understanding owner, an answered prayer during an overwhelming season.
The emotional struggles were just as heavy as the financial ones. I missed our children deeply, and many nights were spent in tears as I battled frustration over not having Canadian work experience yet. Thankfully, our housemates, also international students, guided us through many of the challenges they had once faced themselves. They introduced us to VCCS, which helped us navigate the job market. After months of applications, I finally secured a hybrid job aligned with my background. It was a turning point for us.
Community support became a lifeline. Fairview Baptist Church welcomed us warmly, offering winter clothes, boots, and encouragement. We also discovered the small Filipino community in Lindsay, and seeing familiar faces brought comfort on difficult days.
Winter this past year was our first time experiencing it, and we saw our first northern lights last year. We also experienced freezing rain, which was a whole new experience for us as we are used to typhoons when it comes to extreme weather.
Now, a year later, our children have finally joined us. We still struggle financially, especially balancing tuition and living costs, but we manage through faith, hard work, and the help of kind people around us. Canada isn’t perfect, and starting over is never easy, but to us, it symbolizes hope. A place to rebuild dreams, escape hardship, and begin again.
Here in Lindsay, our new chapter has truly begun.
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