My First Canadian Work Experience

Moving to Canada came with extreme lifestyle change and financial sacrifices. I had to find a job, somewhat support myself, and also contribute to my family. The whole process of moving and adapting to Canadian lifestyle/culture was difficult enough, more so obtaining a job. Regardless, I tried.

Soon after being accepted at the Mount, I started my job search. The master plan was to apply everywhere and anywhere. I prepared my resume and I went door to door asking for the manager to ensure that my resume gets to be reviewed, at least. A few days went by and I received a call for a job interview from Winners. This interview being my first ever, I was nervous as I ever could be. My father prepared me for it but unfortunately, I did not get hired. I did a follow-up call for that interview as well as the stores I  dropped off my resume to. Their response was, I do not have sufficient experience, specifically not having any Canadian experience. I was discouraged and not impressed to say the least.

My father told me to get back on my feet and continue applying. He also suggested that I volunteer because that can be credited towards my "Canadian experience". I did as I was advised. Just a week prior to the beginning of school I received a phone call and it was from MSVU. At this point, I was so discouraged that I did not even thinking that it could be the job I applied for at Vinnie's pub. To my surprise, it was Todd Hoffman the new manager of Vinnie's pub, and he asked that I come in for an interview. I went to the interview and it was a success, I was hired!

To date, I am working at Vinnie's Pub & Student Lounge and still very thankful for giving me that first Canadian experience.

Cheers!

Bartending in Vinnie's pub

Coming to Canada

Preparing for our new life, my brothers and I browsed through magazines my parents brought back from their visit in Canada. One thing that caught our attention was how far the houses were built from each other. We thought to ourselves, wow, our life will be very different there. We pictured living in a country type neighbourhood and having to drive half an hour to get to a grocery store. Growing up in a city, specifically the capital of Philippines, this was a nightmare to us. Nevertheless, we accepted this thought and continued with whatever else we had to do.

Applying for university was hard and confusing; never having done an online application made it worse. As immigrants, we knew we were going to land in Canada as permanent residents but in the application there was no option for that; either you are an international student or a Canadian citizen. Regardless, we applied providing information to the best of our knowledge. Unfortunately, we did not hear back and had to leave for Canada without a university to study in.

On July 22, 2008 my brothers and I left the Philippines, travelled for over 24 hours, and arrived in Canada on the same date due to time difference. We were welcomed by our parents who left two weeks earlier to look for an apartment and to make sure we had the necessities. They are great and organized like that, which we were very much thankful for. Setting our priorities, we got settled for the first week and did a university search right after. 

My eldest brother can only go to a certain school due to his program. My second brother already had Dalhousie in mind because he wants to study law. I on the other hand had no particular university in mind. One morning, my father and I made a stop at the Mount to take our chances. At this point we were anxious and desperate because classes start in a month. I applied and throughout my application process, I was very pleased of how friendly and helpful everyone was to me. Fortunately, the Mount accepted me because I knew I wanted to study in this kind of environment.

I love the Mount!

    

Mabuhay!

Mabuhay and welcome to my blog!

For my first post, I would like to tell you a little bit of myself.

Palawan, Philippines

My name is Kristi Balite but I go by the name of Kay, a nickname given to me when I was a child. I am 24 years old, born and raised in the Philippines. For those of you who do not know the Philippines, it is a tropical country, located in Southeast Asia and very rich in natural resources. I grew up in Metro Manila, which is the capital of Philippines.


Growing up, my father always kept us active, especially during summer breaks. I participated in gymnastics and badminton for recreation. I learned how to swim and eventually entered competitions provincially. Moreover, I learned how to scuba dive, currently holding a license as an advance scuba diver.


A big part of me is my family. My family consists of my parents, my two older brothers, and my two puppies. My father is a houseband, cooking and caring for the whole family. My mother is the breadwinner, working for a government agency. My eldest brother is 28 years old and is taking up Aeronautics in the hopes of being a commercial pilot. My second brother is 25 years old and is taking Masters in Public Administration at Dalhousie in the hopes of being a lawyer. My first puppy is named Chicken. He is a toy Poodle and is 5 years old. My second puppy is named Shadow. He is a mini Schnauzer and is also 5 years old, but is 2 weeks younger than Chicken.


There is a lot more I would like to share but I am sure you will get to know about me in the next posts to come.


Until next time!

Chicken, Kay, Shadow :)