Wow!! I can't believe that it has only been two months since we've come to this beautiful country. Let me tell you, it has not been easy but it is always the journey that will teach us along the way and at the same time make us cherish what we have now.
We came to Canada via Vancouver International from L.A. on Oct. 14, 2010. Landing procedures was straight forward. It took us about 45 minutes to get through immigration and customs. I rented an apartment prior to landing so we proceeded to the apartment in Surrey, BC. Surrey has some good parts and bad parts but unfortunately, I ended up staying in the uglier parts of town. That is a lesson I want everyone to know, as a new immigrant with limited resources, I wanted to save money so I rented the cheaper place but in the end costs me more.
The next two weeks was very difficult because it is during this time that I realized that getting a job is really difficult and our hard earned savings were dwindling down too fast for me. I was panicking and depressed. Weather in Vancouver didn't help much. It was almost always too gloomy and dreary to go out. I am a nurse with license prior to landing so I thought I could get a job fast. After talking to several people, I learned there's a lot of Canadian LPN's with no job in B.C. Since I'm also licensed in Alberta, I thought let me check the job market in Alberta. I saw several job openings in the province and was soon hired for a part time position.
We packed all our stuff again and moved to Alberta. Alberta is such a beautiful place, very nice people and the sales tax is only 5%. LOL This time I made sure that I will be renting in the good parts of town with good schools for my sons. Settling in Calgary has been smooth. I recently got a full time job with great pay and great benefits. My husband also got a job in the I.T. sector.
It has been a roller coaster ride for us for the last 2 months both mentally and emotionally. Having my family here as support has been tremendous. It has not been easy but I can tell you that I am very happy to call this country my new home. I hope that for other people who got discouraged by others telling them not to come here due to high taxes and no jobs is if there are no jobs in one place then look at another place. Again, preparation and perseverance will pay off.
We came to Canada via Vancouver International from L.A. on Oct. 14, 2010. Landing procedures was straight forward. It took us about 45 minutes to get through immigration and customs. I rented an apartment prior to landing so we proceeded to the apartment in Surrey, BC. Surrey has some good parts and bad parts but unfortunately, I ended up staying in the uglier parts of town. That is a lesson I want everyone to know, as a new immigrant with limited resources, I wanted to save money so I rented the cheaper place but in the end costs me more.
The next two weeks was very difficult because it is during this time that I realized that getting a job is really difficult and our hard earned savings were dwindling down too fast for me. I was panicking and depressed. Weather in Vancouver didn't help much. It was almost always too gloomy and dreary to go out. I am a nurse with license prior to landing so I thought I could get a job fast. After talking to several people, I learned there's a lot of Canadian LPN's with no job in B.C. Since I'm also licensed in Alberta, I thought let me check the job market in Alberta. I saw several job openings in the province and was soon hired for a part time position.
We packed all our stuff again and moved to Alberta. Alberta is such a beautiful place, very nice people and the sales tax is only 5%. LOL This time I made sure that I will be renting in the good parts of town with good schools for my sons. Settling in Calgary has been smooth. I recently got a full time job with great pay and great benefits. My husband also got a job in the I.T. sector.
It has been a roller coaster ride for us for the last 2 months both mentally and emotionally. Having my family here as support has been tremendous. It has not been easy but I can tell you that I am very happy to call this country my new home. I hope that for other people who got discouraged by others telling them not to come here due to high taxes and no jobs is if there are no jobs in one place then look at another place. Again, preparation and perseverance will pay off.
