notes from an irked new immigrant

lately, i've had estranged friends sending me e-mail to ask about how life in canada is, and what the quickest way to get here is. having been lucky enough to work in thailand prior to vancouver, i sometimes find these friends to be, quite bluntly, a bit arrogant and blind in their emigration expectations. one friend, for example, was quite suprised when i told her that our erstwhile-prestigious UP education will not get us anywhere near a managerial position in north america, especially if you're fresh off the boat. she seems to think that since we enjoyed a relatively easy way up the work ladder back home, the same applies anywhere in the world.

but really... if that were true, then i would have been back in the corporate world since last september. instead, i find myself answering questions such as "so do you speak in english in the philippines?", and "what's your level of english?" - while presenting a portfolio of ad materials written in english.

all of which has gotten me thinking... is the grass really greener on the other side of the tropics? the past 5 months here have taught me that ironically, in this big city, life is much more simple. there is no such thing as snickering behind a co-worker or new friend just because he/she says particular words in a non-sesame-street way. nor does it matter if someone works at Gap, Old Navy, or McDonald's.

i guess it goes with the fact that when you move, you are invisible, and will inevitably at the start of the race all over again. and it's never easy to keep on starting all over.

incidentally, i found this article on inq7.net:

Man About Town : Emigrate expectations
By Chuck Dy

"If people leave their homelands (and believe me, this is NOT an easy choice to make), it is not because they lack patriotism or because they will financially better off abroad, it SHOULD be because they are pursuing a path they believe will make them improved versions of themselves. Is this for everybody? Of course not. Some will discover that emigrating is not a solution to anything, and that the course to self-development is right in their backyards. Many of my friends who have had the opportunity and papers to go abroad have chosen to weave the fabric of their lives at the local loom of the Philippines, and they have produced magnificent tapestries."

hmm magnificent tapestries at indeed possible at home... because in the philippines or in asia, it's relatively easy to make your mark and reach your career goals. because we are all aligned culturally somehow, and our education backgrounds have, more often than not, given us a good starting point. but out here, it doesn't really matter whether you graduated from a top school... heck, people here wouldn't really care less if you earned your degree from an obscure technical school in the philippines.

but in exchange for all the humble pie everyone gulps down when they get here is the security that healthcare is free, and everyone is on the same platform in terms of the clothes and shoes they wear.

*excuse the cynicism... it's just annoying how some people think they are such bigshots because they've made it in the phils. let's see how they fare when they move out here. hmph!