WE'RE IN CANADA ! Holding the maple leaves of different sizes which is Canada's symbol as shown on its flag. This was taken at the US-Canada border by my good friend Ernie Uy a couple of days after we landed on June 25, 2012. (L-R): Our 17 yr old son Chiboy, my wife Olivet, me, and our then 18 yr old daughter Nickole.

We're in CANADA!  Wow, dream come true! Twelve years in the making to be exact and we're finally here. It was worth the wait though. It was in the year 2000 when my wife and I began dreaming the Canadian Dream. The kids were ages 5 and 7 then. The dream was on and off and even taking a very long journey. Coming from Camarin, Caloocan City where the kids grew up, we then lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for 5 years beginning in 2006 to save for our show money.
                                                                                                                                                           While seriously preparing for migration to Canada in 2010, my wife and I were looking for a website where we could learn more about life in Canada as narrated by Pinoy immigrants themselves. Sadly, we could not find from the existing websites enough information that will answer our queries on several topics. We wanted to read stories from fellow Pinoys. Kuwento ng Pinoy sa Canada. Straight from the horse's mouth so to speak. There was none. Thus after 8 months of living here, I thought of making a website or blog that will give a wealth of information to our Kababayans who are now desiring and preparing to migrate here.

With my friend and officemate in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alan Raagas and his wife Eileen with kids 7 yr old Elijah and 4 yr old Euan. They landed here in Vancouver on February 24, 2013,  just about 3 weeks ago as of this writing. They are now settled in Calgary, Alberta. They wanted to see Vancouver first before proceeding to Calgary so they stayed with us (sa kuwarto ng mga bata) for four days then I toured them around Vancouver. I have only one wish for their kids, that they still remember how to speak Tagalog many years from now. I just noticed that many Fil-Canadian kids here in Canada no longer speak our native language. However, many of them can still understand or grasp Tagalog when oldies speak to them but could no longer speak the language. A simple wish from Tito Denick.

Many thanks to my friend and former officemate in Riyadh, Engr. Alan Raagas, and his wife Eileen for encouraging me to share my experiences as a new immigrant through blogging. Both of them know that I really get so passionate when sharing experiences and information about Canada in my Facebook postings. Ang tiyaga ko raw magkuwento. Qualities of a true blogger they said. Thank you for that. I do hope I have those qualities.

At the Waterfront in Downtown Vancouver sometime in July 2012. Behind us, you can see West Vancouver from afar.

So today, March 14, 2013, marks the day when our website FILIPINO IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA is born. Our website address goes by the name     pinoyimmigrantsincanada.blogspot.com   I said "our" because this website is a family affair. I have my wife and children to help me with the articles we're going to post here. My children will be my videographer, photographer, and website designer. The wife proofreads and comments on the contents. Expect lots of photos and videos in this blog. I will be inviting friends and Kabayans here to share their stories too for everyone's appreciation. I will also feature here our Kabayans from different fields or professions. Ang dami non. I will interview Pinoy nurses, dentists, dental technicians, physiotherapists, doctors, psychologists, electricians, accountants, architects, engineers, chefs, managers, insurance advisors, social workers, real estate agents, businessmen, and more. It's gonna be a busy year interviewing our Kababayans. So this is life in Canada, BUHAY CANADA, as narrated by your Kapamilya, Kapatid, at Kapuso.