It's actually a super late post! This should have been posted last September but since we just arrived in Canada during that time, I could not update my blog regularly.  As the saying goes, "Better Late Than Never", right? That's why I wrote this blog post.  Every year, it's always my habit to blog about my daughters' birthdays; so whenever I get bored, I just go to my blog and read my previous post.  I love recalling our memories.

Here's what happened during the birthday of Psalm.  I took a picture of her to remember how she looked as she turned 7.  

Then, we took her to McDonald's to celebrate her birthday and order her favorite foods.  We didn't know anyone yet here in Prince George so we didn't prepare a party for her or cook some food. On top of that, we were also tightening our belts as my husband and I were still jobless at that time.
Despite all of that, I thanked God for giving her another year to experience the life she wanted to be. 

Olah! It's been almost a year since my last post. By the way, we made a major change in our life last year which took much of our time, which is why I just posted today.  Many things have happened in our lives for months, and I want to update you on our life here in Canada. 

We left our home country Philippines to immigrate to Canada last year,  August. It has been a nerve-wracking decision and at the same time an exciting journey for my family.  Who doesn't want to see and touch the snow, right? 

For many years, my husband and I have really long wanted to go to a Western country like USA or Canada and luckily, an opportunity knocks on our door that we can hardly resist. Long before this opportunity, our first choice was the US; however, we found Canada to immigrate fast and easy. 

So I decided to become an international student because it was the easiest pathway to enter Canada. On top of that opportunity, an international student can bring their dependents or family while on a student visa.  I can tell that it was not an easy journey but it is all worth the effort and money. 

Let me show you our pictures from our departure at Davao Airport to our arrival at Prince George British Columbia.

Davao Airport: Our flight got delayed so we had to stay overnight at the hotel in Manila.

Our airfare was so outrageously expensive. We took the Philippine Air Lines flight which cost $1100 each on a connecting flight - from Davao to Manila to Vancouver to Prince George. 

Then when we arrived in Manila, we stayed in the hotel for free and shouldered by Philippine Air Lines since our flight got cancelled. I can't remember anymore the name of the hotel but the delay was all worth it since we got to rest from a long trip from Davao City. 

The next morning, we woke up early to catch our flight at 9am. We had to prepare emotionally and physically as we had to go through an interview from the immigration. This was the scary part because you might still get denied in immigration even if your visa is approved. Thankfully we passed the interview and all of our nervousness vanished. 

The airplane flew for approximately 14 hours (not really sure) but I can tell it was a long and tiring trip.  All you have to do is sit, eat, watch movie, and sleep. But I wasn't able to sleep well because of the mixed emotions I went through at that time.

At the Vancaouver Airport

We arrived at 7:00 a.m at the Vancouver Airport and had to wait for the last flight at 5:00 p.m. going to Prince George.  I couldn't describe my feelings at that time - feelings of fatigue and anxiety. Everyone was dead tired. 

Finally, at around 12:30 A.M., we arrived at the Prince George airport. It was super scary because we didn't know anybody at Prince George and we were the last passengers on that flight.  As you can see in the pictures below, the airport was already quiet.  It was quite an adventure because we were not familiar with the place yet and no one would guide us except God. 

But before our flight, we made sure to book a hotel for days in case we couldn't find an apartment as soon as we arrived.  Thankfully, we arrived at the hotel sound and safe. 

After a restful night, we got to see the nice ambiance of Canada - the cold weather, fresh air, and clean surroundings.  Although the place we chose to live is not the typical city with tall buildings and a busy life, I can see that Prince George is more beautiful and liveable than the original place where I live. 

This is the end of our stories, and I have still a lot of stories to tell. See you on my next blog. 

More than a month ago, we traveled to Cebu to fulfill the biometrics requirement for our visa application. We opted to stay at the Hop Inn hotel for four days, located at Ayala Business Park, as it was only a five-minute walk from VFS Global where the biometrics were processed. After completing our biometrics in just 15 minutes, we took the opportunity to visit some of the famous tourist destinations in Cebu, including Ocean Park and 10,000 Roses. My daughter, Chesska, who is a fish enthusiast, was thrilled to explore Ocean Park, a fantastic and kid-friendly place. Moreover, it was a perfect time for my children to unwind and de-stress as they had just finished their exams. Kindly have a look at some of our captured moments below.

The following day, we visited 10,000 Roses, a place that I had seen frequently on social media. Although it was quite far from our hotel, we didn't want to miss the chance to see it. The location is near the beach, giving it a lovely ambiance. While the roses are artificial, their sheer number and uniform color make the place captivating. Moreover, this kind of tourist attraction is uncommon in the Philippines, attracting many visitors despite the distance from the city. As first-time visitors to Cebu, we took advantage of the opportunity to explore this place.