Migration: the Good and the Bad
I have been staying here in Australia for more than four years now and it has been quite a journey. Coming from a developing country, Philippines, then migrating to a developed country has its ups and downs. Nevertheless, Australia is currently the place I call home.
I packed my suitcase 4 years ago not knowing what Straya has in store for me. All I had was the courage to get out of my comfort zone and achieve the goal I had set. On the day I left my beloved country, I was so anxious, I was not able to eat any lunch nor dinner. And it was actually my sister's birthday that day. So imagine having all the food you normally eat during special occasions and not having the appetite to eat. That was how anxious I was. I did not mind not seeing my family for a while since my older sister and my brother-in-law were also migrating to Oz in the next few months after me, and my parents and younger sister can always come visit me. What bugged me the most was I won't see and play with my dogs anymore and I won't get to go on dates with my husband, who was then my boyfriend.
Courtesy of Jantoo.com
When I arrived in Queensland, it did not really sink in straight away that I was in a different place, let alone a different continent. It was my first time to come to Oz. I have visited few countries but, never here. Thus, everything was foreign to me. When Ate Christelle was picking us (me and my current best friend) she told me to sit shot gun. But since I was used to left-hand driving, I kept going to the driver's seat instead of the passenger seat. She kept calling out that I was going the wrong way. I only grasped what she said after the third time, which was quite embarrassing. That was my first taste of the right-hand driving thing.
Another issue with right-hand driving for me was when crossing the street. When Dee and I went grocery shopping for the first time, we just walked from the house to the shops since it was just a few blocks away. And besides, it was time for us to explore our neighbourhood. We were disoriented where to go first but we remembered which way we came from from our brief car ride with Ate Christelle. But crossing the road was too much at first. Considering my 23 years of existence living in a country where in you have to look to your left then your right when crossing the road, doing the opposite surely did not come easily. We had to look to the left and right probably three to five times before crossing, just to be on the safe side. We did not take this issue likely as we heard a story from someone that an overseas student, who was also not used to doing the opposite, crossed the road and was hit by bus and passed away. I just realised now, it took me years to unlearn the habit of looking from left to right. Lesson: Always look both ways when crossing the road.
The public transport systems in Oz is definitely better than in the Phils. In Queensland, we mainly use the bus in getting from point A to B. Since I was a student, I availed the concession card (green-coloured Go Card). By using this type of card, I paid the discounted fee. Since in the Philippines, you can ask the driver to stop anywhere, anytime, you get off at the front of your exact destination (this is illegal by the way, but drivers are not that disciplined and law enforcement is not that strict). Here in Oz, I had to follow the bus time table and memorise the bus numbers. If I needed information, I would go to their website and search for the next bus and where the bus stop was. Problems encountered: finding the bus stop, knowing which bus to take as the numbers are the same (going to the city and going back to the house) and getting lost. In hindsight, it took me two weeks to a month to get use to the transport system. I learned how to read maps, which I did not have to in the past. And I was able to explore my surroundings decreasing my chances of getting lost. If you find yourself lost, there is always Google Maps or if the map still led you somewhere else, you can always ask for help. By asking for help, I was able to practice speaking in English as well, since I mostly speak Tagalog in the house, so win-win situation right there.
Finding accommodation was not easy but, we definitely hit the jackpot with our landlord. The three of us (me, my former best friend and my new best friend) were living in a two story house, with a pool at the back, the bus stop at the front and the shops were just a few blocks away. Besides the prime location, the landlord was amazing. Scott (the landlord, who we secretly call "Ama," which is Tagalog for dad), left a few snacks for us to eat during our first week in the pantry and in the fridge. What was more exciting with the accommodation was the owner had pets, one dog and one cat, Parker and Winnie. Since I was missing my dogs back home, I asked Scott if I could feed Parker and Winnie from time to time. He was hesitant at first since he felt embarrassed but, I insisted.
Living in Brisbane was not easy in terms of cooking asian food. The asian shops are faraway from where we were living. The bus traveling during weekends only went every hour to where we would have wanted to shop. Hence, planning was definitely the key. Sometimes though, we did ask our landlord to bring us to the asian shops but, during the latter parts, he became unwell so we really did have to rely on public transport. But, when I moved to Western Sydney, there was not any problems as I can find asian shops at almost any suburb, plus there was always China town. In fact, even in the city CBD, you can find several asian restaurants one after another. And the most fun thing about the restaurants is they are all authentic asian cuisines. I do miss eating good Italian food though, as you have to go to specific suburbs just to eat it.
Eventually, you get hit with home sickness from time to time. To battle this, I talked to my loved ones everyday. I also tried to keep my mind busy by watching movies on my laptop and tv series as well. I did go out and explore what Brissy had to offer and eventually went to rural areas. I did a couple of photo shoots with Dee, so that was fun.
Making friends was difficult as you would feel that the people you would meet already had their set of friends. And at the back of your mind, it was difficult to infiltrate that. Unless you meet new people at the new church you go to, your workplace or if you went to study further in school. Otherwise, you just feel out of place for a time. Eventually, you'll find new friends. As for me, I had a few batch mates in college who eventually chose to come here, so we get together as often as we could.
In the end, there are several more problems you can encounter when you migrate. But, it is how you deal with those problems that count. Plus, you have to enjoy the ride and always be thankful. Remember, not everyone had the privilege to experience this.
Another issue with right-hand driving for me was when crossing the street. When Dee and I went grocery shopping for the first time, we just walked from the house to the shops since it was just a few blocks away. And besides, it was time for us to explore our neighbourhood. We were disoriented where to go first but we remembered which way we came from from our brief car ride with Ate Christelle. But crossing the road was too much at first. Considering my 23 years of existence living in a country where in you have to look to your left then your right when crossing the road, doing the opposite surely did not come easily. We had to look to the left and right probably three to five times before crossing, just to be on the safe side. We did not take this issue likely as we heard a story from someone that an overseas student, who was also not used to doing the opposite, crossed the road and was hit by bus and passed away. I just realised now, it took me years to unlearn the habit of looking from left to right. Lesson: Always look both ways when crossing the road.
The public transport systems in Oz is definitely better than in the Phils. In Queensland, we mainly use the bus in getting from point A to B. Since I was a student, I availed the concession card (green-coloured Go Card). By using this type of card, I paid the discounted fee. Since in the Philippines, you can ask the driver to stop anywhere, anytime, you get off at the front of your exact destination (this is illegal by the way, but drivers are not that disciplined and law enforcement is not that strict). Here in Oz, I had to follow the bus time table and memorise the bus numbers. If I needed information, I would go to their website and search for the next bus and where the bus stop was. Problems encountered: finding the bus stop, knowing which bus to take as the numbers are the same (going to the city and going back to the house) and getting lost. In hindsight, it took me two weeks to a month to get use to the transport system. I learned how to read maps, which I did not have to in the past. And I was able to explore my surroundings decreasing my chances of getting lost. If you find yourself lost, there is always Google Maps or if the map still led you somewhere else, you can always ask for help. By asking for help, I was able to practice speaking in English as well, since I mostly speak Tagalog in the house, so win-win situation right there.
Finding accommodation was not easy but, we definitely hit the jackpot with our landlord. The three of us (me, my former best friend and my new best friend) were living in a two story house, with a pool at the back, the bus stop at the front and the shops were just a few blocks away. Besides the prime location, the landlord was amazing. Scott (the landlord, who we secretly call "Ama," which is Tagalog for dad), left a few snacks for us to eat during our first week in the pantry and in the fridge. What was more exciting with the accommodation was the owner had pets, one dog and one cat, Parker and Winnie. Since I was missing my dogs back home, I asked Scott if I could feed Parker and Winnie from time to time. He was hesitant at first since he felt embarrassed but, I insisted.
Living in Brisbane was not easy in terms of cooking asian food. The asian shops are faraway from where we were living. The bus traveling during weekends only went every hour to where we would have wanted to shop. Hence, planning was definitely the key. Sometimes though, we did ask our landlord to bring us to the asian shops but, during the latter parts, he became unwell so we really did have to rely on public transport. But, when I moved to Western Sydney, there was not any problems as I can find asian shops at almost any suburb, plus there was always China town. In fact, even in the city CBD, you can find several asian restaurants one after another. And the most fun thing about the restaurants is they are all authentic asian cuisines. I do miss eating good Italian food though, as you have to go to specific suburbs just to eat it.
Eventually, you get hit with home sickness from time to time. To battle this, I talked to my loved ones everyday. I also tried to keep my mind busy by watching movies on my laptop and tv series as well. I did go out and explore what Brissy had to offer and eventually went to rural areas. I did a couple of photo shoots with Dee, so that was fun.
Making friends was difficult as you would feel that the people you would meet already had their set of friends. And at the back of your mind, it was difficult to infiltrate that. Unless you meet new people at the new church you go to, your workplace or if you went to study further in school. Otherwise, you just feel out of place for a time. Eventually, you'll find new friends. As for me, I had a few batch mates in college who eventually chose to come here, so we get together as often as we could.
In the end, there are several more problems you can encounter when you migrate. But, it is how you deal with those problems that count. Plus, you have to enjoy the ride and always be thankful. Remember, not everyone had the privilege to experience this.
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