How We Moved from the UAE to Canada

Even before we came to Canada for a vacation back in 2015, Hubby and I already knew we wanted to move here eventually.  We tried applying for Permanent Residency through Express Entry and looked into other options, but unfortunately our points were either not enough or we weren't 100% decided with the choices available.  So, Hubby checked vacancies that were posted on the internet and applied for positions that were similar to his current job. Also, we included it in our family prayer every night for God to allow us to work and live in Canada.  This went on for more than two years.

#GPinCanada: Goodbyes and Going Back to Dubai

Finally, here’s the last part of our 2015 Canada trip. To be honest, I (sort of) intentionally delayed blogging about it because (1) I wanted to continue reminiscing about the great times we had in the North, and (2) I wanted to post about it exactly 1 year after it happened. Why? No reason, actually. Anniversary kunyari. Trip lang ☺

So anyway, the one thing I haven’t blogged about during our vacation is, of course, our last day…when we had to say our goodbyes and fly back to the other side of the world :(

#GPinCanada: Peace Arch Provincial Park and Derby Reach Park

After lunch one day when all our hosts were busy or had someplace to go to, Hubby used my brother’s car (and GPS, of course) and our family went to the Peace Arch Provincial Park in Surrey.

It was pretty tranquil, with trees, flowers, picnic areas, and a wide grass area that our girls enjoyed running around in.

#GPinCanada: Cousins Bonding

Whenever they were together, the four cousins would bond together every chance they could get.

There was one afternoon when Elaine and Nicole showed our girls how to make Oreo balls dipped in chocolate. The young ones had a fun time getting their hands dirty while molding the balls!

#GPinCanada: McArthur Glen Designer Outlet, Tim Horton's, and Montana's

Aaaccckkk! It’s already June and there’s still so many things I haven’t blogged about! Well, I guess I better get started then, huh? So let’s begin with one of my pending posts about our Canada trip, shall we?

The day after our family day, Hubby and I took the four girls (2 nieces and 2 daughters) to McArthur Glen Designer Outlet which is located near Vancouver Airport. It was a pretty long drive and our nieces didn’t know the way, but thanks to Kuya’s GPS, Hubby managed to take us all the way there and back despite the heavy traffic.

#GPinCanada: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and Maru Sushi Japanese Restaurant

Since we didn’t have the chance to attend mass on our first Sunday in Canada, we made sure that on the following Sunday, we would visit one of the local churches. So on the morning of the 26th of July, while my brother and his family left to attend their church, we borrowed his other car and headed to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church which is just near Fraser Highway.

The pews were full (although not as full as what we’re used to at St. Mary’s Catholic Church), but we noticed that most of them were from the older generations. And unlike in Dubai, the voices of the congregation weren’t as loud when singing the hymns. No biggie, though. That’s just something I noticed.

I can’t remember the priest’s name, but we enjoyed listening to his Homily. One of the messages he shared that struck me was this:

#GPinCanada: Get-Together with Friends, Krause Berry Farm, and Me-n-Ed’s

Another highlight of our Canada visit last July was reuniting with old friends.

On Friday, we borrowed my brother’s car and, using his trusty GPS navigator, we managed to find the Ohoy’s (the couple’s term of endearment to each other ☺) home in Surrey without any problems. JB flew in from Calgary for the weekend and was playing with the Ohoy’s new baby when we arrived. Jason, Jean and their 2 girls (whom we saw at Whistler a few days back) followed a bit later because Jean got off work a bit late.

with good friends who migrated from Dubai

#GPinCanada: Road Trip to Seattle, USA

Surprise! Yes, I’m still alive ☺

I’m sorry for being quiet here for more than a month, but I guess the only reasons I can give are a mix of blogger’s block and laziness. Yes, I know that I still have the rest of our Canada vacation pending and everything else that happened since then until now so I can’t say that I didn’t have anything to blog about… but whenever I was in front of the computer, I just couldn’t think of any words to type or how to construct a post. I would type a few sentences and lines, delete, re-type, and delete again (repeat 10 times!), and then finally just give up with the hopes that I would be able to organize my thoughts later. It was frustrating, I tell you. But last night as I lay awake until 4am (augh, insomnia!), I decided that whatever happens, I have to start blogging again.

To tell you the truth, I missed blogging. This has been my online diary for the past few years, and I’ve been keeping it to store all my memories in. So if I stopped, if I kept procrastinating, if I let my blogger’s block win, I would forget all the special moments I wanted to remember. And of course, I wouldn’t want that to happen.

Which is why I’m back. Not with a bang, though. I’ll try to blog regularly, but what with the holidays coming up and so many activities, events, and celebrations to attend to (plus spending quality time with the family), I can’t promise. With any luck, I’m hoping to update this blog at least every week. Fingers crossed!

So, let’s continue with our trip to the north, shall we? ☺

#GPinCanada: Visiting Vancouver

Hi everyone! I’m sorry it took me so long to blog about the next part of our trip. I’ve just been really busy lately (with work, Kids for Christ activities, life in general), and sorting out, re-sizing, and watermarking pictures are just time-consuming. Really, if this didn’t happen to us, it would make blogging about our trip more easier. Oh well. Please just bear with me. You guys understand, right? ☺

Add to this the fact that our nanny left last Friday for a month’s vacation, so Hubby and I are going on leave from work to take care of Caila and Sophie. Hubby is the stay-at-home dad now. After 2 weeks, it’s my turn to be the stay-at-home mom. It’s an adjustment, but we’ll manage. At least it gives us more time to spend with the kids. And since they’re closer to me, these first couple of weeks will give them more chances to bond with their daddy.

Anyway, to continue with our first family vacation out of the UAE back in July, our 4th day in Canada was spent in Vancouver doing the usual tourist stuff: go to the popular places and take pictures ☺However, our girls weren't in the mood so most of the ones you'll see here are just of me and Hubby, or they'll be in the picture but they won't be smiling.

#GPinCanada: Secondary Investigation at the US-Canada Border

Visiting Seattle in the US was part of our itinerary that week, but Kuya Boy suggested that we do a quick visit to Bellingham on Monday night (the same day we visited Whistler) to get the Secondary Investigation over with so that we would be able to cross the border easily when Ate Evelyn and Salman were with us (they’re Canadian citizens so they don’t have to go through Secondary unless the officer suspects something). So right after dinner, the five of us headed to the US-Canada border at the Aldergrove-Lynden Crossing.

Before our vacation, Hubby and I watched clips and episodes of Border Security: Canada’s Front Line on YouTube, but even though we were “clean and innocent” and had a general idea as to what usually happens, I still felt nervous as we approached the border.

#GPinCanada: Whistler, Mountains, and Lakes

For our third full day in Canada, while Ate Mel went to work and my nieces went off to attend their respective summer classes, my brother took us, along with my cousin Ate Evelyn and her son Salman, to Whistler. The ride was pretty long, and although the views were pretty, the twists and curves of the road made it difficult to enjoy. We were halfway there when the kids suddenly barfed, so we had to stop at a shoulder to clean up the mess, change Sophie’s clothes, and change seating arrangements (the 2 kids with me in the middle, and Ate Evelyn and Salman at the back).

Finally, an hour and a half later (and almost 3 hours after we left Langley), we finally reached Whistler, which is famous for having hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games back in 2010

#GPinCanada: Alouette Lake

On the first Sunday of our vacation, we went to Alouette Lake at Golden Ears Provincial Park where Kuya Boy, Ate Mel, and their group of friends from their church had scheduled a get-together there. Since there were 8 of us and we couldn’t all fit in one car without breaking the law, Hubby drove my brother’s new SUV (making use of his international driving licence for the first time) while Kuya drove their sedan.

As we headed towards the Lake, we went through the Golden Ears bridge

#GPinCanada: The Neighborhood

Despite going to bed quite late the night before, since our bodies were still following UAE time, our family woke up early the next morning at around 6:30am. Actually, our jetlag lasted for almost a week so we were always the first ones awake in the house.

Our routine was simple: we would get up, do whatever we needed to do in the bathroom, then walk around the backyard and neighbourhood. And since almost everyone was still asleep, we were able to enjoy our daily walks in peace and quiet. The area had a common playground for kids so you can imagine our girls enjoyed going there each day where they had it all to themselves. Here are a few pictures of some of those precious mornings:

#GPinCanada: From Dubai to Langley

Now that the shock of the unauthorized use of our photo has passed, I can now move on and share with you the details of our vacation in Canada. Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we? No, not the ABC’s (sorry, I just had to put that in ☺), but our flights to the land of maple trees.

It might not have been the best decision, but because of our tight budget, we decided to book ourselves on the cheapest flights available. Considering the fares on all options to the other side of the world were pretty high, the tickets still put a significant dent in our savings…to the amount of Dhs23,000! Aacckk!

A Quick Hi From the North!

Hi everyone! If you're following me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you'll understand why this blog has been pretty quiet lately...it's because we're in Canada...Langley, British Columbia to be exact! Woohoo!!!

We've been here for almost a week (since the night of July 17) and so far, everything has been great!

Applying for a Visit Visa to Canada in Dubai

When your child starts going to school, family vacations always need to be planned around the school calendar. Unfortunately though, in Caila’s school’s case, the holidays they have don’t exactly fall on ideal dates for us to go to the Philippines. Their school break, for example, falls between June and August which are the rainy months in our home country. Term breaks are December to January and March to April, wherein flight tickets are priced unbelievably high because of the peak seasons (Christmas, New Year, Graduation and Holy Week).