I don't need a BMW

We dropped by my husband's office last Sunday afternoon because he had to check on something. A BMW car was parked in front of their building.

POD -- Tingnan mo yung technician namin, naka-BMW! Bago!
BIM -- Wow, technician naka-BMW? Talo ka pa, Daddy!
POD -- Oo, kaya ayan linggong-linggo eh nandito. Nago-OT. Palaging naghahanap ng overtime.

I was not surprised though. Common naman dito na crew lang ng McDo ay naka-Mercedez Benz. Iyon nga lang, kailangang mag-triple job para may panghulog.

But this scenario made me remember that many years ago, I wanted a BMW too. Imposible akong magkaroon ng ganun sa Pinas pero dito, kaya naman talaga. I just need to work hard.

But will I buy one later on? Naaah, I don't think so.

You see, Ford and I had a serious talk before I came here. We discussed on what our lifestyle will be like when I come here and we both agreed to a 'simple yet comfortable' living. Actually, my husband has always lived like that (he's an Ilocano eh). It's me who's more materialistic so I was the one who needs to adjust.

Yeah, I would like to think that I've changed. That's the thing with migrating "late" (I came here at the age of 34), you look at things differently. A more matured outlook perhaps? And acquiring a BMW will definitely not be part of the grand plan.

Don't get me wrong. If I am a millionaire, I will surely buy a powerful car as well. But as "ordinary" resident of Canada, I'd be contented with our Subaru that provides us the same comfort and service naman. Nobody really cares about what you drive here anyway.

Many people who came here in Canada are deprived of material things in their respective countries. That's the reason they immigrated in the first place, they aspired for a better life. I honestly respect it if they want to have a nice, big house or a luxury vehicle -- it's their right, of course. But still, it pains me to see them giving up their sleep or precious quality time with family just to be able to afford those expensive stuff. For me, that's not the way to live. You shouldn't spend 15+ hours of your daily life working to pay for a house that you hardly sleep in. You shouldn't spend every minute of your day thinking about your enormous car mortgage. Why put so much pressure on yourself? You are already in Canada, you can relax.

In my observation, most Canadians who were born and bred here are living modestly. I truly admire their simplicity. You can hardly see them carrying Louis Vuitton purses or wearing designer clothes. It's the newcomers (especially Asian haha!) who are very particular with brands.

Oh well, kanya kanya lang talaga siguro yan. But in my almost 11 months of living here, alam ko na kung sino ang peg ko. =)