My Application to Canadian Citizenship Timeline

Tinanong ako kanina ng friend ko sa Edmonton kung gaano katagal inabot ang Canadian citizenship application ko I decided to blog about my timeline.

Actually, asawa ko ang talagang atat na mag-apply ako (siguro kasi mae-expire na rin ang Permanent Resident Card ko ng January 2019). In fact, siya lahat ang gumawa ng paperworks. Kaya wala akong alam kung may tanong kayo about sa filling up ng application form kasi talagang pinaubaya ko na kay hubby. Ewan ko ba, tamad na tamad talaga ako. All I did was sign.

At syempre, ipasa ang language requirement.

College graduate naman ako Pinas at kung tutuusin, pwede namang isubmit ang diploma at transcript of record (TOR) as language proof pero naisip namin na hassle pa at magtatagal. First, kailangang kumuha pa ng TOR at certification sa Pinas at is-ship so talagang it will take time. Pwede rin iyong i-reject ng Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) kung hindi sila satisfied.

Second, medyo worried nga kasi ako sa documents ko. You see, graduate ako ng University of the Philippines Diliman. Modesty aside, alam naman natin na number 1 university yan sa Pinas. Ang problema lang, yung mismong diploma namin ay nakasulat sa Filipino. O di ba, kailangan pa ng translation? Parang alanganin na. Kaya naisip namin things will be easier if I will take CELPIP-General LS Test na lang. CELPIP stands for The Canadian Language Proficiency Index Program.  For the purpose of applying for citizenship, you just need to take and pass the Listening and Speaking Tests.

Here's how much we paid for the test and the online reviewer. Medyo pricey noh?

I had 8 days to review at sobrang na-stress ako haha. There was a part of me that's rebelling, sabi ko I've been speaking English since I was a child at nakapagsulat na ako ng sangkatutak na term papers in English tapos ngayon kailangaan kong patunayan sa kanila sa nakakaintindi at nakakasalita ako ng Ingles. Based sa mga nabasa ko, sobrang nakaka-pressure daw talaga ang Speaking part kasi nga you'll be talking to the computer. Parang napaka-unnatural. Oh well, wala naman nga akong choice but to comply.

I took the test on December 9, 2017 and I was confident naman na papasa ako. Sixteen yata kaming takers noon and I was the first one to finish. Ang awkward lang kasi tabi-tabi kaming nag-test kaya nagkakarinigan talaga.

I was able to view the results online after just a few days. And as expected, I did well on the listening part and not-so-well on the speaking haha! Kaya panay kantyaw ang asawa ko, parang di raw ako UP graduate. Kahit ako natawa sa sarili ko, pero kasi naman nga napaka-unnatural nung set-up (ang hirap ipaliwanag). Basta wala na akong paki, ang importante eh pumasa ako at masa-submit na namin yung application.

A few more days and I received na rin this letter that contains the CELPIP Official Score Report. Ito ang iaattach sa canadian citizenship application form.

And so we thought ok na. Ime-mail na sana namin ang application when my husband realized na may namiss-out siya. Kailangan ko pala ng NBI clearance from the Philppines kasi nga twice na umuwi ako doon for several months. Sakto naman na pauwi uli ako ng Pinas on January 9, 2018 kaya makakakuha ako at maime-mail back ko kay Ford. Basta I signed na my application na dated kung kailan nasa Canada pa ako.

Buti na lang may NBI Office sa amin sa Marilao so I was able to apply agad for a clearance on January 11, 2018. After a week (January 18), lumabas na at naipadala ko na kay Ford via registered mail.

My husband got hysterical when he learned na via registered mail ko lang pinadala at hindi EMS. Eh kasi naman sobrang mahal nun, Php1,500 (3-10 days daw) as compared to postal na Php125 lang (15 days). Nanghinayang talaga ako. I truly prayed na dumating sana kako or else yari talaga ako sa asawa ko.

Whew, dumating naman nga! At wala pang 15 days ha. Ford received it on January 30 (Canadian time), went online to pay the $630-application fee, and mailed it the following day.

So eto na nga ang timeline:

January 31, 2018 -- mailed the application

March 6, 2018 -- got an acknowledgment receipt of application

July 5, 2018 -- received a notice of invitation to Canadian Citizenship test

July 18, 2018 -- took the Canadian Citizenship test

December 27, 2018 -- received an invitation for Canadian Citizenship ceremony

January 16, 2019 -- attended the Canadian Citizenship oath-taking

All in all, it took almost a year for the whole citizenship application process to commence and finish. I honestly thought it'll be less than a year because I was told in July, when I passed the citizenship test (which I perfected, by the way), that I just had to wait for 2 to 3 months to receive the invitation for oath-taking. But in my case, December ko na na-receive (more than 4 months).

I wondered why and I read somewhere na minsan daw maaga lang nila pinapa-take ng exam ang applicants kasi may open na slots for the test. Tapos syempre medyo magtatagal ang invitation kasi marami pang pending syempre. It actually makes sense kasi nga ang aga nila akong pinag-exam eh.

Hay, I can't believe until now that this is over and that I am finally a Canadian citizen. I am just happily waiting for my passport now. Sana dumating na bukas. =)

Measles Vaccine

Uuwi kami sa Pinas soon (late March or early April) and I am somewhat scared because there's currently a measles outbreak there. Nakaka-praning. When I was still living there, hindi ako bothered sa ganyang mga isyu at balita pero ngayon, talagang naga-alala ako. Una, may anak na ako. Pangalawa, medyo nasanay na rin kasi ako sa first world living (walang halong kayabangan, sadyang pagpapakatotoo lang) kaya medyo "umaarte" na.

Naalala ko noon, naaartehan ako sa mga kamag-anak kong from the US na nagbabakasyon sa Pinas kasi nga masyado silang worried sa safety and security nila. Ngayon naiintindihan ko na na natural lang pala iyon kasi nga sa ibang mundo ka na naninirahan at hindi ka na sanay sa pamumuhay sa Pinas.

Anyway, dahil nga natatakot ako sa tigdas, hinanap ko talaga ang immunization record ko dito. I remembered kasi na noong time na pinababakunahan pa namin si Nathan, pati kaming mag-asawa ay tinusok na rin. They saw something in my blood daw (when I was pregnant) that I wasn't immune to something (I forgot what it was) so kailangan ko din ng bakuna. At dahil wala nga kasi kaming immunization record sa Canada, they want to make sure din na hindi kami makaka-acquire ng sakit na makakahawa sa anak namin. I am confident na kumpleto ako sa bakuna noong baby pa ako (my mother is very responsible) pero wala namang mawawala kung babakunahan uli para sigurado. Wala daw over-dosage sa ganyan.

So eto na nga, nakita ko na. I am so happy! At least kampante na ang loob kong uuwi sa Pilipinas kong mahal hehe.

But before kami umuwi, kailangan ko pa palang pasaksakan si Nathan ng booster shots (including measles). Sinasaksak daw yun kapag 4 years old and above na. Noon pa ako nagpapa-schedule sana ng vaccination kaso they asked pa for Nathan's immunization record from Alberta para ma-enter nila sa system nila. Ganun kasi dito eh, hindi centralized ang health records, by province talaga.

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Another kwento. Noong unang uwi (or pangalawa ba?) namin sa Pinas, gustung-gusto kong pasaksakan ng Dengvaxia si Nathan. Kasi nga natatakot ako sa dengue, tapos kagatin pa talaga ng lamok ang anak ko. Kahit sa mall kinakagat siya ng lamok. Ang laking pasalamat ko talaga na hindi ko siya natuloy pabakunahan nun hay!

Currently, walang nirerecommend na dengue vaccine ang Public Health Agency of Canada kasi  daw"although advanced research is underway, there is currently no approved vaccine or medication that protects against dengue fever." Hindi nga rin pala present sa mosquitoes ng Canada ang dengue virus.

Lunar New Year 2019 (Year of the Pig)

We were supposed to go to Chinatown in Dowtown Vancouver to watch the Chinese New Year Parade last Sunday (February 10, 2019) but I changed my mind. There was a prediction of snow fall and it's been really cold the past days (-2 to -6 during daytime). Mahirap mag-stay nang matagal sa kalsada para manood, baka magkasakit lang kami.

We're not Chinese and we're not really celebrating Chinese New Year (at least in its truest sense) naman but I just wanted Nathan to see and experience different cultures. Canadian siya kaya dapat well-exposed siya sa diversity. Oh well, next year na lang when the weather is better.

Buti na lang din napadpad kami sa Tsawwassen Mills last Saturday. Meron sila doong artificial cherry blossom tree where you can hang your wish/es. At least nakapagsabit kami at naka-experience kahit papano ng festivity.

Aside from the usual prosperity wish, ang talagang dinadasal namin ngayong taon (at sa mga susunod pa) ay good health for our family and loved ones.

Ang daming gimik ng mga malls at supermarkets dito about the lunar new year. May mga dragon and lion dance syempre kaso nga hindi namin napuntahan. Ang layo na nga kasi namin. Usually sa Richmond (kung saan concentrated ang mga chekwa) at Surrey ang mga yun. The new year fell pa on a weekday kaya talagang malabo.

Thank you sa ang pao, Tsawwassen Mills. Naaliw ako.

Ooops by the way, from now on, Lunar New Year na ang itatawag ko Chinese New Year. Nito ko lang din naliwanagan na hindi lang naman mga Intsik ang nagse-celebrate ng unang araw sa lunar calendar kaya mas politically correct na tawagin nga itong Lunar New Year. Nandyan ang Vietnamese, Koreans, Cambodians, Malaysians, Singaporeans, etc.

We Filipinos are not really following the lunar calendar. Pero dahil mahilig ang Pinoy maki-holiday sa ibang lahi, nausuhan na rin sila/kami ng "Chinese New Year." In fact, declared as special non-working holiday na nga rin ang February 5, 2019 sa Pinas. Napansin ko rin na maraming mga Pilipino na rin ang bumabati/nakikipagbatian ng Gong Hei Fat Choy sa FB, nakakaloka. Sabagay, mas maraming occasions at holidays, mas masaya nga naman hehe.

Walang Forever

We used to live in a place where there's snow six months (almost) in a year. Hence, I've taken it for granted. Wala akong masyadong pictures sa snow, feeling ko kasi 'nandyan lang yan,' makakasama ko forever.

The last time I wore these boots was three years ago.

Who would have thought na lilipat kami in this part of Canada that seldom gets snow. In fact, nitong February 3 lang kami unang nagka-snow this winter season. Natunaw agad. Tapos last Sunday (February 10) lang uli naulit. Kaya sabik na sabik talaga kami.

Tsk, wala talagang forever. Kaya dapat seize the day na talaga. Huwag ng ipagpabukas ang magagawa naman sa ngayon. Because you'll never really know where life will take you.

Our water and electricity bill

Finally,  dumating na rin ang water at electricity bill namin. Medyo ilang linggo rin kaming na-curious kung magkano aabutin ang konsumo namin dito sa bahay eh.

By the way, this townhouse was turned over to us on November 14, 2018 but we only officially moved on the night of November 20. Here in Canada, every two months sila maningil ng kuryente at tubig kaya nito nga lang namin nakuha ang first ever utility bills namin.

Electricity

From November 14, 2018 to January 16, 2018, they charged us $302.44 (or around Php12,100.00). Dividing it by 58 days (instead of 64 kasi nga November 20 kami lumipat), that's around $5.21 (Php210.00) per day or $160 (Php6,300) per month.

Not bad, actually. Kasi kasama na ang space at water heating dyan. Pati na rin ang cooking (stove) at washing at drying. Winter kasi ngayon kaya 24-7 na nakabukas ang heater. Our townhouse is medium-sized kaya medyo malaki rin ang pinaiinitan. Kung ikukumpara mo sa Pinas, sobrang mura na talaga pumapatak ang kuryente dito. Imagine mo sa Pinas kung magkano aabutin ang bill mo kung maghanapon-magdamag na nakabukas ang centralized aircon. Ginto, grabe.

We'll compare sa summer kung magkano ang bill kapag hindi na kami naka-heater (pero portable aircon naman ang gumagana).


Water.

Sa water naman, $56.27 (discounted final amount) ang binayaran namin for 65 days (November 14, 2018 to January 17, 2019). Dividing it by 59 days, pumapatak na $0.95 (or Php40.00) lang siya per day o around $30.00 (Php1,200) per month. Hindi na rin masama kasi hindi naman ako nagtitipid talaga ng tubig lalo na sa paghuhugas ng pinggan at paliligo (#guilty).

Our water bill could rise up a bit siguro during the summer kung magbababad kami sa bathtub o magi-inflate kami ng swimming pool for Nathan o maghuhugas kami ng car sa labas, pero I am sure hindi pa rin ganun kalaki ang aabutin.

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So there, our water and electricity bill for the past two months. Later on, ita-tabulate ko naman ang kabuuang monthly expenses namin para magka-idea kayo how much we're spending. =)


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NOTE: Other households have natural gas connection (meron din kami nun dati sa Edmonton) for space/water heating, gas oven, barbecue grill, etc. but we opted not to get one kasi nga all our appliances naman are electric-powered. Yung barbecue grill lang namin ang nangangailangan ng gas connection but my husband is planning to replace it na lang kasi sayang daw kung doon lang namin gagamitin. May fixed fee din yata kasi kahit hindi ka nag-konsumo in a month eh hindi naman laging nagba-barbecue lalo na kapag winter o umuulan.

A Jollibee party for me?

I am turning 40 this year (ouch!) and I told myself a couple of months back that should I be in the Philippines during that time, I will throw a party for myself in Jollibee. Yep, Jollibee!

You see, Jollibee Philippines has this Hello Kitty Fun Carnival theme and I love it! Everyone knows that I am a big fan of Hello Kitty. But I tell you, I am also very much a Jollibee girl so ang perfect lang, di ba?

(Picture taken from the net. Credits to the owner)

Sakto that we are going to Pinas again this April and we'll be staying there till mid-August. My birthday is on August 27 so sabi ko ia-advance ko na lang. I only plan on inviting my immediate relatives and barkada, maximum of 70 pax lang siguro.  I already asked my hubby for a budget at syempre game naman siya. Ang mura pa rin naman kasi kung tutuusin. Around Php20,000-Php23,000 siguro (we want to have two mascots), so less than Ca$600 lang. Yung pinakamahal na food package na yun ha. Included na rin ang cake.

I was super excited talaga. In fact, na-announce ko na nga sa mga pamangkin ko sa pinsan last Christmas ang plan ko. Nainvite ko na sila.

Picture courtesy of Laling

Kaso naman parang I am changing my mind now. You see, the primary reason why I really want a Jollibee party is my son. We've gone home in the Philippines thrice na and yet walang nag-invite sa amin ng Jollibee party. Ewan ko nga ba. Noong wala pa akong anak, ang dami-daming nagpapa-Jollibee party na dinededma ko lang. Ngayon namang may Nathan na, wala na. Favorite pa naman niya si Jollibee.

Actually noong first birthday-baptismal ni Nathan, nag-order din ako ng Jollibee food for the kids at syempre two mascots (Jollibee and Twirlie). The party was held in a pavilion at catered ang food. Nagdagdag lang talaga kami ng Jollibee para sa mga bata. Kaso naman my little boy was too young pa to remember that. Kaya sabi ko, bago ma-outgrow ni Nathan si Jollibee eh kelangan maka-experience siya ng Jollibee party.

So everything was planned na in my head. Kaso ba naman, I learned about three weeks ago that my friend Laling is also throwing a Hello Kitty Jollibee party for her youngest daughter in July. Waaah, so wala ng justification ang pagpapa-Jollibee party ko kasi nga makaka-attend na rin kami ni TanTan.

Our other friends were cool about it. Sabi nila ok lang if the same theme, different experience pa rin naman daw yun. Laling even asked me if I want her to change the theme para hindi kami magkamukha, pero syempre sabi ko hindi noh. Hello Kitty is a nice theme and her daughter deserves it.

So na-convince na nga ako na ok lang. Nakabili na nga ako ng ilang hello kitty activity kits (na on sale) na ilalagay ko sa lootbags ng kids. I was also planning on buying Bath and Body Works and/or Victoria's Secret merchandise for  adults. Pero ewan ko ba, lately eh I am having a change of heart. Parang ayaw ko na.

Naisip ko rin yung $600. I could use that money to treat my significant others separately (per group) na lang. At least makakapag-bonding pa kami nang matagal-tagal. Two hours lang kasi ang Jollibee party, medyo bitin. Syempre mahahati pa ang attention ko sa mga bisita. Madodoble-doble rin ang gastos ko kasi kailangan ko pang i-treat nang hiwalay ang mga girls ko (my core group) kasi lagi kaming may girls-day-out kapag birthday namin.

May point naman noh? But on the other hand, there's also a part of me who wants to experience a Jollibee party haha! Parang bata lang. Deprived kasi lol. I know I am not alone. May nabasa nga ako na maraming call center agents and nagpapabook ng morning parties (as in 7-8am kasi nga iba ang work hours nila) sa Jollibee for themselves. I've also seen a lot of adult FB friends na nagpa-Jollibee party.

Hay ang gulo ko! Ano ba talaga? Ayaw na tuloy akong seryosohin ng asawa ko. Bahala raw ako sa buhay ko. Oh well, I have a few weeks to decide. I blogged about this para lang kapag hindi natuloy eh maalala ko itong I-want-a-Jollibee-party-for-myself thingy ko.

Christmas Tree 2018

I know it's almost Valentine's but because my primary objective in blogging is to document, let me post the highlights of our 2018 Christmas. Let's start with our tree.

We moved here in our new home on November 20, 2018. And with me recovering from a procedure, sangkatutak na ligpitin, at visitors (Pod's parents came here to spend the holidays with us), talagang nagahol kami for Christmas. In fact, I was only able to decorate our tree on December 22!

I really had no intention of buying a new set of tree ornaments kasi nga gahol na, saka maraming gastos sa paglilipat syempre, so I planned on using our 2015 Christmas tree decors na lang. Kaso hindi talaga namin makita-kita sa garahe (kung saan nakatambak pa ang lahat ng gamit namin). Kaya nga nagtagal ang pagkakabit ko ng decors, I was really hoping na makita pa namin pero wala talaga.

Hence, I had no choice but to use the 2014 ornaments. Hesitant akong gamitin talaga yun kasi nga hindi pambata pero wala namang choice. We only had two sets eh. Noong December 2016, wala na kaming bahay kasi nakalipat na kami dito sa BC (tapos nasa Pinas kami noong Christmas season). Last 2017 naman, hindi na kami nagput-up ng tree kasi ang sikip at ang pangit naman sa apartment.

At eto na nga ang kinalabasan. I modified the design para hindi naman kaparehong-kapareho noong 2014. Goal ko talaga na huwag maulit ang design ng Christmas tree para may distinction naman sa annual pictures hehe.

As expected, hindi masyadong trip ng anak ko ang naging Christmas tree namin. Ang sabi nga niya, "Mommy, ang pangit naman ng Christmas tree natin. Eh kasi pink."

Sorry naman, anak. At least ang pogi mo namang mowdel ng tree hehe.

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Ford wants to have a new tree by next year. Medyo high ceiling kasi itong bagong town house namin kaya parang biglang lumiit tingnan ang 7-ft Christmas tree. Pero ayaw ko, masasayang naman kasi ito eh ang bago-bago pang tingnan. Saka would you believe na $11.00 lang namin ito nabili? Closing sale na kasi ng isang store nun kaya nachambahan namin ito.

Next year, we will have a white-silver-red theme. I was able to buy most of the ornaments already from Walmart last December 26, naka-50% off na. Sana maganda ang kalabasan. I was never a fan of silver/white Christmas theme eh. Doon ako palagi sa traditional colors of gold, red and green. But since I want a different tree look every year, sige susubukan ko nang maiba naman.