Two Paths, one Dream: The History and Adventures of Filipino Migrants.

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bias when she migrated to Montreal in 1971 as a nurse. Two years later, Maria got sent to Vancouver to work at Vancouver General Hospital. Through Ronquillo et al, family detachments and remittance were the two common factors in the “decision making process [Ronquillo 262]. Five years being away from her family, Maria started feeling homesick and uncertain whether to come back home to the Philippines. She constantly discussed the different possibilities of reuniting with the family to her mother. In 1976, Mrs. Mitu and Maria came to a consensus that the rest of the family was going to migrate to Canada in two years. This gave Maria as well as her family back home time to save money in order for this migration to be possible. The Mitu family had limited resources (which included money) since the majority of the siblings were attending post-secondary. One of these students included the youngest out of the 6 siblings, Rodel Mitu. Starting his 2nd year of University of Santo Tomas, Rodel did not know how to feel about migrating to Canada. “ Well, I was 18. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t want to leave because I was enjoying my university life. I mean, think about it, I had a good GPA, good friends and was playing on the varsity volleyball team… who would want to leave all that to pursue something that even my family was uncertain of.” However, after living in Canada for 35 years, the decision to migrate to Vancouver made Rodel thankful for his family’s bold risk. “To think about it, despite losing my opportunities of finishing school, I’m very thankful for our migration to Canada. I think without our migration, I wouldn’t be able to develop the knowledge and skills I have today.” He adds, “I do regret what our career choices would be like if my family decided to wait until all my siblings finished school, but then again… only 15 people in my class graduated out of the 135 in our group (laughing)” In May 1978, their mother along with 4 out of the 6 migrated to Vancouver, BC via plane. One of Rodel’s sister, Zenaida Siapno Mendoza decided to migrate to the United States since her husband at the time was serving his time in the navy. Through navy housing, Zenaida Siapno Mendoza along with her husband we’re able to stay in a navy housing in Florida. Another commonality many interviewees ask migrants to Canada is their experiences on their first arriving. I’ve noticed even through personal experiences, that a memory that will never be forgotten is a first time experience or impression. Through asking about their first time experiences in Canada, I was able to come up with answers that could be both contrasted and compared:

Chris Bihis: I was very confused. We didn’t know anyone. … I don’t think

anybody knew what the expectations were here in Canada and how

we were going to communicate through the English language rather

than speaking Tagalog (Filipino Dialect).

Rodel Mitu: It was honestly the weirdest feeling I have ever had. I was very

Homesick and nervous… but after it started to sink in that were going

to Canada, I was pretty excited to see what I would encounter.

Interviewer: Speaking of languages, were you hesitant to speak English? Did you

have to go through the common process of ESL (English as a

Second Language)?

Chris Bihis: I was so intimidated to speak in class. Speak anywhere! I was

intimidated because I had an accent. I was definitely afraid of getting

teased if I spoke any English.

Rodel Mitu: I was very hesitant to speak English… I had a tough guy attitude and

I couldn’t afford to be made fun of due to my accent. However, I had

no choice. I had to work for my family and there were no language

where I could speak only speak Tagalog.

Cultural changes between the Philippines in Canada are significantly different in social terms and language. Parental control and involvement in a child’s career choice is not unusual in the Filipino culture compared to the freedom of choice in the Canadian culture. Survival is a crucial factor when entering a new country and despite having the freedom of choice in the Philippines, Rodel was limited to finding a job instead of completing post-secondary since he was under the influence of his mother.

Rodel Mitu: My first job was at Fado’s restaurant in Vancouver. I was a bus boy,

I’ll never forget. I was working at $3.00/hr… and to think $3.00 was

so much compared to now, such a significant difference. We had to

chip in whatever way we can. All 6 of us were housed under one

roof. I got so caught up that I forgot about the thought of university.

Despite entering Canada as a pre-teen, Chris attending elementary school at David Lloyd George, was also forced to work during weekends as a paper girl in order for their family to keep up with the Canadian lifestyle and economy. The sacrificing of not attending school in Canada for both families became unnoticed since remaining in Canada and adjusting to the culture and language was a priority. Through oral history, a lack of education in both families was recognized and developed the question of whether education in both families would have made a difference to their lifestyle and their career choices.

“Without oral histories, the complexity of family structures is unknown” [Wanhalla 53]. Through these family’s oral histories, I was able to discover the different sacrifices both families had to encounter. I determined that there was some regret at first about migrating here and whether discontinuing finishing university was a good or bad idea. However, a degree in Pharmacy completed by Juliet Mitu-Asuncion, resulted to having no significance in Canada. Due to the education differences, where the Philippine curriculum is two years behind the

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