by Lan Daval
Toronto, Ontario, Canada – “The falling leaves drift by the window, the autumn leaves are red and gold,” so go the opening lyrics of the popular pre-winter song Autumn Leaves, a hit in the late 50s. I happen to mention this because of what we can see here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The falling leaves signal the advent of autumn (can winter be far behind?) when trees, notably the national tree—maple—lose their leaves. Maple trees line the streets, waiting for the coming of winter.
Some two weeks ago, the time of day was reset one hour back, a.k.a. Dailylight Saving Time (DST), in anticipation of the winter season.
Cotton-white snow flurries and intermittent rainshowers are a daily occurrence. We can feel the biting cold gusts of wind and the icy chill of the outdoors, freezing cold. Well, if you don`t want to freeze outdoors simply get into your full winter gear—undergarments like top and bottom warmer, sweater, thick water-proof bubble jacket, socks, boots and gloves or mitts.
And in order to overcome the boredom during our vacation here, we have to keep ourselves busy and occupied. Every morning, Monday to Friday, I send my two grandsons to school. Gabriel Ezra (“Gabee”) is 13 years old and can go about on his own, like going to school or doing errands. However, his younger brother, Lorenzo Elli (“IsoBoy”), who is about to celebrate his eighth birthday still needs a chaperon. Under a law on children here, a child who is under 13 years of age is not allowed to go to school, or wherever else, alone. Otherwise, authorities will come around and pick up for questioning the erring parents or guardians. If found guilty of the offense, they are meted the appropriate penalty under the law. They don’t have what we call back home “street children”.
The school is a mere five-minute ride by street car, and I have to pick them up again in the afternoon at the nearest bus stop where they had taken their ride on aboard their school bus. While this is my daily routine on school days, my wife on the other hand takes care of the children`s needs—preparing their meals to giving them a bath and dressing up plus the household chores. Due to tight work schedule, my wife and I manage to help each other tending the house because my son works from afternoon until midnight as line chef of a popular fine dining restaurant in downtown Toronto while his wife works as a senior financial analyst of a well-known beer company here.
For many reasons, you are sometimes assailed by boredom and loneliness when you realize you`re so far away from home sweet home. You feel the need for company. One solution is to befriend some Pinoys here and find comfort in their company. Well, I`ve met some Filipinos here who truly enjoy sharing their experience – talking about their jobs, the benefits and advantages of having migrated to Canada, of course, with some few sob stories on the side. Some of the Pinoys I met here, notably Dabawenyos, include a certain Rose who is from Cateel, Davao Oriental. She is separated from her husband and works as a real estate and insurance agent. Her eldest son works as a store supervisor while a daughter is a bank employee and the youngest daughter is still in college. After having been here for almost 23 years now, Rose and her siblings have already acquired Canadian citizenship.
Also among our new-found friends is Gemma, still single, who is from Mintal. She has been here for more than four years and is presently employed in a prestigious insurance firm. Another single lady, Live, a Bicolana, is with the city government. She`s been in Canada for 12 years. And there`s Al, also a Bicolano, who works as a sales agent and sometimes dabbles as driver and tourist guide to visiting Fililipinos. Both Gemma and Live have become Canadian citizens while Al is on the way to being one.
On a road trip to Niagara last month, we stopped briefly at a famous factory outlet to purchase some clothing items. While there, I met Grace who is from Mandug. She is married to a Canadian and has been living here the past four years. A petite woman named Fely from Toril is currently employed as an airport security personnel while Ruby and her husband who are both from Bulacan are employees of stable companies. All of them are Canadian citizens.
Except for a few Pinay nannies I`ve seen in our neighborhood, most migrants around here are of Chinese and Indian origin. I was told that many of our countrymen settled in the western part of the city, notably in the Missisagua area. As a matter of fact, they are members of their own clubs and various associations and even publish their own newspapers, one a bi-monthly, the other a monthly magazine-style newspaper.
Expect more interesting stories in my subsequent columns.
