CANADA, a country that many Filipinos think is part of the United States, is opening its doors to students. Many would be surprised to find that, unlike the US, 800,000 Filipinos enjoy the famed hospitality of the natives north of the border.
America is a multicultural society just like Canada, but, for some reason, it is a bit different in a positive way.
This was made clear during a recent forum by prominent Filipinos who have studied and lived in Canada, and have now returned to their native land to share their wealth of experience.
Neil Reeder, Canada’s ambassador to the Philippines, said the Canadian Embassy held the Study Canada Fair 2014 on Tuesday at the Fairmont Hotel, Makati City.
Representatives from 13 Canadian institutions were there to meet prospective students and parents to discuss opportunities for studying in Canada at the K to 12, college and university levels. Admission is free.
“International students often become ambassadors of Canada when they go back to their home countries. Some would choose to continue to work in Canada, while others have opted to return home with globally recognized credentials to impart their positive experience back to the Philippines,” Reeder said.
In 2013 over 293,000 international students chose Canada to study since it is among the list of top 3 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member-countries in terms of investment in public post-secondary and tertiary education.
Canada has identified the Philippines as a priority emerging trade and investment market.
Nearly 300,000 students decided to study in Canada for the following reasons: access to affordable, premier education, since Canada’s colleges and universities belong to top-ranked institutions; and a multicultural society, where racism is never felt.
Canada is a bilingual society and its educational institutions are wired with the latest in sophisticated technology.
According to OECD 2012, Canada is a world leader in post-secondary research, outpacing other Group of Seven countries on investment in higher education.
Some international students with Canadian credentials and work experience may apply for permanent residency without having to leave Canada. Skilled Canadian work experience helps graduates who wish to stay longer for permanent residency.
To help bring about a clearer understanding of how Filipinos have successfully managed to study and lived in Canada, Reeder presented some of the prominent Filipinos who are now practicing in the country and who testified to the unique character of Canada that made them decide to make it either their first or second home after the Philippines.
They talked mostly about their experiences in studying and working in Canada and the absence of discrimination, as prejudices due to skin color is definitely absent.
“It is a result-based education system,” they said, noting that unlike in the Philippines where classroom attendance is a must, Canadian teachers do not care if you show up or not.
“It is the result of the examinations that is the most important,” they said.
Among the guests who attended the forum was Glen Yu, a chemical engineer, who said he values the opportunity he had to meet in person the authors of books that they have been studying in school.
Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago came literally from the boondocks of Masbate where she grew up, although she was born in Muntinlupa. A successful fashion model, she went to Canada to study, where, she admitted, she “became a woman,” regaining her self-confidence among equals and turned from a shy non-communicative lass to a “talkative, opinionated communications major.”
Daphne Oseña-Paez graduated from the University of Toronto, garnering a diploma in urban studies. She returned to become a highly successful talk-show host, journalist, with many other achievements in between.
Chris Tan specializes in TV shows, after graduating from the University of Western Ontario. He admitted to seeing his first snow there.
“Canada is a mosaic, not a melting pot,” he says of the country, “where I can be whatever I want to be.”
He joined fraternities while studying there, but hazing, which is common in the Philippines, is an unknown activity there. He recalled busying himself in sports, memberships in the student councils, and partying after school.
Sharwin Tee operates his own restaurant here and encourages other Pinoys to go and study in Canada, “because when you come back, you bring in a different kind of sensibility.”
Nicole Severino, a language instructor at Berlitz, is a graduate of Pearson College and McGuill University. She was born in Edmonton and said that when she is in Canada, she feels Filipino, but when she is in the Philippines, she feels Canadian.
The graduates all expressed an appreciation of Canada, stressing that those who have not lived the experience they had would be hard put to appreciate it.
However, all of them expressed one misgiving about the country they have adopted as second home: the malls close at the ungodly hour of 6 p.m.
Image credits: Recto Mercene