STOUGHTON - Moving from one province to another within your own country can be a challenge. You need to change over your health care card, driver’s licence and insurance, but you are still in the same country.
Now, imagine what it would be like to move halfway around the world, travelling over 11,500 kilometres for about 15 hours by airplane to a new country.
Ethel Mae Sequito is one of many immigrants who has done this. Sequito is from Metro Manila in the Philippines and came to Canada on Dec. 9, 2019. Her journey started much earlier.
In early 2018, Sequito applied for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program. This is an exceptionally lengthy process, and a consultant is hired to help with all the paperwork, and to make certain that everything is completed in a timely manner.
“People need to be careful when hiring a consultant because there are scammers, and they take your money and run,” Sequito said.
Sequito would be accepted into the program to come to Canada with hopes of her husband Xavier Elli, their 20-year-old son Xurt Eleazar, 15-year-old son Xave Elrico and 10-year-old daughter Xianne Mae would follow in about six months.
Sequito works at Stoughton’s Crossroads Inn as a cook, which is her first job, and also works part-time at Subway in the town.
The Sequito family wanted to move to Canada for a better life. They lived in a city with almost two million people. The streets are busy and noisy and not safe for their children.
The education system is extremely poor and the health care system expensive. Sequito said, “only the rich have vehicles due to the excessive cost of gas.” The average family makes $10 per day per person, and gas is $2 a litre. Canada would give them so much more than what their country could offer them.
Now, six months later the rest of her family was to make the trip as well, but this would not happen. COVID locked everything down and there would be no air travel.
The separation would be difficult, but they had no choice. Her family would remain in the Philippines, while her husband would homeschool the children, while handling the duties of both parents, and Sequito would be here in Canada, alone.
Sequito said, “I struggled when speaking to my children via Skype or Facetime, as I did not know how long my family would be apart.”
Finally, travel was allowed once again, and the wheels were set in motion for the family to come to Canada.
On April 7, 2022, this family was finally together once again, but it had been well over two years since that had happened.
Upon their arrival in Stoughton, the reunited family was excited to finally be in their new home, yet disappointed as the snow had all melted, and this is something they had never experienced. It is extremely hot and humid in the Philippines, so the weather change was a new experience.
Well luck was finally on their side, as a week later the first blizzard would arrive, and another snowstorm hit 10 days later. This gave the new arrivals a taste of what Saskatchewan winters were like.
With their bikes in tow, outside they went to enjoy the weather. Taking their bikes up the snowbanks and laying in the soft white fluffy stuff. Sequito was afraid that the neighbour’s would think her family was crazy.
Xavier said, “The air is so fresh and clean here, and it’s peaceful and quiet.”
They are so grateful to be here and presently reside in Stoughton.
