Minsan hindi natutuloy ang "Plan A"; buti na lang may iba pang mga letra sa alpabeto na pwedeng pagpilian.
"In 2016, we visited my wife's relatives in Sydney. We saw how life was there, so we thought of applying to migrate. I applied for a skilled visa, targeting Sydney; but I didn't get an invite. We needed another plan. I almost lost hope," saad ni Dante Carmen.
"I applied for a skilled visa, targeting Sydney; but I didn't get an invite. We needed another plan. I almost lost hope." Source: Pixabay
Ang desisyong lumipat
Hindi opsyon ang pagkawalan ng pag-asa para kay Dante na noo'y naninirahan sa Saudi Arabia kasama ang kanyang asawa't dalawang anak.
"I worked in Saudi Arabia since 2011 as an external auditor. That's where I met my wife and we had our boys. Life was okay; but till today, Saudi Arabia continues to be a closed country. Women and children aren't allowed to go out on their own and, there is no freedom of religion. We realised our boys didn't have the same freedom as they would have in Australia or even the Philippines."
Patuloy na tinatawag ng Australya ang pamilya kahit hindi siya natuloy sa Sydney; kaya nagsubok ng ibang paraan ang mag-anak upang makapunta ng bansa.
"We realised our boys didn't have the same freedom as they would have in Australia or even the Philippines." Source: AAP/Tracey Nearmy
"I did my research and I realised that the point system was getting more difficult to meet. I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to make a move. I read that the Northern Territory (NT) was sponsoring skilled workers."
Pagkatapos mag-ipon ng isang taon ng "show money", nagsulat si Dante ng required essay para sa kanyang application.
The NT government requires the essay as proof that comprehensive research about the state was done. Source: picjumbo.com from Pexels
Tumagal din ng tatlong buwan bago makolekta ni Dante ang mga kailangan niya para sa kanyang application at anim na buwan bago dumating ang imbitasyon niya,
Ang inaplayan niya noon ay Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) na nagbibigay sa kanila ng permanent residency, ngunit naabot na daw ng pamahalaan ang quota para sa visa.
"I was told that all that could be offered was a Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489), a temporary visa. We can apply for permanent residency after two years. It was okay - at least, it was our way into Australia. "
"It was okay - at least, it was our way into Australia." Source: Catarina Sousa
Pagkakaibigan
Bago pumunta si Dante sa Australya, masaya siya ng malaman niya na ang mga Pilipino ang pinakamaraming migrante sa NT. Ang ilan sa mga ito ay nakilala niya sa forum na PinoyAu.info.
"I was a member and then became an administrator of the forum. One of the Filipinos I met through there was in Darwin before we arrived six months ago. Our families met and he introduced us to their other friends from Couples for Christ (CFC). We eventually joined the group."
Saad din niya na may isa ring Pilipino siyang nakilala na nagpakilala pa sa kanila sa iba pang mga Pinoy.
Some members of Couples for Christ - Australia Source: Couples for Christ Australia Facebook
"Their support helped a lot. He invited us to the birthday of one of his kids. It was a simple thing, but it helped a lot. My wife still doesn't have work, so she was so bored during our first few weeks. Now, we're always so busy. We have so many activities with new friends."
Pamumuhay sa Darwin
Nakahanap ng swerte si Dante sa Darwin pagdating sa kaibigan at trabaho.
"I found work two days after we landed. The company I worked for in Saudi had a branch in Darwin, so I reached out. They had no openings then, but a manager sent my CV to people he knew," aniya.
Maliban sa trabaho, hiyang ang pamilya sa "laid-back, provincial lifestyle" sa Darwin.
Dante and his family moved from Saudi Arabia to Darwin. Source: Pixabay
"Darwin's a fit for me and my family. We're used to the quiet, to less crowds and no traffic," he says, adding, "We're also used to this kind of weather - it's similar to the Philippines. It's actually cooler than what we're used to in Saudi. It's manageable."
At para s bagong Territorian na ito, ang pag-manage ng panahon at buhay ay naaayon sa abilidad ng isang taong gumawa ng mga bagong plano kapag di natuloy ang kaniyang ninanais.
Habang pinangarap nina Dante noon ang Sydney, masaya siya't napunta sila sa NT.
Managing the weather and life as a whole have a lot to do with one's expectations and ability to create new plans when others fail to come to fruition. Source: Pixabay
"Sydney wasn't given to us; but honestly, we just wanted to move to Australia. If we were able to move to Sydney but I wasn't able to find work because of the competition, then I still won't have peace of mind. It's getting harder to get the Australian dream these days. Darwin gave us that. We're happy and grateful that we're here."
BASAHIN DIN:
