Our Firsts in NZ

October 2006

Finally, we’re here! After the long agonizing wait, our work visas have been approved by the New Zealand Immigration Service. We are now at a hotel resting from the 12- hour flight from the Philippines. As I’ve promised all those asking us about our “journey” to this beautiful country, I’m ending my hiatus from blogging with this entry.

Ok, so when and how did we start our journey here? It probably started when the promotion in our last jobs in the Philippines didn’t push through. Now that we think about it, it was good that the promotion was delayed, otherwise, we wouldn’t think of leaving the country and we’ll be stuck in the Philippines budgeting and scrimping for food. And so we went to Malaysia since Ronnel received an offer for an analyst programmer position in Maybank. If you are a friend of ours, you have probably heard of the freak accident he got into and the traumatic experience we both underwent. But with God’s grace, we pulled through and I even landed a great job in Standard Chartered as a business analyst. At first, I wasn’t that excited about being a business analyst, especially in Loans division. My dream was to be a project manager, just as what I was in back in the Philippines. To top it off, the systems was of a dinosaur age compared to the hi-tech ones we had in Internet Banking. Soon, I realized that mainframe was our ticket to success. And so I shelved my project management dreams and focused on being a good business analyst. I believe I did ok in that field and eventually, I enjoyed being a BA. Ronnel was being himself in its truest form. He was good at what he did and taught himself a lot of things. After a year at work, he was deemed one of the sifus (master) in Maybank as he was consulted with Cardpac matters.

We had it great in Malaysia. We even thought of settling there for good so we asked around on how we could be permanent residents. As it turned out, it wasn’t that easy. An officemate of mine who was non-Malaysian is still a non-resident and considered a foreigner despite being married to a Malaysian for almost over ten years. Upon my contract renewal in January, I then requested for me to be converted to a permanent staff. Although I’m reassured that my contract would be renewed every year, it is still disconcerting to know that one too many lousy moves can spark a pre-termination of my contract. As I’ve told my ex-bosses during my exit interview, having a permanent position would ensure my husband and me that at least one of us was secure. After the long fight with management, management told me that it was a no go. They told me and the rest of the contract staff in our team who wanted to be permanent as well, that it was against HR policy to convert and there was no precedent for it. (But I'd like to give credit to my boss Chooi Lai and Wai Hong then who were really fighting the battle for me, pushing management to make me perm. Even when I tendered my resignation, I was asked if I still wanted to try another round but I refused, not wanting them to go through the whole ordeal again.) By then, Ronnel and I decided that we had to look for a way out. We quelled our dreams of starting a family and looked for other possibilities. We explored several options – Canada, US, Australia and the last resort was to go back to the Philippines and look for a better offer. But for me, that wasn’t an option at all. I love my country but I am not a hypocrite. I know that we wouldn’t be able to give our future children the life that they deserve if we stayed there. We could barely pay the bills when we were there especially since we had a huge condo amortization, how would be able to feed another mouth? Our best bet was Australia. It was my dream to go there ever since probably because I adored Steve Irwin so much from watching Animal Planet (God bless his soul). Ronnel started researching about how we could go there and found out that it wasn’t so simple. Plus, the job market wasn’t that active for mainframe. We looked at the map and we saw this small country beside it. New Zealand. The first thing that came into my mind was milking cows and roaming sheep. It probably is the same with you guys. When everybody heard that we were going to New Zealand, I got all these comments about what will we do there, whether we are going to count sheep or anything. We try not to be offended since most of the comments were in jest anyway. So back to my story… Ronnel searched the job market in New Zealand and found a handful of job openings for mainframe programming BUT (yes, a big but) you had to be in New Zealand to qualify for the job. So we tried another way, Ronnel submitted his application for permanent residency online (just visit immigration.govt.nz for details) but we were not selected because apparently, despite working in IT, his major wasn’t Computer Science so we just didn’t have enough points. At first, we were disheartened because we were back at square one. But we couldn’t give up, we already invested time, effort and money (yes, registering for PR costs a lot) and wasn’t about to give up that easily. And so every day for two consecutive months, Ronnel would check the job sites (jobstuff.co.nz/seek.co.nz) if there were new openings that would consider him. He continued to submit his CV and the response rate was less than 10% and the responses weren’t too good. They all wanted us to be there first before entertaining us. And so that’s what we did. We decided to go there and personally check out the job market. It was a high risk for both of us but we just thought of it as our second honeymoon trip in case things didn’t work out. We applied our leaves and made arrangements for our travel to NZ. At that same week, Ronnel got a positive reply from one of the sites where he submitted his CV. They wanted to interview him. Prior to that, some other headhunters were also interested in meeting us. Ronnel got the call from his interviewers a week before we were scheduled to go to NZ. Ronnel thought that the job interview was a disaster. He had trouble understanding their accents and the phone reception was bad but I think he did great, and so did his interviewers since they wanted to meet him on our trip to NZ.

And so with nothing but prayers and a bag full of hopes and dreams, we trudged to New Zealand to make the first step in achieving a better future. We only had more than a week to do what we had to do. We succumbed to God’s grace and knew that whatever was going to happen was all according to His plans. All the odds were against us primarily because we were non-residents but we went through the meetings anyway. It was the height of the winter season when we arrived in the last week of July. When we met Ronnel’s future bosses in ANZ National Bank, we were ecstatic. He was a Malaysian who was residing in NZ for more than ten years with his family. We knew that this was God’s gift to us. Ronnel’s boss knew exactly how we felt. He shared how he and his wife went to NZ and decided to stay here for good. We shared with him our plans of doing the same thing. I think at this point, Ronnel’s IT background and experience was already a done deal. It was just a matter of whether he had the qualities to fit in and adjust in a new environment. We went through some other interviews with headhunters and that went fine too. At that time, I also had an interview with Bank of New Zealand. They had an opening for a project manager at that time and I applied for it but I was told that I still lack the experience to be a PM but if I was interested, I could apply for the Senior Business Analyst contract position that they had. I went through the interview with HR and I liked the job. It was similar with what I was doing in Standard Chartered but more challenging since the position dealt with multiple applications. On day 3 of our trip, both Ronnel and I were already jittery because we were both waiting for a call back. Ronnel was the one who first got a call. He received a job offer and they gave him what he asked for. My call soon came and I was asked to go for another interview. This time it would be with the team that I’ll be joining. The interview went well. I liked my interviewers at sight. I felt genuine warmth and sincerity all throughout the interview and I hoped that the feeling was mutual. But whatever the outcome of my interview was just an icing on the cake. Our cake was in Ronnel’s hands. He got the job and it was a permanent position. He updated our previous PR application and our points increased. With these extra points, we were selected and we received an invitation to apply for a PR in NZ. We couldn’t believe what was happening. It was like our future flashed into our minds and we walked in the park hand in hand with silly grins on our faces. I pictured myself holding our chubby baby with red cheeks and curly locks. Everything was falling into place.

We went back to Malaysia and did what we had to do. We spoke with our respective bosses and relayed what has happened. Their reactions were a mix of surprise, happiness (for us) and disappointment (for losing us). Everything was a flurry by then. Ronnel’s contract was ending soon so he didn’t need to wait long before he went back to the Philippines. He had to go first to make quick arrangements for our Visas. I had to stay back for a while since I had to keep my 1 month notice. We estimated that everything would be done by two weeks only. When Ronnel was in the Philippines, I got the call from BNZ and I got the job as well. Things couldn’t be sweeter. After several farewell lunches and dinners, I had to say goodbye to the great friends I had in Malaysia. I bid my last farewells to my bosses and packed my backs and headed back to my husband’s arms.

Visa processing was however not that easy. We had to go through a battery of medical exams and a series of documentations. What’s more, I had to prove that we were a real couple so I scoured for our old love letters and pictures and included those for submission to immigration. Our medical exams came back and we were told that since they had some findings, they had to send our papers to New Zealand for further review. That would be a four-week wait. After four weeks, Ronnel was asked to go for another medical test. The results had to be sent to NZ again. That would be another four weeks. Our two-week processing plans became two months. We were again blessed when our respective future employers agreed to move our start date to wait for us. We knew that the positions were immediate but they decided to wait for us. That is a real blessing. It is another indication that our bosses would be great to get along with. But we were getting frustrated just the same. It was like our dreams being just at an arm’s length but we couldn’t stretch further to reach it. When we sat down and thought about it, we realized that it was God’s way of letting us spend time with our families. I had a little sister to tend to. My father and brother probably miss me a lot. He had his family to be with. And so we did just that. I stayed with my little sister for a few days and I realized how I missed being a big sister. I took care of her when she was growing up and it brought tears to my eyes to see her as a young pretty lady. She was growing up to be a real beauty (of course, same genes, remember?). Ronnel and I also stayed a lot in his parents place. I got to spend more time with them and I realized how I missed having a whole complete family just like what I used to have years back. We also spent our time with Jack Bauer as we marathoned the entire season of 24. When we finished with Jack, we watched House, Grey’s anatomy and Korean series. Thanks to my friends at BPI, we had this constant source of entertainment to keep our frustration for the long wait at bay.

Since I submitted my visa weeks later than Ronnel, I was expecting to be approved later as well. So we thought that Ronnel had to go to NZ all by himself. It was already mid October and we were worried that our employers would lose patience waiting for us. It was Saturday, October 14, when the visa officer called. We were not home and my mother in law just relayed the message to us. Ronnel was asked to go the immigration office the following Tuesday. There was no reason given. We felt a mix of joy and fear at that point. We so hoped that it was what we’ve long been waiting for but we were also scared that the medical findings might be serious and he’ll be asked to go for another test or so. Our fears were put to rest when on Monday, Ronnel received an email from his boss. Apparently, his boss was already contacted by our visa officer and was told that Ronnel will be given a two year work visa. He can then proceed to submit his PR application upon arrival in NZ. We went to the immigration office the next day. I was happy that he was finally approved but sad at the same time since he’ll be leaving without me. I still had to wait for my visa to be approved. I told myself it was better that way since I had more time to spend with my own family. When we went to the office on Tuesday, Ronnel told the officer at the window that he was there to pick up his passport and I was there to follow up on my visa. We were surprised to see the officer hand us both our passports. This could mean only one thing. I was going with him to NZ! Ronnel kissed my forehead in glee right there and then in front of the other visa applications. It was PDA but the hell we care, we were going to NZ!!!

It was a flurry of activity for everybody in our last days in the Philippines. We only had four days left before we leave. We couldn’t make our employers wait another day longer. We owed them that much. God was with us every step of the way then. What normally takes days to process, we did in half a day. It was against my principles to use my father’s connections but we were in a dire situation so we had no choice. We had to get our Overseas Exit Clearance fast. When we arrived in POEA, there were about two hundred people about to attend the seminar. We attended this before and so we knew what to expect. We were hoping to skip the seminar and just get our OEC’s. It was another blessing that we came across a friend of my father who was working in there. She wasn’t a mere employee, she was the head and so she called the shots. She assigned a staff to assist us and in a few minutes, we had our OEC’s. Another hurdle we overcame was the availability of seats bound to NZ. Apparently, all the seats in Qantas have been booked. We wanted Qantas over PAL and other airlines since we had a chance to bring 40 kilos each of luggage. It wasn’t enough to bring all our things but it would do. The only confirmed booking was on November 2. That was too far along. We had about three travel agencies helping us with our travel arrangements. One of them confirmed the booking for Saturday, October 21 but there was a hitch, we could only bring 20 kilos each. That wouldn’t do. My perfumes and cosmetics alone were already ten kilos. We begged the travel agency officer to help us make arrangements. We were told that only migrants were allowed to bring 40 kilos each. Since we were only holding work visas (not resident visas), we only had 20 kilos. We then implored her to do the best that she could to give us that extra 20 kilos. Again, God helped us. A few hours after I spoke with our travel agent, we got the message that our 40 kilos request was granted. Life was sweet.

In the last four days, we shopped for clothes. It would be a complete wardrobe overhaul since it would be freezing in NZ if we went there with our usual sandos and shorts. Ronnel had to wear a suit to work (I can’t keep my eyes off him in a suit just like in our wedding day) and I suppose I had to wear the same thing as well. We bought shoes and thick socks to match. Everything was going as planned. It was unfortunate though that my father was leaving for a business trip on Friday and he won’t be able to send us off when we leave on Saturday. We had a farewell dinner on Thursday instead. My father, brother, sister, Ronnel and I had buffet dinner and stuffed ourselves with enough food to last the year. It was like we were also stuffing ourselves with memories to last several years. It would be a long time before we would be able to sit on a table together again. I had to say goodbye to my mother via phone only since she was also out of the country.

On Friday, we had another farewell dinner and invited both sides of the family. Ronnel’s family was so extended, it took up three tables. They were a happy bunch. I knew that I was in good hands with them. Most of my relatives were in Bicol so I only had one table to fill. We were happy, we felt how everyone was happy for us and it shone through the room.

When the day came, we couldn’t describe our feelings. We were sad that we were leaving in a hurry and that we won’t be able to be with our families anymore. I was sad that I didn’t have enough time to spend with my little sister. I hope that she reads the long letter I wrote her once in a while to remember me by. Together with Ronnel’s family, we left their home at around 2 pm. It was hours before our 8:30 pm flight but Ronnel just wanted to make sure. We had to fetch my sister, aunt and brother who wanted to send us off as well. We brought two cars to accommodate everybody. It was a good thing that we left early because we came across several obstacles. First, was our car’s tire had a minor puncture so air was coming out. It wasn’t a full flat tire yet so we could still drive to my father’s place to replace it with another car. Second, on our way to my brother, my in-laws’ car got hit by a cab. Good thing it was minor but we had to wait for a while to call in the police and report the incident. Thank God for insurance. At this point, we lost that extra hour cushion that we had. When we picked up my brother, we changed cars and so that solved the probable flat tire problem. We arrived at the terminal early and unloaded our luggage. On our way in, we were told that we were in the wrong airport. What’s that law again? Something about things are bound to go wrong once it starts going wrong.

We were now at the correct terminal. We made sure of that. When we went in, I knew that there was another thing that was bound to go wrong. I was just waiting for the shoe to drop. It dropped sooner that I thought. Our luggage was over by 21 kilos. I didn’t want to pay excess (Imagine, AUD 24 for each kilo? No way!) So we had to start unpacking and unloading stuff from our puffy ready-to-burst luggage. So imagine me with my bottom on the floor of the wide terminal lobby, with our luggage open and sprawled on the floor. Quick decisions must be made and things had to be discarded. I had to remove clothes, some cleaning items and some shoes. Good thing, my in-laws were still outside waiting for us to leave. I sprinted like I never sprinted before, running here and there to deliver things out of the airport. There was no room for embarrassment as people looked on what was happening with this husband and wife with several bags open in the middle of the terminal. After several re-weighs, we were still out by over ten kilos. Another passenger offered her help. I asked her if she could bring some of our stuff in. She said yes. Thank God. I was ashamed for a while to think that she might run away with the bag so I gave her a full plastic bag of dried mangos and sinigang mixes to bring. But it was a situation that asks for trust and so, I gave her that. She was with her husband and kids bound to Australia and so she had lots of extra kilos to spare. The battle with the luggage was finally over and so I told my in-laws that they didn’t have to expect me sprinting out of the terminal anymore with another batch of unloaded stuff. But even with our check in luggage, we still had our hand carries to worry about. Ronnel had his back pack full of documents and our beloved Magic Sing Mic. I had this humongous red bag and two more small bags. We both were wearing two jackets and it was scorching hot. I knew we looked funny but there was no time for laughter. But I think the Qantas officer found it funny so he allowed us to go in with all those stuff.

When we went in, as usual, security was strict. I was scared that they’d spot my pirated mp3’s CD’s of OPM and Taebo. Those two CD’s are the dearest to me and I couldn’t let go of them, especially since it was my brother who gave me the OPM CD. When we were about to board the plane, the other passenger who helped us with our stuff approached us. She was worried that she won’t see us anymore when we land in Sydney so she gave us the plastic bag that I asked her to bring. I thanked her profusely and chastised myself for doubting her one bit.

Finally, we were on board. It was going to be a long flight but neither of us had the energy to talk. We were too absorbed in our thoughts. We prayed the rosary for a while and went back to thinking about our future. Soon, it was Sydney, our stop over. We had to wait a few hours before our next flight to Wellington so I did what I loved to do – shop! Duty free had a promotion so I took advantage of it. My husband was in a good mood and so he indulged me. When we arrived Wellington airport, we were greeted by a wonderful surprise. The immigration officer inspecting our passports was Filipino! He asked where we’ll be working and wished us all the best. He was really friendly. Galing ng pinoy! At the customs area, we were asked to declare all food and other biological stuff we brought from the Philippines. I was worried they’d ask me about the atsuete and sinigang mix since I didn’t know what it was called in English. Good thing, they didn’t ask too much questions.

So we’re here now in our hotel room, rested and ready to hunt for apartments. Tomorrow is Ronnel’s first day at work while I will be viewing some apartments. I will start work on Monday, October 30.

With everything that has happened, we always knew that there was a divine force that guided us through all of this. I am glad I’m married to a man whose faith is deeply rooted as mine. I know going overseas is not always the answer and the way to a better future, but this is it for us. We will be spending the rest of our lives here and we will definitely make the most out of it. God lead us here for a reason. I promised Him that we’ll be active in church. We had been eyeing one of the churches here and we plan to check it out soon. It’s a small price to pay for everything that we have received so far. I know that our journey doesn’t end here. We plan to start a family soon, buy a house, a car, not in that order, of course.

To those who wish to follow the same path we’ve chosen, I cannot guarantee you’ll end up where we are now. Note that everything that has happened to us caught us by surprise as well. It was all a combination of hard work, sheer luck and prayers. And always believe in karma or that golden rule where you do not do unto others yada yada. That’s one thing my husband and I have in common (despite all our differences) and I admire him more for that. In times where we are tempted to do something wrong, he always tells me to ask ourselves, “Is it worth selling our soul to the devil?” It may sound trite but this has helped us veer away from serious stuff. We are not sinless of course, especially me. I have had several enemies along the way, too many to count and because of my husband, I learned to be more tolerant and understanding of others. I am glad that I had made peace with my last sort-of enemy. We will never be good friends anymore but at least we were able to smile at each other again. It is one thorn plucked from my heart and I can sleep better at night. Okay, enough of this. I’m beginning to preach when I have no right to do so. So there you go, that’s the whole story of our journey to this land of the kiwis. We were able to achieve our goal and I hope that God blesses you the same way. 