One night, while randomly browsing the Net, a friend of mine went online and started chatting with me on MSN. We were very close friends back in college so she knows, quite correctly, that she can ask me any questions.
"Was I better off now than I was four years ago?" she asked. Tough question. It's as if you've been asked whether you've found what you're looking for. I probably should have asked her the same question since that question applies to all of us anyway, but I guess it was fair to throw that question to me since I was the one who moved out of the country hoping for something better. It's a question that brings to mind a host of other questions like: Was it worth it giving up the career I love? Was Canada everything I thought it was? Am I generally happier?
I thought about a lot of things before I replied. Things such as: what I am earning now compared to what I used to earn in Manila; the long hours I had to devote to my full time and consulting work that I needed to maintain in the Philippines to earn a decent living compared to the 9 to 5 job (yeah, you know what it means) I have now; the nice 2-bedroom apartment I bought 3 years ago in Vancouver versus my parent's house back home which has 6 rooms, a front and a back yard with no monthly mortgage payments; the brand new leased car I have and can afford to replace every two to three years vs. the old used car I drove in Manila, which taught me to be a part-time mechanic; the ability (thanks to my Canadian passport) and the means to go almost anywhere in the world if and when I want to; and the fact that a full tank of gas here in Canada would cost me 2 hours of my salary whereas in the Philippines the same amount of gas would cost me 3 to 4 days of my earnings.
With mixed feelings, I told her that yes, I guess the past four years have been quite good for me here in Canada.
