Feels like to be separated from your child, even for a short time.

Do you know what it feels like to be separated from your child, even for a short time? This is one of the saddest and most homesick experiences my wife and I have ever gone through. Being temporarily apart from our two daughters—even for a brief period—was a pain that is hard to put into words.

We had already experienced this during the pandemic. My wife worked as a phlebotomist and laboratory technician, and there were times when she was almost “confined” to the hospital for nearly two weeks. She worked inside the PCR laboratory, where they processed swab tests to detect the coronavirus. That period was incredibly difficult. You worry constantly. There were also moments when she was exposed and had to isolate before coming home, just to make sure she wouldn’t infect anyone—especially our children.

We faced that same pain of separation again when we decided to move to Canada—just the two of us at first. At the time, we didn’t know what kind of life awaited us here or how we would survive. We endured nearly seven months apart before we were finally able to bring our two children over.

Video calls became our daily lifeline. But because of the difference in time zones, it was hard to find a moment when we were all awake and could talk at the same time. We missed them deeply. It was heartbreaking. It felt like we were pulling time forward, desperately waiting for the day we could finally hold them again.

We did endless research—here and there—trying to figure out the easiest and safest way for them to obtain their student visas and travel to Canada, especially since they were still very young. When the day of their flight finally arrived, my parents accompanied them. We also secured consent from the DSWD to ensure there would be no issues during their travel.

At last, they landed in Canada. Their point of entry was Toronto, and from there, they continued on to Ottawa. We were nervous and excited all at once. Even before they arrived, we had already rented an entire house so we could live together as a family without any complications.

While waiting at the Ottawa airport, you could see both joy and tears in my wife’s eyes. The moment she saw our daughters, she greeted them with tight hugs and kisses. There were tears everywhere—tears of gratitude, relief, and overwhelming happiness. It became one of the happiest and most unforgettable moments of our lives here in Canada: our family was finally reunited.

Now that we are whole again, what do you think awaits us here? There is no longer a need to wait for the right time just to talk to them online. No more worrying from afar when they get sick. Now that they are with us, will everything finally be okay?

Stay tuned for the next chapters of our life. I hope you continue to follow our journey. Please support us by subscribing and following, and join us as we look back on our memories and move forward into a new beginning.

Until next time.