Tips on Surviving a Long Flight with Kids. Bea, and Our Move to Canada

Last June, our merry family of three left the Philippines for the promise of a better future in Canada. The processing of our application as provincial nominee took almost 5 years. It was a long wait. We were even thinking that nothing will ever happen to it. Then one day, we got an email from the Canadian Embassy saying that we should schedule our medical exam. Wow! From then on, everything was a blur! Everything happened so fast. Of course we still had to attend to our family business, Bea still had school activities and then we also had to think about settling our affairs in the Philippines in preparation for our new life in Canada.

We attended several seminars in preparation for our move: the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP), the Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) and of course the Pre-departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) by the philippine government.

The seminars talked to us about the transition we will experience as a new comer to a new country. They gave tips and suggestions as to how we can settle in our new environment. They talked more about the adults. They told us not to worry about our kids. Children adjust better than adults they say. Just give them 2 weeks playing outside and they'd have a Canadian accent already. That was good to know, but I was still a bit worried. How will Bea adapt? She can be a bit shy when meeting new people. It's a good thing that she has 3 cousins there, at least she already has playmates to look forward to.

On the day of our flight Bea was really excited, but I can also tell that she's a bit sad about leaving her Ninang and Lolo in the Philippines.

Bea was really a good girl during the flight. We had to fly on 3 planes. It was really tiring as it was, imagine if you had to travel with easily bored kids!

Here are some tips on surviving a long flight with kids:

Orient your child. Before the day of the flight, talk to your child and tell her what to expect during the flight. Tell her it would involve a lot of sitting down and waiting. Children get bored easily especially if they're all excited to go to new places. Expect the "Are we there yet?" question a lot. But at least they'd still know what to expect.

Research. Ask whether the planes you are riding had TV screens where your little one can watch cartoons or her fave educational movie. I think most planes do, but just in case they don't, be prepared with movies or games on your phone or tablet.

Bring toys and books. Don't bring toys with little parts that may fall off and get lost in the aisles. Just bring something like his favorite toy car or her favorite doll. Something that can keep her pre-occupied without making too much noise. Remember to be respectful of those sitting near you. If it's a long flight, it can be awkward having to deal with hateful glances from strangers. Better bring books too.

Bring snacks. The airline might have snacks to serve but these may not always be to your child's liking. Bring something you're sure your child likes. This will keep her and her tummy happy.

In our case, it helped that the planes also had individual TV screens where Bea watched cartoons. They showed The Lego Movie at that time and she loved it. When she got bored, she'd play with her toys. When she got hungry, she snacked on some cookies we brought from home. Good thing we brought snacks, Bea didn't really like the food they served on the flight. It wasn't that it was bad, she just wasn't familiar with chicken pita and salad. hehe..She wasn't a bit scared even during our flight from Vancouver to Edmonton where we experienced a lot of turbulence. Good thing we were prepared.

So far, Bea is adjusting pretty well here in Edmonton. She's attending school with her cousins. Language is not much of a barrier. Everyday she gets better and better in speaking English. She's also acquiring more and more of that Canadian accent. I'm just so proud of her!

Read our post about our last day in the Philippines here.

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Wanting to have a Pick Up Truck

There are times when out of the blue, my husband blurts out that he wants a pickup truck. He says this vehicle is perfect for the times when we’d go on vacation with the little girl. I’d always answer him that there’s no way a pick up truck will ever work for our family because when we go out, we bring tons of stuff with us, and there is just no room for our stuff in a pick up truck. He’d still have a solution to this: tonneau cover. This is the truck bed cover that is available in varied styles and designs. Apparently, these covers will enhance not only the way your pick up looks like, they will improve the truck’s performance as well.

Ok, I’m sold. Maybe someday we’d save enough money for a pickup truck, but until then our trusty old car will have to do.

Taking Public Transportation with my Daughter

Ever since Bea was a baby, we’ve had a car or van to ride in so getting from one point to another wasn’t a problem for us. But I feel that as a parent, it is my resposibility to expose her to new things. So I thought as part of Bea’s education, she should experience taking public transportation too, so she won’t feel left out when friends and classmates talk about riding the pedicab or the jeepney.

So far, we’ve ridden the jeepney to buy milk at the nearby Mercury Drug Store and we’ve ridden the pedicab from the corner of our village to our house. We’ve also ridden the taxi and FX several times already. We rode the MRT once from Cubao Station to Ayala Station and then back again to Cubao Station. She enjoyed this immensely! We flew on an airplane to and from Cebu and we rode a ferry boat to Bohol and back. There are only two other public transportations we’ve yet ride: the tricycle and the bus.

Hubby warned Bea that she will never ever ever be allowed to ride a motorcycle. She must have deduced that motorcycles are dangerous, so she’s not that keen on riding the motorcycle’s cousin, the tricycle. But whenever she sees a bus, she gets all excited. She keeps on asking me when we’ll ride one. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance soon.

Sunset Cove Beach Resort, Morong Bataan

It is summer time! Time to have fun and relax! Since we frequent the South and its hot springs , we decided to give the north a try. We heard a lot of praises for the SCTEX highway or the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, and hubby has been itching to try it out. Although we did try it when we went to Clark, Pampanga for the Hot Air Balloon Festival last February 15, he wanted to try it going to Subic .

We used it to get to Subic , and boy, the travel WAS FAST! From the Mabalacat Exit, we got to Tipo Road in just 30 minutes! Well, that’s hubby’s driving, slowing down within the speed limit only when he sees an expressway patrol…sigh. It was awesome not having to go through the San Fernando exit and navigationg through the Pampanga and Olongapo streets.

We were supposed to go to our company outing in Waterfront Beach Resort, but since we were able to leave the house at around 9am already due to a series of booboos, we decided not to go there anymore since it was too late. (we were supposed to leave at 6am) sigh...
We decided instead to go to Sunset Cove, also in Morong Bataan. This is a resort recommended by my friend, apple. We wanted a beautiful, not-too-crowded beach resort for Bea’s first Beach experience, and we got just that.

When we reached the Tipo Gate, we went straight through Subic , until we reached the Morong Gate. (Take the same route as if you’re going to the JEST camp or Ocean Adventure.) When we reached the Morong Exit, we just followed the signs for Ayala’s Anvaya Cove. The road is narrow and winding, and covered with lush trees. About 500 meters from the Morong Gate, there is a sign for Sunset Cove, turn right. Pass through an even narrower and rocky road until you see a public school, turn right again until you reach the steel gate of the Sunset Cove Beach Resort.

The resort’s owner, Mrs. Cecille Jimenez is very warm and welcoming. She is so hands-on when it come to running the family resort.

She let us stay at the Master’s Bedroom of the 2-Storey Guest House. It is airconditioned, good for 4 people, with its own toilet and bath (with hot and cold shower). The bed is a double deck, with a pull out at the bottom. This room costs P2,500.00, this on top of the P100.00 entrance fee per person.

Guests are also required to pay for the Outdoor Kitchen and Utilities if you intend to cook your own food. This is an additional P500.00, plus you have to get a table or nipa hut near the beach where you can put your things while swimming or eating. We were assigned a nipa hut, good for four persons, costing P750.00.

When we arrived, they had no electricity. we were definitely bummed out. it was lunch time already and it was hot. i was hoping to rest in our airconditioned room. the owners were apologetic, assuring us that this is a rare occassion. they even lent us plastic beach beds and pillows so that we can rest outside, beside our nipa hut. hubby was disappointed, but was soon snoring off to dreamland since the bed was comfy and the ocean breeze was very relaxing. the thick trees also provided cool shade for us weary travelers.

They also had a playground for bored kiddies, and videoke machines for bored adults. Banana boat rides and other fun stuff are also available upon request.

they also had a big bird cage, in the middle of the picnic area, however i couldn't find any birds. i was also amused at their bulkan grille. it was a place where you can grill stuff, shaped like a volcano. it had an exhaust fan on top to direct the smoke out to the volcano's "crater". however when it was our turn to use the grille the exhaust was not working so instead we were engulfed with a cloud of smoke. the sacrifice was worth it though because we had a wonderful dinner that night...thanks to hubby!

anyway here are some more random shots of the resort:

The beach itself was ok. not white sand but it was ok. water was very clear. too bad though that at the time that we were there, there were a lot of jelly fishes. when we got out of the water, we felt itchy all over.

Anyway, all in all, we had a great time. Bea had fun playing on the shore, we even brought home some sand as a keepsake for Bea's first Beach Experience. It was definitely a family bonding time worth remembering!