Escape poverty and create an extraordinary “normal” life in Canada

Aeron Dellosa  0:01  
My first job here was grew for a fast food company. I make like $7 something, it was nothing right? I got paid the first pay I ever got in my entire whole life. Went to the bank took out I think $300 of it. Dude, I felt like I was the richest guy in the whole wide world. Because that was the biggest amount of money that I ever held in my hand.

Daniel De Biasi  0:29  
Hi, everyone, and welcome to episode number 64 of the immigrants life podcast, where we share stories of people who left the country to chase a better life and prove the stories you can find ideas resources, a motivation to do the same. I'm de biasI. And in this episode, I'll share with you a story that will recalibrate your perspective. What do I mean by that? As you may know, I'm originally from Italy. I left my country about nine years ago, I restarted my life twice in two different countries. And the reason behind me was to create a better life for myself. I'm sure many of you listening right now are in similar situation. Your life is probably okay but you want something extra. You may want a better career more opportunities or to explore the world and experience different cultures. From my guest this week, though moving abroad was to be able to have a meal on the table, live in a house and reunite with his mom. Aaron was born in the Philippines where being poor was kind of the norm. He remembers day when there will be nothing to eat at night, and his grandma will tell him to have a glass of water and go to sleep. When he was eight years old. His mom left them to move to Hong Kong to get a job and earn enough money to take care of the family are invalids here every two years. I'm not a parent, and I can only imagine how hard it will be for a mother to be away from her children and see them for a month every couple of years. Unfortunately, this is a common reality for Filipino families. I met many Filipino parents over the past nine years. Their life abroad is far from what you see on Instagram with the hashtag life abroad or expat lifestyle. They work very hard and try to save as much money as possible to provide for their family back home. That's precisely what Aaron's mom did. She worked multiple jobs had side hustles and do whatever it took to give her family a future. In five, she managed to move to Canada where the immigration process is more friendly, and found a way to move the whole family over error stories shows that even if you come from zero, or in this case below zero, you can still move to your dream country and build the life you want. Hey, Aaron, thanks for being on the show.

Aeron Dellosa  2:40  
Hey, Danielle, thank you for having me.

Daniel De Biasi  2:42  
Oh, it's my pleasure. Erin, last time we spoke you told me a little bit about your story, your life back in the Philippines, which is have been quite different from the life that you live right now in Canada, because you said that you grew up in? I mean, how do you say like in a very poor family? Yeah, did you did you know that you were poor or that was just for you was just the norm.

Aeron Dellosa  3:05  
Or we know we're poor. It fit when there are times that you don't have food to eat, and you just have to go to bed. You know, you're poor.

Daniel De Biasi  3:13  
But was the same thing for other people for your friends or your family was different? That that's what I'm saying? Like it was deadly normally, because everybody was in the same situation or you felt like you were different?

Aeron Dellosa  3:22  
Yeah, I mean, I live in a slum. You know, everyone's poor. You know, there are some people that their life are better you can tell, you know, some of my friends are way better than my socio economic situation. But pretty much everyone's poor.

Daniel De Biasi  3:39  
And how would you describe your, your child in the Philippines.

Aeron Dellosa  3:42  
Of course, the poverty sucks. It was it made me very hard, difficult. A lot of stress. However, that comes with freedom too. Because you could just go to the fields, do whatever you want to do, you know, make up random games. Sometimes we go to the cemetery in the Philippines. It's not like here that they bury people in the ground. We call it nature. So like, people will build like, I don't know, like a triangle thing. Then they put this coffin inside. That's how it is. And some people they like stack them like they call it apartments because of course you have to pay for the ground. So it becomes like for us kids but they're like buildings so sometimes we jump over each other you know what I mean? Like it's insane. It's like we invented parkour before parkour.

Daniel De Biasi  4:37  
I think it was doing the similar thing but with construction sites, we used to go inside of like a housing construction and go underneath and swimming when people were not working after our over the weekend. We just go in there and play I didn't see or do just before like it was a cool thing to do. Just go into a construction site and explore the house when they were building it up. It was probably looking bad. wasn't not the safest thing to do before I was just the best. Yeah, okay.

Aeron Dellosa  5:03  
Do you know you don't think, but because I live in a small town like really small town, but before it was a small town now it's like close to a city. There's not much really to do. There's no like, big house constructions. And if they are, we probably steal something from it, you know? No one really like leaves stuff because people will steal stuff. Like, because, you know, again, I told you like, poor place, you know. But yeah, it was. Other than that it was a fun childhood. I mean, I didn't poverty, that kind of sucks.

Daniel De Biasi  5:37  
Yeah, I mean, that's what I was asking you. That question was like, if you were like, aware that you were poor? Or was that just the way people live? And if you can't eat, as you say, you mentioned this last time that you were going to bed hungry. And it was like it was your grandma, your grandpa, they will say like, I just drink a glass of water and go to bed.

Aeron Dellosa  5:55  
Yeah, like, so sometimes at night, you know, kids, you still get hungry right? out of bed, go to my dad or my grandma. like, Yo, my grandma, I'm still hungry. And she'll be like, drink a glass of water and go to bed. They'll pass

Daniel De Biasi  6:11  
did it work? Of course,

Aeron Dellosa  6:13  
you know, even now, it's like fasting, you know, now it's a cool thing to do. That's our lives. Fasting was you know, but it is what it is, you know? What are you gonna do? Like kind of deal situation. But you know, it's funny thing is like, I always knew good things will happen. Now these people are just like manifestation. I didn't know about manifestation when I was young, you know. But I had like a feeling that someday this poverty will end I don't know how, but this will end.

Daniel De Biasi  6:47  
I was just kind of coming from like a your your family this kind of positive attitude. Or maybe it was part of the norm religion or something that Do you know, where like a workplace like, positivity mindset it was coming from,

Aeron Dellosa  7:00  
right? To be honest, I never even thought of that. But

Daniel De Biasi  7:04  
you or somebody else in the family were thinking like, Oh, this is gonna be good.

Aeron Dellosa  7:08  
It was just me because I remember talking to my sister about it. There were times that I question when I was young, I was like, I asked myself, like, is this gonna end this poverty is gonna end sometimes, you know, when hard times are happening. But most of the time when I'm like, happy and you know, enjoying my life, and like, somebody just we're going to end this part, which is going to end and I don't know how it's going to end. But this will add, I just like positivity, religion, maybe a little bit of religion because I was raised Christian. As my grandma said, Cattolica Sarado. It means like, you're a Catholic, no matter what, you know, you know, how Catholics are like, you know, redemption, right?

Daniel De Biasi  7:50  
Yeah, I'm one of them. Yeah, exactly.

Aeron Dellosa  7:52  
You know, so I have the, like, positivity? I guess a little bit of that. But is it just me it was just like, this is going to end sooner or later. This is going to I don't know how I don't know when, but it's going to end.

Daniel De Biasi  8:06  
I mean, it works out at the end.

Aeron Dellosa  8:08  
I again, manifestation I don't know, you know, it just happened. Is manifestation

Daniel De Biasi  8:13  
something that you do regularly or there was just for the specific moment?

Aeron Dellosa  8:20  
No, I actually against manifestation a little bit, um, like, manifestation, like, you can just think and then something happens. You know, I remember when I was in elementary, there was this teacher, who I was like, half half on this guy because he was like manifestation. He was actually the first one who mentioned about manifestation. But he is like a Jesus guy. He's, I think, as a Baptist or something. So it was just in Philippines. This is in the Philippines, okay. And he kept on telling like, Oh, if something bad happened, or you want something to happen, you just have to think, think positive, think positive. And like, yeah, okay, cool. Whatever, you know. And then I remember one day I was coming home, I went to a video video game shop. So in the Philippines, there's no arcades, or at least where I was from, people will have like, random people will have like, video games like Nintendo 64, maybe like five of them. And then they'll invite kids to come in to play the video game, but you have to pay. Right? So one afternoon, I went there, and I was coming home, and I didn't have money. I was like, man, sometimes I go to the video game place just to watch because I don't have money anyway. And so that day, I was walking. I was like, Man, I wish I have money. You know what? I'm gonna find money. I'm gonna find money. I'm gonna find money. You know? Dude, I found 20 pesos in the ground. I was like, What is this

Daniel De Biasi  9:41  
in context? What's What can you buy with 20 pairs?

Aeron Dellosa  9:45  
It's like $100 million.

Daniel De Biasi  9:48  
Nobody the equivalent what would you buy like with like 20 pesos? Can you buy grocery or can you buy an ounce of candies or

Aeron Dellosa  9:57  
candies, you know, but again, like I said, if you're poor 20 pesos is a million dollars, I'm telling you right now. So I found this thing. And then another time I went out, and there was a rule in the house that when 6pm hits, and we live, we used to live close by the town's church. And every 6pm they ring the bell to say like, Hey, 6pm is massive, massive studying, go home or whatever. So that was the rule that came from the Spanish. Like, it's 6pm you have to be inside the house. That's the rule. You don't break that rule. You do not break that rule. And I remember I was still young, I was coming. I knew I'm not gonna make it. I knew I was gonna be late. And I said to myself, I'm gonna be okay. I'm gonna be okay. You know, I'm not gonna get hit, I'm not gonna get hit. I came home. I walk in and grandma, my grandma was looking at me. And I look at her and like, you know, I said, Hi, or whatever. And she didn't hit me. And I promise you do. You don't break that rule. I will give you an example. Why you don't break the rule. My brother was late. And I could see him running. Going inside the house. Dude. The bell rang. He puts his foot inside the house, literally his foot, one leg inside the house. He got smack. My grandma was standing by the door.

Daniel De Biasi  11:20  
So why because he's not a fool. Because just because to teach kids to be punctual or like to be home by six o'clock.

Aeron Dellosa  11:26  
Yes, tradition that came from the Spanish. For the people that doesn't know Philippines was colonized by the Spanish for 303 years. So it seeped through to our culture. So yeah, that was like the main role of the house. That's the one thing you don't break because it's automatic, bro.

Daniel De Biasi  11:44  
That's funny. And I want to go back to like your family and your story back then because you told me that your mom had to leave when you were like eight years old to move to Hong Kong to find a find a job and work abroad so they can she can provide for the family. I don't know if it's just like a my Western culture, but usually is the husband and the dad that usually provides for the family usually demand stays home and take care of the kids take care of the house. Why was your mom leaving and all your dead?

Aeron Dellosa  12:16  
Here's the thing about the Philippines, which I love and kindness. Net love is we're very matriarchal society. The woman runs the house. So the man will be, quote unquote, the boss, but the woman runs the house more often than not. And sometimes the woman really runs everything. So she she has the last say, however, going to back to the question Is my mom left and why her is because back then the jobs that was being offered to people called FW, which is Overseas Filipino workers are nannies or cleaning lady's maids. Those are the easiest jobs to get those are what available to move to migrate. I'm not sure actually if my dad tried, but it never worked out. He never left. But so my mom decided like, Yo, we got to do something about this. I'm moving. I'm the one who's going to migrate. Because or else we're going to be poor forever. I mean, one that's one thing I I don't know, you didn't mention about my pocket. But with my pocket is it's my Ode to My mom, because I talked about her all the time, like how her sacrifices and everything. And yeah, there's a reason to answer your question is because back then women are getting offered the job. That's why and even now, actually, there was like, just an epidemic. But it's a normal thing that women from the Philippines goes to Italy to work. And as you know, like the currency change from the Philippines. and European is like one is equal to I think 50 pesos. So this woman that works in Ely, makes so much money and saves them up and then sends it back to the Philippines. In the Philippines this people has mentioned and I'm not exaggerating, mansions, but they don't live there. They're working in Italy. So it's just an it became a normal thing. So in the Philippines, there's a lot of men that takes care of the kids takes care, quote unquote, takes care of the kids and the woman will be an immigrant or migrant.

Daniel De Biasi  14:33  
I mentioned to you last time when we spoke that I had quite a few co workers in New Zealand they were working with me they were from the Philippines, and they were in kind of your mom's situation so they left the family back home back in the Philippines and they were like providing for the whole family. I remember like this guy was saving bar of chocolates and we're just sending a box of chocolate back to the Philippines for their kids and they were like loving it. I remember like a document a picture or show me like All that kind of stuck on in these big box and we'll send it back home. That's why I was saying like it's, as I said maybe might be the Western culture Philippines was not much different, like the man usually provides for the family and all that stuff. And also because I saw people in in New Zealand doing the same thing was the injury to demand the husband, they will leave abroad me because I'm not a parent. You are right. I think it'd be hard for a mother leaving their kids then for a dead. Right?

Aeron Dellosa  15:30  
Yeah, it's extremely hard. But when you see your kids starving, you make a decision. Now fair enough for and I'm not exaggerating, by the way. When I say starving, I mean, it's starving. You know?

Daniel De Biasi  15:43  
Yeah, I mean, your mom, like you say was great. I mean, I have to give so much credit, because not just she moved abroad. And it was able to see you guys like every two years who arranged her there was she was coming back four months, every two years, like even just leaving a life like that not being able to see your kids growing. I mean, it's hard for me not to see my nephew, my niece growing, see them every year, every couple of years, like how can it be for a parent not being there. So a lot of credit to your mom for that. And also, the fact that wasn't just providing for you guys, then she managed to move the whole family to Canada. And as you mentioned, when you absolutely, because as you mentioned, like people that work abroad, the currency exchange with the mind they make, they can create a world for provided for the family back in the Philippines. But when you don't convert the money, so she has to pay in Canadian dollar to allow you to move to Canada. And that makes a huge difference. So it's, I can't believe your mom like a bullet off.

Aeron Dellosa  16:50  
And this woman is a hustler. I'm telling you she used to. She used to like, work like three jobs. She never like Mondays to Fridays, seven days a week, this woman work, she rarely takes days off. And then she has hustles side hustles sometimes she like sells T shirts or whatever she has to get onto just to send money back home. And eventually, obviously bring us to Canada.

Daniel De Biasi  17:17  
She's still work like that, or now that you guys are okay. Still took it easy.

Aeron Dellosa  17:23  
Immigrant bro, they don't stop. They don't know what retirement means. They say the word retirement, but that doesn't mean anything to them.

Daniel De Biasi  17:33  
Does that give you some kind of guiltiness? Or? I don't know, like feel like if you have to perform that well or not really.

Aeron Dellosa  17:45  
Not really. She's amazing. My mom and my dad in a way. They were just like, do your best. Follow your dreams, we're going to support you. That's it, you know, because that's how

Daniel De Biasi  17:57  
I usually hear from people that children of immigrants they usually there's like these high expectation to perform well because you know what they have to go through to be able to create a new life abroad, it's hard to kind of put that pressure and expectation to your children and you can feel that I there's like multiple experience out there. They like talking about their immigrant parents like being very strict a, especially on educational level, they put a lot of pressure on the children to have good education become doctors, all they can think there's so many examples, even in the movies about parents immigrants, so wasn't the case for you, then?

Aeron Dellosa  18:34  
No, my mom is always been like, do your best. That's it be as long as you're happy. That's all. That's all we care about. You know, in a way, in a way, it's good and bad. You know, I would have been a doctor. No, I'm lying. I won't be a doctor. But you know what I mean? Like, there was no pressure at all. It's just like, do your best. You know, don't just don't fail, and be happy, do whatever you want to do be happy. And so, but going back to your question if I felt guilt, maybe a little bit but again, because of the approach, not really. And I'm very close to my family. I mean, like we're very close.

Daniel De Biasi  19:11  
I'm kind of curious now that because you moved from the Philippines, like you were living in a in a small town in the Philippines, growing up poor, and then moving to Canada. How was your experience when you landed to Canada?

Aeron Dellosa  19:24  
Here's the thing with the Philippines is we're very westernized because after the Spanish World War Two, he was the Japanese after that American from that just American, right? So we're very westernized. So we kind of know what to expect. What houses looks like, people, although stuff. The main feeling that I felt when I came here was it felt like this insane pressure and stress of poverty and all those violence around living around violence is As Glen, it was like, Oh, I can breathe him and I'll be okay here. I'll be fine. The trauma is still there of like, living in a violent country, but that was my main feeling it was. Wow, I'm gonna be okay. You know, because, again, if you came from poverty, and you suddenly you can, you know, afford things. You'll be like, Yo, I'm balling man. Like, I remember, the my first job here was I was a crew for a fast food company, right? I make like $7 something. It was nothing right. Then I got paid the first pay I ever got in my entire whole life. Went to the bank took out I think $300 of it. Yo, dude, either ours, Lil Wayne, like making it rain balling. You know, I felt I'm not joking. I felt like I was the richest guy in the whole wide world. Because that was the biggest amount of money that I ever held in my hand. $300 you know? And, yeah, it was just I was so proud of myself do it because $200 Also, I think this is not being spoken enough with immigrant podcasts that immigrants, when they come to different country, they have issues with the currency change of the money. So when you like me, I from the Philippines, I came to Canada, the exchange rate was $1 is equals to I think 40 pesos now. So every time you want to buy animal, a bottle of water will be $5. So your brain as an immigrant, blackk $5 is equals to this holy for a bottle water is like, I don't know, I'm not good with math, like 2500 pesos. That's insane. It's just water. So it makes you more frugal. You don't want to spend more because of that. And it goes to very soon. Because if you ask your friend Oh, how much is a T shirt in the Philippines? They'll be like, Oh, it's a, I don't know. 5000 pesos? And you're like, what is so cheap? I could buy 10 right now. But not really. Because it's, you know, and I mean, so that's one thing, like, the main thing that I feel like it's not been spoken enough. It's part of the culture shock that no one talks about, is the exchange rate.

Daniel De Biasi  22:26  
Especially I mean, probably it's mostly for people in your situation that come from a poor country can I can kind of, say poor countries. I don't know if he's like a politically correct I don't know exactly where the line is.

Aeron Dellosa  22:43  
Say it's developing country, bro. Let's get it to the point. poor country.

Daniel De Biasi  22:48  
Okay. Like coming from a poor country, into like a westernized or like, a different country like Canada, you can see the difference, you can see the difference, like are more expensive. Everything is for people in my circumstances that I grew up in Italy, that move to move abroad, my boss, the exchange that you mentioned was not that different. It's just instead of $1 is a euros, actually, instead of a euro is $1.60 or something like that. But that's pretty much it doesn't make much of a difference. But it will be reversed for people maybe they're listening or watching. Going to I don't know, Thailand, for example, that for me was going to going to Thailand for the first time I felt like it was the freaking richest person on earth. Yeah, okay. Everything is cheap, and you feel like you're a wealthy person or going to the restroom, you don't even check the prices of the thing. First of all, I don't even know. And I'm lazy. I don't want to do the conversion. And also like, you don't have to worry about how much things cost because you can afford anything. So

Aeron Dellosa  23:51  
also, let's not fool around here. White. That always is a good currency.

Daniel De Biasi  23:56  
To know. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Aeron Dellosa  24:02  
But yes, sticking with currency. Yes, it goes reverse too. And yes, I agree with you. If you're from a developed country, like a G 20 country and going to another day to any country, like it's not really a problem, but I'm more talking about like, people like that comes from a poor country going to a well developed country. You come home, you're you're a king, and in Europe King.

Daniel De Biasi  24:27  
No, absolutely. And when you guys moved to Canada, were you still poor? Or at that point? You were financially? Okay.

Aeron Dellosa  24:37  
I mean, I mean, it's hard. I mean, I was working. I was working in a fast food restaurant right out. Here, if there's if you're a Canadian, and they saw us there'll be say, Oh, we're poor because we live in a apartment, right? People will say, Oh, they're poor. But for us, it's Bro, what are you talking about a roof over our head? The floor is something pretty good, dude. We're safe. there's running water. Oh, by the way, there's hot water too. You know what I mean? Like we were good. Of course we still have to work with as soon as I again like what as soon as we got to Canada, like was like we couldn't complain anymore.

Daniel De Biasi  25:25  
Yeah, that's what I meant you're not comparing you to other people because that's not a fair comparison. Especially because I can talk to Yes, you mentioned I'm white. So I have a different privilege. I don't really know my privilege because I don't know how to compare to. Because it's not like a currency I go to another country, I see the difference. I've never been a different color. So unfortunately, I don't have the experience. But even though when I moved from Italy to New Zealand, the things you have to do, and even though financially I was doing okay, I looked at was able to pay the bills. I didn't go to bed hungry. But still the job that was doing for people maybe born in the same country, if they look down to you because things they never do. But you do because you're an Emirati, you have to pay the bills. That's what I'm saying. Like, for your perspective, not for other people perspective for you. At that point, you guys were financially okay. You were able to pay the rent leaving the house, and I guess not going to bed? Hungry. That's what I meant by with seller finance. Okay.

Aeron Dellosa  26:24  
Like, like I said earlier, like, I wasn't comparing myself to others. I'm just saying, if you look for a statistics, that's what I'm talking about, you know, yeah, if you see, yeah, we're like, you know, lower income family, in Canada. But for us, we're the king of the world, man. Like I said, there's a roof, there's walls, there's hot water, we're not missing the you know, dinner, or we could buy whatever we want to buy in a certain amount, right? Like I was growing up, I get a one pair of shoes each year, one pair of shoes. And that's only in Christmas, if my family can afford it. And it's like, you see, like, grocery store, not grocery But Walmart, like shoes, like they're not the best, bro. That's like, Michael Jordan's Air Jordan shoes for us, like lower level than that. That's what I'm saying. Like, once we got here, we didn't feel poor, we were we look back and we're like, okay, that's our life right here now, and we can afford pretty much, you know, things that we could afford. We're not poor anymore. However, if you talk to people that live here in Canada, they're like, well, not really, you're not really, you know, you're still poor. Because you live in DC living, you know what I mean? Like, statistically,

Daniel De Biasi  27:42  
I totally get it. And also, I'd like to know your experience because you moved to Canada when you when you were in your 20s with your family. So your mom was already living in Canada, and she find a way to sponsor you guys or find immigration journey for you guys to all move to Canada. So you, your siblings and your dad, right? So how was your experience moving to Canada, with the whole family was like, I was like going on a long vacation or something.

Aeron Dellosa  28:14  
I remember the night that we're leaving. My family was like, Yo, you're the one who's gonna talk to all the customs. I'm like, Why me? Because you don't speak English, like I do. But it's different when you're actually having a conversation with someone that speaks fluent English, but which I did. But the journey was It was sad dude. Because you know, you're leaving family. You're leaving your girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever you we had was like, the whole time we were crying. I was crying. But the thing was, I was pushing my feelings down because I don't want to show to my dad and my brother that I'm crying, but I knew they were crying too. But the traveling was fun. I hate flying. Even today. I hate flying. So that was an issue. I hate flying, bro. I hate it. Once it's up in the air. And it's like, relax. I'm good. But when it starts shaking or like the left off, and that's the No, no, no, no, it's not. That's the worst spot. And then we got here we were received by my mom, which is like, Dude, it was like, maybe it's not fair to say but it was like, when the Jews was freed. And finally like, Whoa, we're good. Not in. Like when Moses helped the Jews to be free, like, out of poverty. You know? It was like, wow, we're good, dude. We are good. We're okay. Yeah, so it was the flight was good. When we arrived here. It was October so it's a bit cold. But again, the feeling of like We had this feeling that you can complain, because you made it, dude, you made it for some people. You know, people be like, I want to immigrate, because I travel, I want to see different things, we need to travel, we need to emigrate, because we're gonna die of starvation. If we don't do. You know, it's a different situation.

Daniel De Biasi  30:19  
And also, I think is worth mentioning that from like the age of 18, when your mom left until 21, you moved to Canada, you will see your mom every every two years. So now you were able to even spend time with your mom and being be back to be a family together.

Aeron Dellosa  30:34  
Yeah, yeah. Thank you for mentioning that, because I love mentioning that because it just shows how badass my mom is that she'll leave for two years, comes back to visit us for a month. And that lasted from I was eight to 20 when they finally arrived in Canada, and it was hard, but we had a goal. We knew we had a goal. This is what we have to do to, you know, get away from this poverty.

Daniel De Biasi  31:01  
Yes. A lot of credit to your mom, we already mentioned this, but even from your dad, and even you guys like no, because you told me last time when you when your mom left, there was no like our feeling that all mom left us and all that there was none of that from your heart was that. Because you mentioned even this last night, like it is kind of like a cultural thing in the Philippines, a lot of like, your friends at school, their parent, one of their parents would have done the same. This feeling of your mom is providing for you and didn't leave you was part of the culture? Or was that your dad that was just put that in your head?

Aeron Dellosa  31:36  
No, it's part of the culture like, like, ever since I had like, remote, I could remember things like, oh, this person's mom is, you know, living there this that this person's dad, you know, working there. I've known people since we were young, their family, their mom or their dad will be I don't know, in Saudi or whatever else. Till we got old until I left Philippines, that person still in whatever country they are migrated to. It is just how it is, you know, it's just part of part of live unfortunately, you know, it's the act of actually talking about it now, because there's going to be an election for the Philippines and how, quote unquote, important or if w people for the Philippines because they they are 99% of the GDP of the Philippines or came from the remittances of this. Oh, FW. That's how big it is. However, the social impact is the problem too, because families are being broken up, right? Because Mom and Dad has to leave to you know, to help the family.

Daniel De Biasi  32:44  
They were brings a lot of money inside of the country, as you said,

Aeron Dellosa  32:47  
yeah, it does. But then the social impact, like I grew up, I grew up without my mom, you know, especially back then there was no internet, you know, it was a phone. And we didn't have a phone. It was the neighbor's phone.

Daniel De Biasi  33:00  
It was expensive to call abroad. Yeah,

Aeron Dellosa  33:05  
it was expensive. It was expensive to call from, you know, wherever you're from. But I would talk to my mom, like once a month on the phone. And again, like I told you is my neighbor's phone. They they're the only people that have a phone for some reason in our neighborhood. So we'll use their phone whenever my mom calls.

Daniel De Biasi  33:26  
And that's crazy to even think about, honestly, like,

Aeron Dellosa  33:29  
yeah, there was like a few years I don't see my mom will just write letters. Like literally that letter sends a letter to to her once a month or maybe sometimes twice. The show call and we'll just talk and do detox. No FaceTime, you

Daniel De Biasi  33:47  
know, exactly. And that's what probably I love about stories like yours that put everything in perspective for people that are listening and thinking, oh, I want to move abroad, but I don't know if he's, like, see what other people have been through moving abroad right now. It's so much easier to have ever been like now you can FaceTime like we're having a conversation from like, outside of like, between like the two sides of the country's like, like we are in the same room almost. You can have that experience. Yeah. Wouldn't that in the past so if you're in the point where like, I don't know I for one I'm a liberal like, please do because it's never been so easy, still challenging thing to do, but still can't be any easier than this.

Aeron Dellosa  34:31  
Yeah, FaceTime is it changed the game he changed the game. I have friends and family members that are immigrants or migrants that you know their family or their kids are back home. And like yeah, oh, you guys got it good. I'm not saying it's 100% Perfect. But man that FaceTime is so such a big deal. You know, like we just have letters and phone. I don't of course resent them. That's it is what it is. But I'm just telling you like, you guys got to Good. It's like you said it's moving abroad is easier because of that?

Daniel De Biasi  35:04  
Oh, absolutely. I'll give you an example. When I left Italy for the first time when I left Italy, my niece was one month old. So she was just born. And the second time I came back, I think, was after a year, a year and a half. We always saw each other like every single Sunday, we were like, I will see my Bible called my brother would FaceTime I see my nephew, my niece, my nephew was a little bit older at the time. But my niece, she always saw me a part of the first month and then was there, but she always saw me through an iPad, FaceTime. And the beauty of the first time I went back to Italy, I was worried that she might not recognize me. But as soon as she saw me, she smiled at me. And she started running and running like a jump to my arms. And then the powerful technology that you can do that you can create, they still have a relationship. She never met me in person, she always saw me through a screen. And still she was able to recognize me and not knowing that I was her uncle was amazing.

Aeron Dellosa  36:00  
Yeah. And I mean, I'm happy for you that you have that connection with her. Because it's precious.

Daniel De Biasi  36:07  
Absolutely not even your life, your experience, even in such a different perspective, because I don't know, like, as I say, I was Uncle I was the uncle. And it's different. The relationship between an uncle and a niece and a nephew is different from a parent and a son. That's

Aeron Dellosa  36:26  
yeah, yeah. I mean, that's credit to my family to with the support that we have. And my grandma and my aunts that like, made sure that you respect our mom. And we know the goal. And we understand why she's there. And our my relationship with my mom was always been strong. Even though we didn't have FaceTime. We only have phone calls. Once in a while. We have letters once in a while. We were super, the relationship was strong. When she comes home. Man, we're like, you know, having right? When she leaves that kind of stuff, always. But yeah, we was never a problem relationship. He was always strong. We never had like the moment of like, Oh, why? Why are you in Hong Kong? Why don't you just stay here and everything? Because we know, we know, she can say.

Daniel De Biasi  37:15  
And that's the thing. Because culturally, I don't know if you heard the same thing you probably did, like before are looking at people like your mom in a bad way. Because it's like, how are they making money here, they don't spend in the country, they don't doing anything good for their economy, they're just sending money back home. When you hear a story like yours, and see why people are doing that, to give you like a completely different take on their life is just like how can you even think about the economy on your country when it's doing pretty well? Like? I don't know, a lot of like stories like yours, because put everything in a different light on a different perspective. But people do understand exactly what's going on behind the scenes that people not don't talk about.

Aeron Dellosa  37:58  
Yet. By the way, just to add on the comment that you said, oh, people are like, Oh, why are you sending money back to the Philippines to your country? Those people are racist. That's what it's, that's where they called, you know,

Daniel De Biasi  38:09  
it's not just the reason, I think is a lot of ignorance, because they are ignorant people. True, but not all the neurons are racist. different categories?

Aeron Dellosa  38:21  
Yeah, of course, you know, but most of them are, but I with people like that don't have time to talk to them. Like, of course, I will have conversation with them, but try to understand why or explain to them or maybe try to enlighten them, but whatever they want to do they want to do, you know, like, hey, work. I know so many people here that was born here in DC so felt like they're so privileged, you know, me like I had a co worker one time, she is like, the government should give me more money. And I'm like, Why? Because I was born in Canada. What does that even make sense? You know, but like I said, like, people will always say things you know, people will always say things that like again insecurity you know,

Daniel De Biasi  39:10  
your total insecurity I think comes a lot of ignorance because people don't know exactly what's going on out there based on the the headlines and what the other people say is it just a lot of ignorance that's that's what it comes down to. Because you move to Canada and we pretty much like you guys have to start from zero pretty much right? And now like you were talking to you like you now you are you have a house you have a family and all that thing. So your did really well. Like from coming from zero you did really well. How did you how did you deal with like going through like I've started going from zero to 100 or whatever you are right now.

Aeron Dellosa  39:52  
To be honest, I'd like to say something inspirational, but really I just got lucky man. Maybe main thing was I had an amazing family. That is the main thing. Once I had that support, I felt like I can do wrong. And if I do wrong, I can try again. But to ask answer your question, I just got lucky to be honest. When I came here, my plan was to go to school, which I did. I went to school, but I was doing school full time, and I was working full time as well. That's extremely high. I burn up myself, like, I don't want to do it. I liked school. I always make school. Now, no, actually, no, I also, I always love learning. But I didn't like school. Because, you know, it's a group, and some are smarter than others. And I felt like, they feed you so much of information that you don't need, you know, like, I don't know, cylinder, when you're gonna use the cylinder, bro, leave me alone, you know, I want to do something else. Because of that I couldn't focus pretty much. And I just one day I was dating my now wife as a Yo, I'm going back into Philippine I'm going to visit just to like, you know, take a time off. I'm going to stop school, I'm gonna continue after I never did. I came back and never did, I only had like, a year left to graduate. But I never came back. I was like, screw that. I don't want to go back to school. And I felt like I was just bouncing around bouncing around doing like, random job jobs. And then again, luck, just struck, I found this work. I was unloader you know, those semi trucks that pulls containers, shipping containers ship. Yeah, I used to like lift them do like whatever inside, we will put whatever is inside. Usually it was a company of speakers. So we'll grab speakers put it on the on the pallet and wrap it up and then put away. That was my job for, I don't know, three years, four years, whatever. And I'm not bragging, but I knew I'm better than that. I knew it's not a bad job. It's a decent job. But for me, I could do better. You know. And I just like, I was thinking of looking for a job looking for a job, but nothing was happening. And then somehow, my boss, quote unquote, promoted me brought me to the warehouse office. And from there, I worked myself up to work in the main office. And from there, I was just a clerk, you know, just doing invoice and whatnot. Like, you know, it's a nice job, you know, let's not fool around. But I got the job in February. And in June, I was a purchasing manager. Oh, yeah. I was like, what? It was crazy.

Daniel De Biasi  42:52  
But even just the jam from working as a trader or working like a lifting speaker going to an office usually that step it seems like you made it because I usually people in the office are usually higher education. And usually people like us immigrants, they don't work in the office right away. So even I guess, like even just going to jump into the office that will be must be like a big jump into your career and either just feeling have not made it. I'll probably at that point you made it right.

Aeron Dellosa  43:21  
Yeah. But I always stay humble. Even though I say I'm humble, which is ironic. But I was like, I never, I never look at the position. I look of the challenge of the position more than anything. So when I was lifting those boxes, which is by the way, the most fun job I've ever had, first of all, it's fiscal second of all you just shooting this with your coworkers, there was no stress at all, no stress. We walk in, we walk out the same. Getting to that purchasing manager position. Like I said, I don't know do they was just like, Ziggy like the like the planets lined up. And I got the position someone quits. I walked in. Oh, by the way, you it's gonna be you now. And I'm like, Okay, let's do this. And I love the job. I enjoy the job a lot. Because it was

Daniel De Biasi  44:12  
just like, can be even like a problem. They are what he put in the movie or just your work ethic that?

Aeron Dellosa  44:18  
I mean, I'm good looking to you. No. No, yes. Yeah, I guess it's a hard work like my, my VP, vice president of the company then was like, Yo, you putting all the work out of work. And this woman, this person, the purchasing manager was quitting. And she liked me too. She thought I was smart, which is I don't know what made her think that. So they offered me the job like yeah, okay, let's do it. And I didn't even think what entails with the job. I just like, yeah, I want to do it. That's all I did. It's just like blind ambition, I guess. I don't know. And it's like, yeah, let's do it. And I did it. I always have fun job because it's, it deals with MUSE musicians. So I met a lot of musicians, we go to concerts a lot for free VIP, we go into Backstage, which I don't like, by the way, I never enjoy going backstage.

Daniel De Biasi  45:13  
Why?

Aeron Dellosa  45:15  
It's not fun because you know, some bands are good. Some bands are okay. But most of them, especially if they're young, they just want women to talk.

Daniel De Biasi  45:27  
I like to ask you one thing, just because I want to know, if your experience when you moved to Canada was similar to mine, when I moved abroad when I moved to New Zealand, did you feel like when you like a seeing people in Canada, maybe especially if maybe in your perspective, where you see people living a good life, maybe driving nice car, living like a big apartment, or big houses and all the things that seeing people kind of, quote, unquote, made, it didn't make you believe that you can do anything. You were able to do whatever you want in life without having the boundary or the thing that you said to yourself, there's things that you can only do and not do.

Aeron Dellosa  46:06  
In Yeah, yeah, I felt like, once I got to Canada, I felt like it's a level position. You know, what I mean? I again, I know, there are like, racism and white privilege and whatever else, the factor, but when I that was like, the first time I'm like, Yeah, I can do things here, I can buy a car, I can work in a fast food company, be accrued the lowest position, and I could still buy a car in the Philippines, you could be a bank manager, and wouldn't even buy a car at all, you know what I mean? So with that, seeing like, people that you know, have menial jobs, and they can actually afford a house, maybe, or maybe have two cars, bro, is like, Yo, I can do whatever I want to do here. You know, if I put myself you know, again, like, with my with my, quote, unquote, success, if you want to call it that, I always believe like you put in the work, good things will happen. Not 100%. But most of the time.

Daniel De Biasi  47:11  
Yeah, as you said, it's like just a step ladder, you can just grow and grow. And there's no limit to that maybe making the Philippines as you say, even if you get up to the ladder to become like a bank manager, but still not able to live the life that you might want to be or like a comfortable life. That's the thing, then when you come to country like Canada or other country for me, they went from Italy to New Zealand, I felt the same thing that it could not I couldn't do anything I can do whatever I put my mind into.

Aeron Dellosa  47:39  
So Yeah, most definitely, but certainly has, for me at least, like sense of like, possibility. Right? Like, oh, there's opportunities here. And if I apply myself in a way I could achieve that posit that opportunity, like Mulligan my story from a guy lifting boxes and wrapping them up to a purchasing manager in a few months. That's not gonna happen in the Philippines. That if it does, the chance is like 0.01. You know, and even if I was a purchasing manager in the Philippines, the chance of me, you know, achieving what I have achieved in Canada. It's very long, super long.

Daniel De Biasi  48:22  
And I like to ask you, when you left the Philippines and moved to Canada, what did your friends and like your circle of friends told you? Like? What what did they say about you? Or like a happy for you? What was the situation there?

Aeron Dellosa  48:34  
So most of them are? Again, it's the culture, right? Like, it's their way of life. Someone's gonna move anytime soon. It could be this guy, it could be this guy. It could be that guy. But most of them they're happy. I mean, the night off or a few nights. A few weeks or a few months before it. We got the visa. It was like we were sad. You know, they were sad for me. And it was a funny situation because back then I used to have a camcorder or camera like, oh, okay, with the tape. Remember the tape? Yes. Back in the days. Yes. So I have that my mom sent it to me, like, back then. And I was like, You know what? I'm gonna videotape every day, every day of my life. Because did you do it? Yeah, I did. Because I think my thing was like, this will never happen again. This part of my life will never ever happen again. Even though some of my friends like No, no, no, you're coming home this and that. Whatever. Like none. I knew is not going to happen. I'm going to vegetate, I videotape almost everyday did it I could be like eating breakfast or whatever with someone. I'm videotaping it, we go drinking I videotape it. I still have them actually. Some of them you can use because it's to the video is not so good. And the audio is like terrible. But yeah, that's that's what I did. And going back to your question is just never heard. because, you know, they know, I'm gonna get opportunities, right? Like, the group of friends of mine. Let's say we're 20 Guys and girls mixed. I'd say about 80% of them is migrants or immigrants.

Daniel De Biasi  50:15  
What do you mean? Like 80%? Left? 80% have

Aeron Dellosa  50:18  
left the Philippines. Okay. Or, or working or living abroad? You know? Yeah, it was just the way of life. So it wasn't like a surprise like, oh, you moving to a different country? Oh, I'll be sad or whatever. Of course, there's going to be sadness, because you know, you're going to leave. And that's going to be here, right? And you won't see them. Like before, like, literally every day we see each other now we're like, we see them like a decade. If you're lucky, you know?

Daniel De Biasi  50:47  
Yeah, exactly. Especially if they're, like, all spread all over the world. Yeah, exactly. You mention this time, even last time, they were talking about like a Canada you love Canada is a great country, which I have to agree. It's a great country for immigrants, even though there's still some racism. I mean, there's racism everywhere, but still a great country, what will be your top three reasons for for the listeners or for other people that you will give to move to Canada?

Aeron Dellosa  51:13  
Top Three Reasons. But the main thing, what you just said is there are so many immigrants there are so welcoming. You come in and you know, the again, there are racism, there's racist, but you feel welcoming, and most people are kind, you know, don't bother, you know, second one is opportunities. Opportunities is just, man, it's there is for you to take it, you know, just work your way up towards that, again, there's white privilege, there's whatever else that we cannot control. But it's an opportunity. I always remember my friend of mine that lives in the States. And unfortunately, he's not. He's open minded on things. He was always mad at, like, oh, you know, I could never achieve the things that I want to do because of white people. And I'm Asian and like, you know, because of the color of my skin. I'm like, bro, I'm in the same situation. Plus, I'm in Quebec, which we speak French, and I don't speak fluent French. And look at me, I'm doing okay. You know, me like, that should not stop you. Yes, this thing exists. I'm not denying, but it should not stop you from pursuing and achieving your goals, whatever that goal is, of course, there's a main goal. If you don't get it, there are other goals. You know what I mean? So opportunities. Lastly, do need nature, I guess, man, Canada's gorgeous, man. It's so beautiful. The foliage in the mountains is gorgeous. You know, like, BC is gorgeous. You know, Alberta is beautiful, like different places here. It's, it's something to experience. You know,

Daniel De Biasi  53:04  
it's such a massive country, you can have like, there's so much to see. And as I say, like, I was surprised when I came here. Like, how big this country is, was hard for me to wrap my head around it, like how big this country is?

Aeron Dellosa  53:20  
It is man like, Listen, I've been living here in Quebec for, I don't know, close to two decades. There are still places I haven't been to. Even like close by, I'm not talking about like the end of Quebec to the other end of Quebec. I'm talking about just like, a few towns over. And I'm like, Whoa, what is this? Like? It's so big. And it's so beautiful, you know? And obviously, forget about the weather because the weather sucks. But, you know, there's opportunities, you know, I always joke that when the weather is bad here in Quebec, and we get dump of snow, I'm talking about like, fake, right? And sometimes people will say like, Hey, you're from the Philippines, a beautiful country, why do you move to Quebec? And I'll do like, because I don't want to starve to death. That's why

Daniel De Biasi  54:15  
that's a pretty good reason. You know,

Aeron Dellosa  54:17  
it's just, it's just like my mantra that I say, but in like, not in a negative way. It's actually a positive way. But I just like saying that because I have this dark sense of humor. You know?

Daniel De Biasi  54:27  
And also, I think we were talking about this last time even just for having reset your perspective, because you said like Canada made yourself which is something that hear from other people to the things that you taking for granted now, because that's normal. I think everybody does the same thing. Even though your situation we're coming from nothing, but we got something and you you started taking it for granted. You mentioned this last time when we spoke that sometime Do you have like at this moment that like odd reset of your perspective, like oh my god, like? I'm taking things from granted when I mentioned this story last time about is basketball there was like pretty much like done at you as a Canadian now, so that as the garbage and you took it back to the Philippines and the kids were like going mental like, like you're so happy about like this basketball that you fought was just garbage. Even their perspective, that's what I go into with this that you say like I didn't want to start like why the way that is not a big deal when the problem in life. It's something else like, between Well, bad weather and starvation. Like a big like weather every single day of the week. I can

Aeron Dellosa  55:32  
guarantee you, if we go to the Philippines right now, and we offer 100 million people who move to Canada, I can guarantee you, maybe a handful of people that say no, I can guarantee you that. You know, because it's it's really extremely hard. But going back to your to the reference that you said basketball. Yeah, the story is the sending back this basketball a ball that it's like finished. I mean, like it's so smooth, because we use it so much. And we sent it to the Philippines and people were like, so grateful that they have a basketball, which I was considering for myself was like garbage. And like you said, going to your point again, is just makes you grateful, like, holy crap, man, I got it good. And there are times that like that, you know, we're human beings, we get comfortable, like, Oh, my God, my car, or my there, whatever, you know, oh, hydro, or whatever else, oh, the internet is slow. And then I call to my family or friends back home and be like, Yo, I don't even know if we can eat tomorrow.

Daniel De Biasi  56:38  
It's absolutely like I'd say it's hard reset your perspective of being grateful for the things that you have and the things that the things you achieved as well, because it's something that you need to remind yourself that sometimes, like when you feel down, like the thing that you did think that you achieved, you're coming from the Philippines with nothing. And now in your career and your job and your life and family and all of the things that mean that you do. Remind yourself, I think,

Aeron Dellosa  57:03  
yeah, it's like I mentioned to you before, it's like every time I come home and driving down my street, and I look at the houses. And I will say to myself, it still surprises me. I don't know why, again, I'm not the smartest person in the whole wide world. But I'm like, I live here. I have a house here. And it blows my mind all the time. Like, Wow, good job, buddy. Good job. Sometimes people will say, like that house, the your neighbor's house is bigger than it's bigger. It's a nicer you know, and I'll be like, oh, excuse me. I'm from negative zero back home in the Philippines. I came here. I started negative zero again. And you know what? Here's my neighbor. He doesn't live in, I don't know Beverly Hills or whatever else. I'm not putting down other people obviously. But it's just like, it makes me proud. Like, God damn, I made it. I did it. You know what I mean? Like, I always put that myself in perspective, like, Dude, I am good. You know, I am good that I don't have to work. Thankfully, God, praise God, the universe and whatever else is like, I'm comfortable man, I, I don't need anything else. I, I used that little boy that's playing in the field. Wondering of moving. I don't know how he's going to move. Thinking of like, oh, someday I'm going to move. I'm going to have a house. I'm going to have two cars, I'm going to have a family. Guess what? He achieved that goal. Whatever else is gravy.

Daniel De Biasi  58:38  
That's amazing. Honestly, that's amazing. Just the fact that you you believe from like a such a young age that you will made it and you are,

Aeron Dellosa  58:46  
by the way. I don't know how I did it. It just I just believe that it's gonna happen that I'm gonna move. And somehow puzzles keeps on falling in the right position. Next thing you know, I was in Canada. And the funny thing was moving here to it was a we had like some issues. When we were planning to move here. We were old. My siblings. I was above 18 years old. I was 20. Like I said, right. And usually you get supported by your, your parents or whoever supporting you. You have to be 18 and lower and younger right? Now, I was 20. And I was the youngest youngest in the family. We still made it. I don't know how we made it. We just we still the government somehow said like we are coming. Don't worry about it. You know, and when we were applying for the papers to was we got all the papers done. And in the Philippines, there's so much papers you need. I mean, dude, you have to go to different documents. I know I'm not gonna go in detail, but you need so much silly documents.

Daniel De Biasi  59:55  
Yeah, there's definitely more roadblocks from people coming from the Philippines that somebody's coming from the UK from Europe.

Aeron Dellosa  1:00:00  
Yeah, exactly. So we got all the documents submitted to the Canadian Embassy. In a few months, there were bombings in the Philippines. And there was a bombing close to the US embassy, and they closed the US embassy, and all the embassy closed. Even the Canadian Embassy, when they open it, our papers were all expired. So we had to redo pretty much all of it

Daniel De Biasi  1:00:23  
at an extra cost.

Aeron Dellosa  1:00:26  
And then, we just continued, again, credit to my mom sending all the money, because that's not cheap, as you know,

Daniel De Biasi  1:00:33  
wasn't cheap for me to tell you that. Like it wasn't cheap for me. Yeah. You

Aeron Dellosa  1:00:37  
know, imagine us coming from a poor country. Three people. No four people moving. I don't know. Again, I don't know how my mom did it. Just magic. Not magic, but perseverance. So yeah, to

Daniel De Biasi  1:00:51  
interview your mom on the podcast.

Aeron Dellosa  1:00:54  
I don't I don't I don't know if he's just okay. Yeah, it's just miracle dude. Again, I don't I don't know if it's manifestation or whatever it is. Just click, click click it happens. And how we got here is it was my uncle's wife's brother was living in Quebec. And he supported his sister, which is my uncle's sister. See how rich it is? How the possibility for us to come here. And it's happened anyway.

Daniel De Biasi  1:01:25  
Yeah, because that couldn't happen when your mom was working in Hong Kong, right? Because in there, there's no way you can move your family to Hong Kong.

Aeron Dellosa  1:01:32  
No way. There's not going to happen. But again, like, I knew we couldn't, we're not gonna move to Hong Kong. I knew it. But I knew we're gonna move somewhere. I don't know where I don't know how. But it's gonna happen. And it just happened.

Daniel De Biasi  1:01:49  
So when you were a kid, we were thinking, I'm gonna move up. Someday we're gonna move abroad was any country that you were thinking of, or not really

Aeron Dellosa  1:01:58  
being Filipino and Americanized. The first country would be America, right? Because the first thing for me like when I envision it, even though if I try to remember, my memory is like, There's nothing specific. There's no listener, America, or UK or whatever. I always had this feeling that I was born in the wrong country. I don't know why. But I just like had that feeling. I love being Filipino. I am proud to be Filipino. I love going back to the Philippines. But I always had a feeling that like, I don't belong here. I don't it's this is not where I should be. I always have that westernized mentality that like, somebody I talked to people, and they'll say, Why do you think that way? That's not the complete reverse the way we think, you know, I'm always like, now, in being individualistic is a cool thing to say. Right? Like, oh, take care of yourself. First self self care. I always been like, have a self care in mind. But people were like, no, no, no, no, you have to think about the family and the community. Because that's the Eastern thinking, right? But I always had that self care thing, like not that I'm like, oh, I need to do self care. But I'm always like, had this individualistic mindset. So it was like, contrast, in my in the community I was grew up growing up in, but I always knew I was like, I was gonna move. Which country? Like your question? There wasn't a specific one. Whatever. Oh, this is how I answered actually this question. It's, I call it the Burning Room, allegory. Okay. Imagine you're in a room, and the room is on fire. around the room, there are different doors. behind those doors, you don't know what's behind them. It could be a lion, it could be, I don't know, a group of people about to shoot you, or, I don't know, Shark that's going to eat you. You don't care which door, you're going to open or you're going to go through it. Whichever door opens. That's what you're gonna go out to because you don't want to be on fire. That's what the feeling is. And more Unfortunately, most of the people that lives in the Philippines and I'm assuming people that lives in in poverty, is that like, it doesn't matter what it is. You open it? We're going there. And I'm like, being topical now is like in Ukraine, people are moving right. They're trying to seek refugee they don't care which country as long as no one's gonna shoot them. It's okay. You know what I mean? That's that's the that was the mentality.

Daniel De Biasi  1:04:27  
Okay, now I thought maybe you want to look something something I don't have a dream of moving to a specific country because I heard from like a Filipinos co worker in in New Zealand. A lot of people wanted to move to Italy because they're, as you said, they were Catholic, their Creator Christian, they have this like a strong religion from them to be in Italy. It goes to the Pope. That was their dream, like they want to go to Italy so they can see the Pope. Maybe we had something else like I want to go to that country because I don't know something. I don't know. Specifically. No, no, not really.

Aeron Dellosa  1:04:55  
But going back to that. I have family in Italy actually. Ever Uncle that lives in Italy. And I'm assuming why they say that. I don't think it because of the Pope or anything else. I mean, but I back a few years ago, Italy was like the option. There's always like decades that like this decade is going to be Saudi Arabia you can migrate to this decade is going to be Hong Kong this decades. America this decades easily, though there are there's a window in the Philippines. And those during years like for immigrants or an Overseas Filipino Workers, it was to Italy. This is how my uncle got to Italy. I'm guessing just because of that. I don't know about the Pope, bro. I mean, he's cool. But

Daniel De Biasi  1:05:47  
that's to say, I prefer what other people told me looking at Italy, like, oh, I can go there so I can go see the bulb. For me, there's not a reason to move to a country. But if you're that religious. I mean, for me, I wanted to move to the United States. Because Silicon Valley's there, though that was my dream. I wanted to go and move to Silicon Valley, because there's tech companies out there. So I can see that a different perspective. For me. It's not the Pope, but for me

Aeron Dellosa  1:06:13  
is that's your religion, Silicon Valley?

Daniel De Biasi  1:06:17  
I guess so. I guess I don't know. And one question, and I, I think I know the answer, but I'd asked this question to all my guests. Do you have any regrets about leaving your country about living in the Philippines?

Aeron Dellosa  1:06:32  
I would like to say, You know what I thought about this question before. And I said, I said zero. But then I start thinking more deeper about it. It's not more of regret to answer your question first zero. But again, like to return about earlier is the social impact of people immigrating or migrating, because they're hungry? saddens me, because, you know, why are these people have some move? Just to give better life to their family? It was it was just, it made me I thank you for this question. By the way, it made me think and ponder about this deeper that. It said, you know, like people have to leave. Why? Why do they have to leave? Of course, we know the answer. But, you know, if only people stop being greedy, people wouldn't have to leave the country because of corruption.

Daniel De Biasi  1:07:32  
I don't know from personal experience. I can't really relate with that. But I heard like a dish to what other guests like it's the same thing. I don't have any regrets, but I wish I didn't have to do it.

Aeron Dellosa  1:07:43  
But do you? How about you? Did you move because of opportunity? workwise? Or did you want to travel?

Daniel De Biasi  1:07:51  
I just wanted to do something different. I just wanted to experience living abroad. I didn't really know what I was expecting. I just didn't want to stay in Italy. I didn't feel safe. In my country not safe as a safety that I can violence was mostly like economically safe. For me, like I want to build a future come fit, I can see myself building a stable future with the on these unstable ground. That's how I saw Europe at that time. This is unstable ground. I can't. So I just wanted something else I wanted to be I don't know, for me, I was just leaving Italy. Rather than just try something. And I have to say like, as you pointed out, I'm white. I'm absolutely privileged. I can I know that. I was living a good life. I didn't have any issue I could. I could actually live a nice life comfortable life in Italy. And that's what like, what my friends were telling me like, Daniel, what are you doing? You have a great job. You have friends and all the things you're like, why do we have to live? It's hard to explain it was hard for me to explain to other people like I don't know that just I have to do it. I just want to do it.

Aeron Dellosa  1:08:58  
It's wanderlust. I guess so. It's like, I like to think about it that remember that remember, but think of like the first ever human being to say I wonder what on the other side of the valley or mountain curiosity you know and I mean that's the first immigrant that human being is the first immigrant don't want that to like oh, let's go over there maybe there's something better there or I want to see what some over there

Daniel De Biasi  1:09:28  
my guess is just a part of our I don't know nature to be Yeah,

Aeron Dellosa  1:09:33  
I mean, there's some people that there's some people that like me or you is like I need to move I want to move I you know and then there's some people that like I'm good here I love it and like I have family members back home they don't want to they don't want to move I'm like, why am I gonna move I have everything here.

Daniel De Biasi  1:09:49  
Not exactly even like going back to example the UK barely about your job. They were you're lifting things up and lifting the speakers at you like that was was fun. And for some people that lack of The responsibility, that's what they're looking for. That's what they want. They don't want to go higher in their career just because they don't want more responsibility. So people are different. Some people are want more responsibility. And some people don't. And that's the same thing for like immigration. It's just some people are happy where they are. Some people don't, some people are chasing something else. They don't even know what they're chasing, but they have to go to, they have to go and see what's out there. So I guess the what's different between people that move abroad and people they don't?

Aeron Dellosa  1:10:30  
Yeah, I mean, some people are just content of what they are and what they have achieved. That doesn't mean they're, you know, lower or lesser human beings than us or whatever. So it's just that's what they want it to you know, they're satisfied. You know, when you're satisfied, why, why look for something else, you know,

Daniel De Biasi  1:10:50  
exactly. And also, like, in other circumstances, like, like yours, some people don't move abroad, just because they like me. They want to see what's out there for you. Or just like, I don't want to starve from your parents, like, I want to give my children like a good future. Yeah. Which means in normal circumstances, that means a normal life. A good future, for you, for your friend, for your family. For other people that born in Canada, that means like, a normal life, nothing special right? Now, I don't want to give anything away from what your mom or just absolutely not like, it's been great. But just to put things in perspective, what they were looking for, for other people, they're born in the country, it's just the norm. Yeah, that's what that's what I love. But perspective.

Aeron Dellosa  1:11:33  
Yeah, me too. That's why I love doing podcasting, and just talking to people and just getting perspective from other people. Because, you know, you get into this mindset, and you just think of this as the right thing to say, or do. And then someone will say, Oh, by the way, and you're like, Whoa,

Daniel De Biasi  1:11:51  
yeah. And you mentioned your podcast. It's a it's a podcast called an immigrant life, just to conform to immigrants. It's an immigrant life. Do you want to tell the listeners what, what do you do what your podcast is about?

Aeron Dellosa  1:12:05  
Oh, thank you. It's an even bigger slice, storytelling podcast, with immigrants, or people that it's not even immigrants as long as they have relationship with immigration. But really, it's pretty much just me talking to other guests. You know, it's not very like, not like Danielle's podcast by Daniel Spark, as you know, amazing and helpful. Mine is just like, hey, let's talk about when one time you you know, you get drunk, I don't know, in a random stuff. We do talk. I do talk about immigration. It's like the core of the podcast, but really, it's just like a very, it's a conversational podcast. I love doing it. By the way. Thank you for mentioning it. Yeah, I've been doing it for a while now. And I love doing it. I always had. I remember the first time I heard about podcast, it came from my friend, Greg. Shout out to my boy, Greg. And he introduced me, he said, Yo, I said, what is that? He says on his podcast, I'm like, What's bonkers? Like, oh, you just, you know, it's like radio, but on the internet, like, and I always remember this, like thought in my mind, a voice and like, you can do podcasting. And this is like, way, way back. I don't know, maybe 2017 2016, something like that, like before Packers were was a podcast, maybe more, maybe longer. And I don't know why. But I always knew like, I'm going to do podcasting. And, you know, fast forward, it took a pandemic for me to do to start podcasting, you know, but I always say, because I given a thought about that. It's like, Oh, why didn't you start it earlier or whatnot. But I'm like, because I wasn't ready. The technology wasn't ready. I'd like to hear I won't be able to talk to you back a few years ago, you know, maybe it won't be possible. And with our, I guess, audience, as you say, as you might say, is, you're not gonna travel to BC to talk to Danielle. I mean, I love to shoot the shit with you. But you know what I mean? Come on, you know,

Daniel De Biasi  1:14:15  
that's gonna afford doing that. Exactly. It'd be awesome will be awesome. Like, in real life. person, but we can afford.

Aeron Dellosa  1:14:23  
Exactly You know, so. Yeah, so, technology lined up and it's like, Okay, I'm gonna start now. I'm gonna do it now. And yeah, till now. I still enjoy it. I continued. I publish publish. Yeah, I guess publish. I publish an episode every week, every Tuesday. And yeah, I love meeting people like, Danielle. I would have never met you. If not for the podcast, you know? And I love when people reach out and say, Hey, man, you inspire me. I'm like, yo, relax. Inspire me get out of here. Inspire Me, personally, it's

Daniel De Biasi  1:15:01  
hard. It's hard to take in a ticket, right? It's like, I don't know you buy even for me like, it's even out of thinking that somebody's actually listening. Like, no,

Aeron Dellosa  1:15:14  
I listen, if somebody listens, I'm grateful. And I want them to listen, obviously, right? But when they reach out, and they say you're doing a great job, or you're inspiring, inspiring me, I'm like, yo, take it easy, did you, and if you are looking up to me, you have issues, because I'm not the president, after you know, looking for someone else. I love that you're listening.

Daniel De Biasi  1:15:38  
But, you know, I just I disagree. I disagree with with this before, like you keep saying that you're not smart that like you're doing things I completely disagree with you. I think you were really smart. The work you do with the podcast is amazing. You say like, you're just doing things, but I think you know what you're doing. And like people reach out to you because he inspired and I believe that I believe that like through the things you do, the people that you bring to your show, you inspire people, you will help people even though you don't think you do. But I have to say I listened to your podcast, and I think people reached out to you that means it's true. And that if they look up to you, it's because you brought value to them. And I can see that I can see that.

Aeron Dellosa  1:16:19  
Thank you appreciate it. I mean, I do believe them is just it's hard to believe I get it that they're talking to me. I mean, I appreciate that. You think I'm smart. But ask me one plus one. I'll be like 11.

Daniel De Biasi  1:16:34  
But it's it's thinking outside of the box.

Aeron Dellosa  1:16:36  
Yeah, exactly. But I don't know, it's just, I appreciate it. Like Like, the every time somebody reaches out, it's just like, bro, I'm so happy. It makes me so it's like a drug, a good drug, you know, like, it makes. And obviously, it's this thing that we do is ebb and flow. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's bad. Sometimes we're like, why am I doing this? What's the point? And then you get a message like that? And like, Oh, this is why I'm doing this. This is exactly why. The funny thing is sometimes though the I don't know if you ever get this is like, they'll reach out to you that you're an immigration specialist.

Daniel De Biasi  1:17:15  
No, that's not my case. I can figure it out and people can get it. I'm not immigration.

Aeron Dellosa  1:17:20  
I don't know why people sometimes thinks of that. Like, yo, well helped me in the game like, bro, I don't even know how I get to Canada to be honest. I don't know. I usually just like send them like, what is the government website like CAG, that ca whatever. That or obviously, through the podcast, I've met people that are working for immigration or whatnot. And like they talk to these people. These guys are the smart people. I don't know anything about immigration, I know that people moves. That's it, you know, for document wise or, like, how to fill up things. I don't know. You're the best person actually, Daniel, because you've done it actually. I pretty much didn't do anything. It was my mom, my sister, I just signed papers.

Daniel De Biasi  1:18:07  
But even then, like even if he didn't like me, things change constantly in the job, like people like us if you need to. It's a job. It's a full time job. So you need if you know, if you want to know what's going on, you need to talk to professionals. Like if even if I've done it like six months ago, by now everything will change will be different. So it's hard to it's hard to be like That's why I don't want to be part of immigration law. It's something I hate doing it because I have to do it. But immigration is of America, I can't stand the immigration process because you feel like an outsider, it reminds you that you don't belong. It's just the wrong process. I wish the immigration process will be different when it's not so I ain't doing that. glad there's a professional out there that enjoys doing that, because I hate it.

Aeron Dellosa  1:18:53  
Yeah, it's full of man. Are you a citizen now?

Daniel De Biasi  1:18:57  
No, yet, but I'm a permanent resident, which is being a permanent resident is such a relief. Because I was on a work visa for I mean, I did five years in New Zealand two years before like I was saved six, seven years on our now five, six years on a work visa. And you have to renew every single time you are restricted from the work you can do we don't have the freedom to change jobs, we do not have the freedom to do whatever you are strict with either with the company or with the profession. So if you want to change profession or change job is not that easy. So for me having Burma residency, I can start a business by now I can do whatever I want. I can change job tomorrow. I can do two jobs. I can do whatever I want. It's such a freedom for like, yeah, just it's a big relief.

Aeron Dellosa  1:19:46  
So gratulations Thank you. Cuz it's, that's the funny thing, though, is like, like we were talking about, like me growing up is like poverty, right? And then I came to Canada everything was easy. Everything is like mud. jority of time is easy. Because, again, here I was PR, permanent resident automatic, right? And then I don't know if it has changed, but I think it's you have to stay three years in Canada to be right. And I passed that I wasn't even applying for citizenship. They are whatever, you know, me, I don't need it. What's the point, you know? And then I applied finally, and then I was a citizen, and I didn't even like, pay attention to it. Like, I remember when I got the paper like, Oh, you're going to be a citizen, you have to go to this place for the like, you know, when they have like, ceremony? Yeah,

Daniel De Biasi  1:20:37  
I think neutralization or something like that.

Aeron Dellosa  1:20:40  
Okay. So I know, they just like, oh, come to this place. And it's bro. When it came there. I felt like I was being bugged. I felt like I was being like, I'm wasting my time. That how privileged I was. I was like, man, just give me the papers and leave me Leave me alone. I'm good, you know. And while that was happening inside my mind, my privilege mine, I was looking over and people were crying. Like, crying, crying, they were looking at me like, Oh, congratulations, you know, like, we finally made it. And I'm like, I'm good. You know, I was like, I'm cool. Whatever, when I that I didn't even do anything, you know, because that gave me a PR. Compared to you is just like, you have to go through this step every year. Oh my god, I would probably go home in the Philippines.

Daniel De Biasi  1:21:26  
And another thing having PSATs and you've got Canadian passport, it makes a huge

Aeron Dellosa  1:21:31  
difference when you're driving the most powerful document ever.

Daniel De Biasi  1:21:35  
I have a friend that she's from Peru, and she said like when she travels through the US with a Peruvian passport. They think that loops that she has to jump through because she has like a passport if people think she was a drug dealer, no other things. And now she travels with the Canadian passport. It's so much easier stopper they go through the customer like and wait like, two minutes to go through the custom is so much makes a huge difference for a specific country. Which might not be the case for me. As I say reminder, like I'm a privilege. I know. But hey, brother country, honestly, it can be like a huge difference.

Aeron Dellosa  1:22:13  
Yeah, dude, it's just like, you know, it's funny, though, when I went to visit the Philippines a few years ago. They look at me like this guy. You're not citizen, you're Filipinos to me before we came to the airport, or leave Canada for to go to the Philippines for a visit. My sister says, Oh, by the way, they're going to separate you. Well, line right. The line on the right will be like, kinda like citizen of whatever country. And then on the other leg, the left side will be like the Filipino side. Passport, you know? Totally. Okay, cool. I'm sure you know, I'm Canadian. So I have a special privilege. We go in, dude. The line was like so long. And then we look over to the Filipino side. There's like nobody there. Like, no, no, I'm sorry. But yeah, it was just like, they were looking. They were looking at me like this guy. You're not Canadian. You're Filipino. Filipino, but I have the document, you know.

Daniel De Biasi  1:23:16  
But it's actually interesting because I heard this multiple times with from from guests, they when they move back home, people think like, oh, you're now from here. You're from the country, you move to another country you move to you're not really from their country, because you're still an immigrant. You're from another country. So they feel themselves. They found themselves like in this limbo they are they seemed like they don't belong in either countries. But seems like you're like, people think you're still feeling belong to a country. No, no,

Aeron Dellosa  1:23:42  
I'm still I'm still I have that. I know that feeling. I am not saying like, I belong there. Like, they just look at me like that. You just have this paper, but you're still Filipino Canada, okay. But socially, I call this I call it the Bob Marley effect, because Bob Marley is half black, half white, okay. And growing up. He used to chill with the black people and black people like you're not black, you're white. And then but he goes to the white side. They're like, you're black. So don't hang out with us. So that's like the immigrant like, as we grew up in the field, I grew up in the Philippines, or you grew up in Italy. You moved to Canada. You came here like, you're not really Canadian. You're Filipino, or you're Italian, right? But you go back to Italy, like you're Italian you go back to Canada. And it was like, it was like that. The funny thing was, I didn't know about reverse culture shock back then. And this is real reverse culture shock. Because I came here I had culture shock. I went back to the Philippines for a visit. There is reverse culture shock, which is wars. Yes. Because you thought you're good. You thought your home you thought you're comfortable. And then we're like, oh, by the way, no, you're not even Italian or Filipino. You're like, you're coming just now. And you're like, No, no, no, no, we're still I'm still with you guys. No, no, no, you're somewhere else now.

Unknown Speaker  1:25:06  
And it was just like, it was a weird feeling. And the feeling was, for me,

Aeron Dellosa  1:25:11  
it was the main thing was, I grew up here.

Unknown Speaker  1:25:15  
I was this kid this kids that

Daniel De Biasi  1:25:17  
like, poor and

Aeron Dellosa  1:25:18  
running around without shoes or, or flip flops. You know, we're dirty and hungry. That's me. That's, that's me. But they look at me like, no, no, no, you're not. Us. You're some different personnel. And it's such a weird feeling is like, no, no, I am you guys. Like even with, with my friends, some of the people that says back home. I felt like, there's a distance. Like, I remember this one. One time, I went out with my friends, we went drinking, and they were just talking. And then I was like, you know, in my mind that I step out of the conversation or the circle, and I was just, you know, looking at them and just studying them. And I was like, Man, I came the realization like, this people lives move on without me. And now, they don't need me really. Because they're okay. And it made me feel like an outsider, in a group that I grew up with since we were young. And I have the feeling like, wow, I'm not in this group anymore. I'm outside now. But it's fine. It's okay. You know, like, it is what it is. It was nice to see them. But I had that feeling. I had that realization. Have you had that when you visit? Italy?

Daniel De Biasi  1:26:42  
I'm lucky. No, I never felt that way. Maybe Maybe because I never had the expectation of things. Because one of the biggest things about the reverse culture shock and expectation and thing, still the same, but they don't like you said, it seems like you're going back, people have moved on. They have like a different different life, they have different groups here. This is not the same as the time you do left. I never have that expectation. And I'm be I am super lucky that every time I go back to Italy, all of my friends show up for me, like doesn't matter if they have kids. Or every single time I go back, they show up for me, they all we always have party, we always on Gala, we go for dinner, they're always there for me. So I'm previous super lucky that I still have those friends. I mean, I invest time and energy to keep this friendship and relationship alive. But man, I don't take that for granted. Because I know other people that left Italy and move abroad. And they don't have the same kind of experience where they come back. It's just I don't know, probably because I invested too much time. And every time I go back, I make sure that I invite everybody I make like a big deal when I come back. Because I don't know. I don't know,

Aeron Dellosa  1:28:01  
you're right. That's a that's important that connection. However, I did try to make this connection. But it was like, you know, people have lives or, you know, kids or career or whatever. So the connection is not as strong. And you're absolutely correct. It's like you invest time, and you make time to have connection with these people. But with me like some of them, yes, I still do have the connection. But when I'm talking about the people that I didn't have connections with, those are the people that it just like, I felt like I was an outsider. But going back to you said expectation. No, I didn't have expectation that like if things are the same, I knew it's not going to be the same. But for me, it was just like, Oh, they're having conversation. They don't need me here. They still have this conversation. They just like, I know, also they have references that I don't understand anymore. Because it's like a legal thing. Yeah, exactly. So, but again, it was nice to see them after like, I don't know, like 15 years.

Daniel De Biasi  1:29:01  
A while it's a big difference. I mean, I don't I usually go back. Women have in this time, like a through COVID is the longest one which is almost three years. That's the longest one that usually I go back every year, a year and a half. So there's a shorter amount of time and also like with FaceTime and all of that things we keep in touch and we kind of like I don't know update each other so we know what's going on with the live so I feel more part of the conversation even though another maybe problem I don't know if this is part of the culture shock but for me it's the fact that I don't feel as connected as before just because the experience that I lived are different from from them so the thing I've been through my experience and my problem airport probably because not they're not really problem but they're not they're different from from them, they don't get it. So I feel like this disconnection between my life and their so it's hard to have deep conversation about life because we are a completely different level.

Aeron Dellosa  1:29:57  
Yeah, I understand that because I do have conversation with some people that emigrated and they're doing okay. And in the people that still back home, it's, it's kind of hard, you know, like, I'm complaining about turning off my Wi Fi connection, and he's complaining about, you know, if his kids are gonna go to school next year, because can he afford it? You know what I mean? I completely agree.

Daniel De Biasi  1:30:19  
Like to close this interview, and I really have to thank you for the time that you take him for, for sharing your amazing story. But before we wrap this up, do you have? Do you have any advice for the listeners that maybe wants to move abroad? Or they're thinking of moving abroad?

Aeron Dellosa  1:30:35  
Yeah, sure, I prepared this because I'm not good at this inspirational or, like smart things to say. But, so I got three things for future immigrants or people that wants to move. The main thing is learn the language of the country, to which you are moving to this is integral, because you cannot make a connection, you cannot get a job. If they don't understand them, or they don't understand you. It's so important. And practice, before you move, you gotta process before you move. People will laugh at you, people make fun of you for speaking a different language, screw them, they're not going to pay your bills. Second will be make connections, family, friends, organization, to the country that you are moving to, even before you arrive, make connection, and especially now social media. It's like powerful for these things, right? Because once you arrive, especially like, I'm sure your like your situation, then yeah, we were talking about earlier, like making friends. Holy crap, it's the most. It's the like, the least thing to talk about, that people talks about. But the main thing that kinda like drags you down is not having friends not having that social. Credibility. Like, no one knows you. No one cares about you, when you move to a different country, because no one understands you, right? So try to make if you have friends or family that already in the country, make connection. And if not just make commit organizations or people, especially local people, because those are the people that understand the culture more than, you know, other people, immigrants helps, obviously, because they know some of them, they know the hoops that you have to go through. But it's good if you have a local friend, you know what I mean? And lastly, I guess this is like a three parter. But for me, it's one, be brave, be patient and enjoy the ride. Because it's pretty awesome.

Daniel De Biasi  1:32:44  
Absolutely. You. I agree with everything you said. I think you like a clear point, like the three main thing about moving abroad? Absolutely. I want to add, one thing about finding friends and why making friends is so important when you move abroad is because you don't feel at home, until you have a circle of people around you say Hello friends, you can be in the most beautiful place on earth. And you won't feel home until you have a circle of friends. So that's why it's so important to make friends, when you when you come up when you go abroad. And also that the importance to make people locally. And if you will make friends with immigrants, there's a good chance they won't stick around as long. Because people might not be able to stay in the country. Maybe they want to move somewhere else to try something else. Because when you're an immigrant, there's less you don't have roots anymore. So you can either be in this country, you can go somewhere else, you come back home, you might lose some of the friends. So it's anytime because they already make you it takes effort to create some relationship, some friendship, you want to last. So that's why another important thing about making friends have a local community or for locally from the same country.

Aeron Dellosa  1:33:53  
Yeah, I agree with that. Some people do move, they're like, one minute, your friends. And then by the way, I'm moving now. Like, what you're my only friend.

Daniel De Biasi  1:34:03  
And this goes vice versa. So that can be you can be that person and then leaves. And that's I'm not moving. I'm going to hear about you in general. Like when you do it once, like at least in my experience we do once you start wondering like I should I should probably try something else. Maybe I'm very happy here. Or maybe who knows maybe there's something better out there is still there. At least for me. That's the back of my mind. Like what if if that country maybe speller is still have like the one that or if there's anything better or something different?

Aeron Dellosa  1:34:35  
For sure if again, they feel in a good position and you're you don't have kids or family in that country. You're pretty much like Hey, dude, I'm tired. You know what, today I'm moving to Iceland, or Norway, you know?

Daniel De Biasi  1:34:49  
Yeah, it goes back to the fact that some people moving abroad is not for everybody. That's No,

Aeron Dellosa  1:34:56  
I completely agree. I remember. I met someone here He was an engineer back in the Philippines, and is like, like, at least what he told me that he was a like high level engineer. He has like people with him that he like, I guess he's the boss, you know. And he was just a busboy here in Canada. You know, we're just cleaning the tables and whatnot. And I used to talk to him like, Yo, you know, because I can tell he is homesick. And he told me the story like, Oh, I'm over here in Canada, it's like, life is gonna be better. But man, I'm doing this back home. I was an engineer. You know, I was I have like, people under me and like, Okay, well, you know, guess what? It's Canada. You know, it is what it is. You start zero. That's why you immigrate to Canada? That's exactly, yeah, you're right. You're right. If you immigrate. Yeah, like, in a few weeks, he went back home to the Philippines, because he couldn't handle it. Like, I don't know if it's ego or whatever else. Like he just, I cannot clean tables. Back home. I'm an engineer, and I'm a boss. I want to choose that. You know,

Daniel De Biasi  1:36:04  
I can totally see that. There's, the reality is there's so many people, doctors or engineers, you just said that drive taxis or they duplicate low income, low pay job just because their qualification is not recognized in the country. They moved in, and they have to go through the ladder all over again. And maybe they have family now. They can't afford to go to school to eat just, there's it's hard, man. It's hard.

Aeron Dellosa  1:36:29  
If I know, it's like, it's incredibly difficult, especially if you have family to feed. You know, it's hard. So be like, Daniel, if you want inspiration, go talk to Daniel. He He's good. He got things to say to you know.

Daniel De Biasi  1:36:44  
Yeah, yeah. Let's close this on a positive, positive note. Yeah, if just if you get if you need some motivation. Listen to some podcasts like mine, or Aaron's even his podcast like an immigrant's life. Just listen to it. It's an amazing podcast, you're gonna find other inspiring stories of people that are abroad, or they related with immigration. If people wants to get in touch with you, or your story where people can find you.

Aeron Dellosa  1:37:09  
Yeah, I'm on all the social media except for Twitter. I'm not cool enough app and then begins life. You can listen to the podcast, wherever. However you listen to the podcast, and immigrants live. Yeah, it's every Tuesday, if you also if you want to know, if you want to come on to be a guest. Let me know. We'll talk.

Daniel De Biasi  1:37:31  
Sweet. And as usual, the links will be in the show notes for people to reach out to you like more easily. Thanks, Aaron. I really appreciate your time and sharing your story on my on my podcast. Really. Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Aeron Dellosa  1:37:44  
Thank you. Appreciate it.

Daniel De Biasi  1:37:45  
Sweet. Thank you so much. Bye. Bye. I really hope you enjoy this episode and find it inspiring as much as I did. I said it multiple times in my conversation with Eric about how much I love this story because it shows how things can really change out even if you come from zero, you can still build a great life for yourself. Not everybody is born in the country they're supposed to be and not everybody has the same opportunities or privilege. If you feel like you don't belong where you are. I wish you can find it on somewhere else. I really hope this story has inspired you to perhaps find a Korea to finally move to your dream country. Or if you're going through some art time maybe you can see the circumstances under a different lens. I believe that everybody should know what some immigrants some people go through just well a life that most of us take for granted. So if you know someone who needs to hear Aaron story, please help me spread the voice and share a bit of knowledge. And if you want to share your experience point of view or just a one CI you can DM me on any social media platform. You can find me on slife on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok at Amiens life and Facebook at me landslide podcast. I always love to hear from you. Thanks again for listening. Talk to you next one. Ciao.

‍