Work has been going good so far. I work with 10 doctors, Justin's mom who is the manager/owner, 3 MOAs (who assistant the Drs) and 1 receptionist (I usually have 2 but one quit on me! she was shitty anyways, LOL!). Everyone's starting to get used to me in the office now and most of them have been helpful in teaching me how the office runs. I've been working front desk for the most part since we are short on receptionists but I'm also doing lots of office management duties when the phone is not ringing off the hook and the patients are not pouring in. This medical office is super busy with 6 doctors on Mon-Fri and most of the them are fully booked. Free health care in Alberta makes people come in to see the doctor at any little problem I guess. I'm trying my best to build relationships with the doctors and the staff so that I know how each person works and what makes them tick so that I can manage and service them better. The patients are hit and miss. some are super duper nice, and some are just plain nasty.
House-hunting has been really fun also. Our realtor is a friend of Justin's mom and step dad and of course, he's Filipino. His name is Edmar Calma and he's done a good job finding us places that suit our needs/wants. I've fallen in love with 2-3 places, and we actually made an offer on one of them last night! Here's the MLS #s for the one that we offered on: C3539427. The offer is still standing as I type this. Since it's Thanksgiving weekend and all, I'm not sure when we will hear back from the sellers. Hopefully soon as it's agonizing waiting for their reply to see if they accept or counter. We are looking for townhouses within 5-10 min drive from the clinic that I work at since Justin's now my full time chauffeur and drives me to work and also picks me up! It's a nice change! For those who know Calgary, we are looking in these areas: Glamorgan, Springbank, MardaLoop, Christie Park, Aspen, Patterson Heights, etc...pretty much anywhere that is no more than 15-20mins drive to downtown/17th Ave/Kensington areas so that Justin and I can still have a social life...we were originally looking in super suburban areas (Tuscany, Royal Oak, Rocky Ridge) where it's all houses and parks and schools, but I couldn't picture ourselves settling down like that right away, so we decided that we'd go for something smaller like a townhouse and live closer to the city.
Since being here, I've experience beautiful sunshine and summer weather up until Oct 3, 2012 when it actually snowed. I went from 25 degree weather the day before, to snow the next morning. It was like summer ended abruptly and winter arrived in style. Where did fall GO?! There's no inbetween here in Alberta I guess. Here's a photo of Justin and I picnicing just a day before the snow came.
I am a fan of fall/winter fashion so I was happy to pull out my jackets and boots. Now I just need to find all my scarves! I gotta learn how to crochet and Justin's mom said she would teach me. So the next time there's a crochet party (Victoria, Jess, Natalia and MJ), hopefully I'll be able to Skype in and join you girls. Here's a photo of the snow from Oct 3. It all washed away by afternoon, but still...LOL!
Life in Calgary otherwise has been something that I'm still getting used to. Living with Justin and his parents is nice, but I'm not 100% comfortable yet. If you know me, you know that I love different kinds of food, but Justin's parents eat quite simply. Rice and meat and they are happy. Whereas in my parents house, there's always a variety of dishes such as a meat dish, a veggie dish, a seafood dish and a soup to go with your rice. Or else, it's a hearty bowl of noodle soup and you all know I'm a lover of noodle soup. I definitely miss my mommy's cooking. I want to experiment with cooking, but I think I will wait till Justin and I get our own place with our own kitchen, because it's weird cooking in someone else's kitchen. So for now, I'm just going with the flow, but seriously once we get our own place, I will be using all my Pinterest recipes and trying them out and actually learning how to cook!
I really miss my family. There's been a few times where I find myself crying myself to sleep, or crying in the shower or tearing up after I end a Skype conversation with them. Justin's been great dealing with me when I'm feeling low. He's reassuring that we've made the best decision and that we'll see my family soon. Thank God for Skype though because how did people use to keep in touch before. At least Ethan and Izzy still get to see me and not forget my face. Ethan enjoys Skype-ing. He thinks it's funny seeing me on the screen.
Of course, I also miss my friends. So far I've had Skype dates with Marie and Celine. Hanging up after both conversations also caused me to be sad because I miss spending time with friends. I haven't made friends here in Calgary yet. We haven't had the chance to hang out with people our age here except for Justin's cousin. To be honest, Justin and I haven't had much of a social life yet. Thank goodness we love each other and love to spend weekends together us just, but I think we need to venture out now and try to make plans with his cousin and his friends so that we at least get to chat with other people other than just us. The girls at work at all Filipino, which is not a problem for me, but they are not really the kind of people I would hang out with. They are pretty FOB-y and they speak to each other in their language all the time, so it's hard to get to know them. There are a couple of female doctors that are just a couple years older than me that I think I could be friends with, so I might try to go that route. Weird to hang out with co-workers and all, especially when they are DOCTORS, but hey, I'm a professional too I guess right!? Just with much less post secondary education, but who cares, I'm still successful now aren't I! LOL!
Anyways, cheers to my first month here! I celebrated yesterday with a couple glasses of wine. And since it's Thanksgiving long weekend, I will list a few things I'm thankful for:
- Justin - because he loves me and is doing his best to make sure that I'm happy and comfortable in Calgary. and also for always making me laugh when I desperately need it.
- Justin's parents - because they are allowing us to stay rent free in their home for as long as we need and also giving us a great opportunity to learn how to run their businesses
- My family - for allowing me to call them on Skype as often as I need so that I am not home sick. And for also being encouraging about my new life in Calgary and for being supportive. Also for taking good care of my dog, Brooklyn. Mommy misses you! and we will be reunited soon! *tear*
- My friends - for still including me in all Whatsapp conversations so it doesn't feel like I've left. I'm still in the know of what's going on at home for the most part. But can't wait to reconnect with all of you via Skype so that I can get the full scoop!
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