Another new health-care recruit from the Philippines is now calling Ashern home.
Melgie Soria arrived on Feb. 14 as a participant in the Philippines recruitment initiative. So far, she said everything is going really well.
“The community in Ashern are all welcoming and good. I have all the support that I needed,” she said.
“Training was really good. My colleagues are all nice. I’m at home with them. Plus the Filipino community in Ashern gave me all the support.”
In the Philippines, Soria worked as a nurse vaccinator. Now that she’s in Manitoba, she’s working as a health-care aide at Ashern Personal Care Home.
“It is always my dream to work in Canada. Why Manitoba? Because of the job opportunity and the future it has to offer to my family,” she said.
“What I like about working in the health-care setting is the service you can give to people.”
Julene Sawatzky, Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority’s human resources lead, expressed appreciation for how the local community has rallied to welcome and accommodate newcomers working in health care.
“We have incredible appreciation for the work of staff at the RM of West Interlake who have welcomed each new recruit to the area,” Sawatzky said.
“Julie Bergner and her team at Fieldstone Ventures have also fostered community support. They collected furnishings from residents in the area to provide new arrivals from the Philippines with comfortable and welcoming accommodations. They have put the heart in these homes as instrumental community partners.”
Now that she’s settling into her new environment, Soria is looking forward to growing her career — yet she also knows she’ll miss the warm weather of the Philippines.
“It’s pretty cold here,” she said about Manitoba’s winter weather.
But the warm welcome she received from her new community and coworkers helped her see past the chilly temperatures she experienced when she first arrived.
“They have helped me a lot — from the transportation to food to the basic needs, it was all provided,” she said.
“I never imagined Manitobans are that hospitable. They treat you like their own family — and I’ll say I’m blessed to be here.”
