Newcomer family prepares for first East Coast Christmas
Seven months ago, they packed up their bags and prepared for the unknown — a new life in Nova Scotia amid a global pandemic.
They changed outfits between a series of connecting flights, sanitized their hands periodically and drank lots of water, all as safety measures.
Once they landed in Halifax, they took a taxi straight to an Airbnb and quarantined for two weeks straight, even though they were yearning to go outside and explore Canada’s Ocean Playground.
Now, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the members of the San Pedro family are well adjusted to life in Nova Scotia.
“So far, so good,” said Nikko San Pedro, who moved here from the Philippines with her husband Harold and her daughters Raniell Nicole and Safiya Gabrial in late May.
“We’re adjusting really well, our kids are doing well in school and (my husband and I) are adjusting in our workplaces.”
The one thing that the family is still getting used to, said Nikko, is the weather in Canada.
“We’re just getting accustomed now because it’s starting to get cold,” she said with a chuckle.
“Some Filipino friends gave us their winter jackets, so we were not really fussy about using secondhand clothes.”
The jackets came in handy on Nov. 3, when the San Pedro family members experienced their very first snowfall.
That day, Harold was so pumped he took a break at work and asked his coworker to snap a photo of him outside. His daughter Raniell Nicole asked her teacher if her class could take a break and momentarily play in the snow.
“All of us were really excited,” said Harold.
When asked if they’re planning to try their hands at snow activities like skiing or snowboarding, Nikko and Harold said, “maybe next year.”
For now, the San Pedros are getting into the holiday spirit as they prepare to celebrate their first Christmas in Nova Scotia.
Back home in the Philippines, the San Pedro family’s celebration of Christmas was “quite different,” as they celebrated Jesus Christ’s birth every Saturday and exchanged
gifts on Dec. 24 as opposed to Dec. 25, said Nikko.
This year, they’re switching things up a bit.
“It’s our first Christmas here, so we’ll try to follow the tradition that my colleagues told me that usually the gift opening is on Christmas Day," she said.
"And we did put up some decor, just to make the kids feel that they need to enjoy the season."
Nikko is also organizing to deliver food to the less fortunate with a colleague over the holidays.
Looking ahead to 2021, the newcomers are hoping to celebrate more Canadian holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving in the company of their family, friends and neighbours, COVID-19 permitting.
“We’ll just have more (of a) chance to celebrate it with others,” said Nikko.