20051230
dear anne
Hello! Christian greetings it's anne from the Philippines I would just like to ask you about some facts of being a registered nurse there in the US I am a newly registered nurse here in the Philippines and I wanted to try working there in the US can you please give me some advise. Thank you very much and God bless!
hi, anne,
aside from required tests and the need to have people you know around you for support, i guess you'd also like to know which places in the u.s. are best conducive to filipinos, no? ahaha. it's not much, but here's what i think -
there are the coasts - california and new york. california is saturated with pinoys, especially los angeles. it rarely snows there, and people keep on saying LA's weather is a lot like baguio. (although i think baguio would be cooler, cleaner and a lot prettier.) the pinoy community in any part of the west coast is abundant, the catholic community is everywhere; you'll still be homesick but it would be easier to obtain the things you need to remind you of home.
there are also pockets of filipinos in alaska and hawaii. next year, hawaii celebrates 100 years of filipino immigration. alaska is where the bulk of "america is in the heart" is written, that seminal memoir by carlos bulosan, who taught himself english and wrote about the hardships of working without labor laws to protect him.
the further east you travel, the more american the country would appear to you - or at least, it coincides with what we thought the u.s. is like, living in the philippines. some say the mountain region, where the movie "brokeback mountain" is set, is hostile to people of color, that is, people who aren't white, that is, people who don't have blonde hair and blue eyes. but there are pockets like phoenix and salt lake city and denver where you can thrive.
the south is a lot of fun - texas, louisiana, kentucky (although there's a joke that texas isn't part of the south, it's a whole region on its own). the big cities there are friendly to people of color, and so needing all the nurses they can get. texas has a huge catholic community. they like to vacation in colorado. i find it hard describing the south because it really is a strange place, even though most of the friends i have in community live in houston and dallas.
the north central part is where chicago is. you're more than welcome to join us. (although i'm inactive in the community.) chicago is the third largest city in the u.s., second to los angeles and new york. i've heard a new yorker call it an extremely white city, and this was also my first impression when my family and i moved here a decade ago. but there is the community, the rizal center, activist groups, artists, a theater group - you'll still be homesick, but around here, i learned there's many alternatives to pining for home. :-) there are also many filipinos in every big city in the midwest, like milwaukee in wisconsin and detroit in michigan.
the east - the east is where new york city is. it's where orlando is, in the south, and disneyworld. it's where "message in a bottle" is based, in the carolinas. it's where "rent" is set, where "king kong" was brought, in new york city. it's where the sept. 11 commission is based, in washington, d.c. the east is where philadelphia is, of the movie of the same title, where the u.s.' first constitution was drafted.
way out east the snow blizzards are tremendous because they're fresh from the atlantic. but i haven't heard it said it's colder there than it is here in chicago. out east is where most of our ideas about what the u.s. is like in winter, with the cozy houses lit with yellow lamps inside while snow piles up outside. out west in LA is where our ideas about beaches and hollywood and gangfights and "baywatch" are at. across the u.s., you'll definitely be homesick, but you'll at least be given alternatives to pining for home. :-)
you shouldn't occupy yourself with dealing with people of other races - there's a real issue there, but it's not what you're after in coming to the u.s., right? i think the best way to talk about that issue is to experience it yourself.
and dude, i'm not sure why you want to leave the philippines, but if it involves helping out your family and fulfilling your own dreams, i totally understand; and this will sound strange coming from someone already living here, but i think you know that you would best spend your time in the homeland. i hope you find a place where you're absolutely sure you'll thrive.
the best of blessings, and a happy new year. ¶ 12/30/2005 05:21:00 PM
hi, anne,
aside from required tests and the need to have people you know around you for support, i guess you'd also like to know which places in the u.s. are best conducive to filipinos, no? ahaha. it's not much, but here's what i think -
there are the coasts - california and new york. california is saturated with pinoys, especially los angeles. it rarely snows there, and people keep on saying LA's weather is a lot like baguio. (although i think baguio would be cooler, cleaner and a lot prettier.) the pinoy community in any part of the west coast is abundant, the catholic community is everywhere; you'll still be homesick but it would be easier to obtain the things you need to remind you of home.
there are also pockets of filipinos in alaska and hawaii. next year, hawaii celebrates 100 years of filipino immigration. alaska is where the bulk of "america is in the heart" is written, that seminal memoir by carlos bulosan, who taught himself english and wrote about the hardships of working without labor laws to protect him.
the further east you travel, the more american the country would appear to you - or at least, it coincides with what we thought the u.s. is like, living in the philippines. some say the mountain region, where the movie "brokeback mountain" is set, is hostile to people of color, that is, people who aren't white, that is, people who don't have blonde hair and blue eyes. but there are pockets like phoenix and salt lake city and denver where you can thrive.
the south is a lot of fun - texas, louisiana, kentucky (although there's a joke that texas isn't part of the south, it's a whole region on its own). the big cities there are friendly to people of color, and so needing all the nurses they can get. texas has a huge catholic community. they like to vacation in colorado. i find it hard describing the south because it really is a strange place, even though most of the friends i have in community live in houston and dallas.
the north central part is where chicago is. you're more than welcome to join us. (although i'm inactive in the community.) chicago is the third largest city in the u.s., second to los angeles and new york. i've heard a new yorker call it an extremely white city, and this was also my first impression when my family and i moved here a decade ago. but there is the community, the rizal center, activist groups, artists, a theater group - you'll still be homesick, but around here, i learned there's many alternatives to pining for home. :-) there are also many filipinos in every big city in the midwest, like milwaukee in wisconsin and detroit in michigan.
the east - the east is where new york city is. it's where orlando is, in the south, and disneyworld. it's where "message in a bottle" is based, in the carolinas. it's where "rent" is set, where "king kong" was brought, in new york city. it's where the sept. 11 commission is based, in washington, d.c. the east is where philadelphia is, of the movie of the same title, where the u.s.' first constitution was drafted.
way out east the snow blizzards are tremendous because they're fresh from the atlantic. but i haven't heard it said it's colder there than it is here in chicago. out east is where most of our ideas about what the u.s. is like in winter, with the cozy houses lit with yellow lamps inside while snow piles up outside. out west in LA is where our ideas about beaches and hollywood and gangfights and "baywatch" are at. across the u.s., you'll definitely be homesick, but you'll at least be given alternatives to pining for home. :-)
you shouldn't occupy yourself with dealing with people of other races - there's a real issue there, but it's not what you're after in coming to the u.s., right? i think the best way to talk about that issue is to experience it yourself.
and dude, i'm not sure why you want to leave the philippines, but if it involves helping out your family and fulfilling your own dreams, i totally understand; and this will sound strange coming from someone already living here, but i think you know that you would best spend your time in the homeland. i hope you find a place where you're absolutely sure you'll thrive.
the best of blessings, and a happy new year. ¶ 12/30/2005 05:21:00 PM
