{"id":208445,"date":"2019-04-04T21:59:16","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T01:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=208445"},"modified":"2019-04-05T04:44:53","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T08:44:53","slug":"brian-vidal-crossing-the-path-of-the-unknown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/04\/04\/brian-vidal-crossing-the-path-of-the-unknown\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian Vidal: Crossing the path of the unknown"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-208445 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/04\/04\/brian-vidal-crossing-the-path-of-the-unknown\/img_5423\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"594\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_5423.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-208446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_5423.jpg 594w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_5423-186x300.jpg 186w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_5423-12x20.jpg 12w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-208446'>\n\t\t\t\t(Supplied)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/04\/04\/brian-vidal-crossing-the-path-of-the-unknown\/10177423_10102346710395487_1243543983392611068_n\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"909\" height=\"908\" src=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10177423_10102346710395487_1243543983392611068_n.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-208447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10177423_10102346710395487_1243543983392611068_n.jpg 909w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10177423_10102346710395487_1243543983392611068_n-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10177423_10102346710395487_1243543983392611068_n-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10177423_10102346710395487_1243543983392611068_n-768x767.jpg 768w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10177423_10102346710395487_1243543983392611068_n-20x20.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 909px) 100vw, 909px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-208447'>\n\t\t\t\t(Supplied)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/04\/04\/brian-vidal-crossing-the-path-of-the-unknown\/10924230_10153097779019114_1932340577978499802_o\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10924230_10153097779019114_1932340577978499802_o.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-208448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10924230_10153097779019114_1932340577978499802_o.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10924230_10153097779019114_1932340577978499802_o-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10924230_10153097779019114_1932340577978499802_o-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/10924230_10153097779019114_1932340577978499802_o-15x20.jpg 15w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-208448'>\n\t\t\t\t(Supplied)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Some people say that one must have a clear vision of the path they want to walk on; with ideas and aspirations neatly aligned as guide. However, this was not exactly how life welcomed Brian Vidal when he started his multi-step journey to the unknown.<\/p>\n<p>A lawyer by choice and profession \u2013 one might think that he has everything in his life assembled right in front of him, filled with law readings and practice \u2013 just for him to walk through. That, however, spells \u2018wrong\u2019 as he shares his story to Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am the most atypical lawyer you would speak to. If you find a lawyer, you wouldn\u2019t think they went through the same things I did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Let us take a recess from all these legalities to stop briefly and appreciate life\u2019s bump, turns, and vagueness through Brian\u2019s story.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Brought the Canadian road<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unlike Filipinos who took a risk by relaying their lives\u2019 opportunities to a plane ticket to Canada, Brian\u2019s life started in the country. Literally.<\/p>\n<p>He considers himself as a \u201csecond-generation Filipino\u201d being born in Canada; currently residing in Montreal, Quebec.<\/p>\n<p>As early as 1977, his mom already made her way to Canada all the way from Iloilo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut my mom when she was 18, on the unusual setup she was at home and went to Manila to study Nursing. At a young age she was more adventurous I guess than the rest of the siblings in that sense and came to Canada on her own. Back then the world was very different; like in the 70s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Just like what happens for all the places that time touch, life in Canada back in the 70s compared to today were poles apart. Apparently \u2018hitchhiking\u2019 was a thing in the 70s \u2013 a passed down story from Brian\u2019s mom who enjoyed the luxury of free rides from strangers on the way to work back then.<\/p>\n<p>As for his dad who was also from Iloilo, the older Vidal found himself stepping in Canada a few years after his then girlfriend migrated. This was in 1982.<\/p>\n<p>For a few years, Brian said his parents had a long distance relationship, which he considered a feat for an age where only delayed hand-written letters connected people from opposite sides of the world.<\/p>\n<p>However, apart from the struggles of maintaining such relationship, he said that more than that, his parents, particularly his father, experienced difficulty in landing a job that was related to what he practiced.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mom was lucky enough because back then especially with the standards of nursing \u2013 being what they are in the Philippines, she was able to find a nursing job. [There was] no problem. It was my dad who had more of difficulty. He studied Philosophy and he was working for the government for a bit when he was in the Philippines. But here (in Canada), typical story of being a factory worker; being a manual laborer until he retired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 33-year old cited that Canada often does not recognize the fixed set of education one has attained in the sense that, he knew a bunch of lawyers and doctors in other countries who had to start from scratch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have lawyers who are mopping floors, which isn\u2019t something bad in itself but I mean that\u2019s not what you studied, right? [But] that\u2019s a difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Back in mid-90s in the middle of globalization, Brian said Montreal was offering a lot of manufacturing jobs. At the same time, he talked about how his dad lost jobs a couple of times amidst this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dad had a difficult time of having to jump from job to job and that affected him mentally. You could tell he went through a couple bouts of being depressed. Like how are you gonna provide for your family?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brian said that as more Filipinas became nurses all over the globe, most Filipino men were given different kinds of jobs, but were not being paid as much. Just to add more salt to the wound, culturally speaking, society still deems men to provide for the family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor better or for worse, that\u2019s how they feel. So my dad, when he lost his job a couple of times, we also had hard times too because of a single-parent income. You have expenses to pay, a mortgage to pay, you have school supplies and stuff to pay, and you need clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While thankful that their stomachs were never empty, Brian said that there came a time that they had to eat sardines everyday. And though not a \u201ccrazy rich Asian,\u201d he is also thankful for the lifestyle as this is what honed him into who he is now.<\/p>\n<p>As a \u201csecond-generation Filipino,\u201d Brian spent most of his life in Canada, but that did not hinder him from getting to know the land where his Filipino blood came from.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Way back to Philippines<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If two words could describe how a visit to the Philippines welcomed Brian, it would be \u201cculturally shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBack in 2001, that\u2019s when I was old enough to really understand. I was 16 around that age. That was the first time I really had a big cultural shock \u2026 being in a third world country to be that close to poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brian dug his memories of the urban jungle of Manila \u2013 riding the jeepney amid the fare-passing of unknown hands and observing the passengers you are with as you stay seated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou see this\u2026 maybe she\u2019s 14 maybe she\u2019s 16 years old. She\u2019s pregnant and she\u2019s trying to sell rice with a basket on top of her head. That\u2019s not a scene you usually see back here in Canada. So it hit me. But then the more you keep coming back to the country, you slowly understand that people\u2019s perception of happiness is different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Partnered with the hardships that his parents faced to send him and his brother to great educational institutions, Brian really faced a lot of realizations. However, he also values balance among anything.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been around a lot of wealthy people. I\u2019ve been around so many spoiled persons\u2026 people who have not experienced hardship first hand \u2013 who have everything handed to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said that some families tend to compensate their absence in the form of material things and for him, when he one day heads his own family, he would not want to commit the same error.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want my kids to starve. But I don\u2019t necessarily want my kids to have it easy. I want them to understand the value of work, the value of money. I want them to understand that things don\u2019t come easy. I want them to work hard and earn. I want them to appreciate what they have. I think that is one thing that people are lacking \u2013 appreciation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These realizations, Brian did not know at first, would be the keys to the next path he will be taking.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Exploration of the realms of the self<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Identity is defined by Google as \u201cthe fact of being who or what a person or thing is.\u201d It is a word of the norm which bears a deep meaning and a huge relevance for one\u2019s self. Brian\u2019s journey as both a Filipino and a Canadian, along with the financial challenges is nowhere near a walk in a park.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think this was an issue growing up that has been haunting me for a long time up until I recently came to the terms with it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was a deeper adventure that stemmed from all the mental streets that Brian stopped on and all the signs he followed and neglected.<\/p>\n<p>While some immigrants dealt with the struggle of being the only \u201cbrown guy\u201d in a sea of \u201cwhite people,\u201d this was not the case with Brian \u2013 especially that Montreal, he said, was a place where different races met.<\/p>\n<p>However, growing up, a part of him felt lost and felt that he did not belong.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrowing up I had that difficulty where\u2026 you\u2019re like \u2018how do I fit in?\u2019 Especially I live in a French-speaking province. So fact is, you speak one language inside the house and one language outside the house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also shared that his parents decided to not teach him Tagalog as they feared that he would have trouble with blending in especially with a foreign accent, as the stigma on how people sound remains up to this day. He believes that it is in the good intention of his parents and for that he is grateful, but\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the other side, that made me have difficulties with my own identity as well because around Filipinos, you don\u2019t feel Filipino enough. People are talking to you in general and you are in a crowded room and you feel alone. And so when you go to the Philippines, you feel you\u2019re so \u2018Canadian.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Who knew that digging deeper in yourself will actually give you a wider perspective?<\/p>\n<p>These things contributed to how Brian perceived himself as a Filipino, as a Canadian, and maybe even as a person and as himself. But all of these experiences threaded together which brought him to open more doors which eventually led to bigger paths that he himself did not imagine before.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Path to Law<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While Twitter, Facebook, and sometimes, their social circles are some of the avenues of law students to air out their despair and determination in their stay at law school, for Brian, after being called to the bar, there were more things to mind. One of these is the \u201creal practical side of living the life of a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Brian who has been called to the Bar of the province of Quebec in December 2015 and has been practicing criminal law as a profession since 2017, part of the lawyer profession package is the encounters with people he dubs as \u2018more shady than the usual person.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hardest thing for me was taking a stand on what my actual values are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joining a firm specializing in criminal law in his early career years, winning a legal case was not the only struggle he faced. Brian also saw the side that being a lawyer is a job that deals with clients wanting to win, no matter what.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe things I witnessed\u2026 it made me realize that I wanted more for my career than just striving to make more money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These did not enter his mind when he chose to take the path of law before, considering it as a shiny title before his first name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I backtrack, when I started law school, my dreams were really much different. When I started law school, I was into the whole money, glam, position, and title. I liked having the initials in front of my name. I get to wear my court robe. I was pretty shallow at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Being a lawyer also comes with a certain image associating suits, neckties, and champagne. And a trivia that Brian revealed, being part of the industry, is that different law firms also project an image that attract different aspirants to have the kind of lifestyle they are emulating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery big firm is known for its own identity. The big philosophy: work hard, play hard. But then half way through law school\u2026 I knew it was gonna be self-destructive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This was what Brian said, admitting that he too had a taste of that kind of lifestyle, something like a detour. He also saw the financial side of being a lawyer, with concentrations on money and reputation. He, however, thought of this as something \u201cnot sustainable\u201d in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not the kind of practice I want. Not the kind of pressure I want. I have bigger dreams for myself. I have bigger dreams for my career. It didn\u2019t involve practicing law to be \u2018dried up\u2019 by the age of 35 and burnt out. I rather dream of having a wife, children; a stable family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This way of thinking was born from his experiences before pursuing law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor 10 years I worked in a hospital. And I was what you call a transport attendant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would bring patients to their testing areas. In one day, I would bring maybe three patients to the morgue \u2013 like three bodies to the morgue. And on the same day, two new babies would be born. I literally saw the circle of life every shift.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition, his undergraduate degree was actually a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology \u2013 the study of human movement, biomechanics, and exercise physiology. One of the influences for him to be in this field is the profession of his mom as a rehabilitation nurse, to which he got to see amputees and injured people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like the aspect of caring for someone to journey with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, as the days for clasping a diploma of that degree are nearing, Brian soon found himself sandwiched between thoughts of restlessness and doubts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t like the idea of just being stuck in an office. I said to myself, I wanted to do more, something more on a bigger scale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These thoughts brought him to the world of Political Science as a minor, which was something he never imagined himself to be in as he realized that Humanities was not really in his list of fortes to begin with. However, undergoing a couple of Humanities classes, Brian was able to measure his capabilities in this \u201cwhole different world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Guided by the dream of wanting to do something on a larger scale, Brian considered work in the government. He then observed a pattern and realized that \u201ca vast majority of Prime Ministers of Canada are all lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While this could be the push he was waiting for to follow the way of Law, more than that, the will to do something greater also traced back to his racial roots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always had this idea that I wanted to give back to the Filipino community somehow. Just give back to people. That\u2019s just one secret idea I had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said that in a way, Filipinos are looked down on as they are known to take the jobs of nannies overseas. Though he stressed that it is a decent job and something to not be ashamed of, Brian knew deep down that Filipinos were capable of something greater and if he could be one to inspire others to level up on their career, he would love the idea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBe proud of who you are, where you\u2019re from\u2026 I said to myself that maybe if I could be an example to others, I would do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now that Brian has finally attained the title of a lawyer, the challenges do not end after grabbing his goal. After choosing to go with his gut and following the set of values he learned through his experiences, he chose to go solo in this career, facing away from the opportunities at law firms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m happy where I am for now, despite that it\u2019s the scariest thing I\u2019ve ever done in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though Brian gets to decide for himself based on what he thinks as the best, the weight of being on your own is still evident. But for him, being able to sleep peacefully at night means so much more than the pressure that is filling him now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026just from having peace in my heart, knowing that I\u2019m doing something good, contributing back to society. I\u2019m not having difficulties in my conscience. I know what I\u2019m doing is correct and no one can stop me from doing what I wanna do for the right reasons. Nothing can buy peace. It is something people don\u2019t realize.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Putting up signs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though Brian admits that he himself still does not know what the future holds, he has a message for people who are struggling in crossing and even figuring out their career paths, and that is to be true to who they are.<\/p>\n<p>And just in case, they are also struggling with knowing who they are, there is always the option of digging deeper in one\u2019s self.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to seek the truth. For me it was the gospel, it was God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brian, who used to look at religious organizations with scrutinizing eyes is now a member of the Couples for Christ together with his girlfriend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I used to think God loves you plus or minus. Like okay if you do good things, he likes you more; you do bad things, he likes you less. But my realization was that\u00a0 was completely false and erroneous, rather God loves you, period.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He once reached a point in his life where he knew that he had to redefine how he was living because nothing was making sense anymore. The emptiness that he feared after seeing patients without relatives in his work in the hospital is slowly creeping into his reality. That is, until someone approached him and asked him if he wanted to check out this Christian Life Program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on. Really? Like really, man? People are gonna sing and clap,\u201d this was his initial reaction, but the whole experience changed his whole perspective.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou listen to the talks and that\u2019s when you know that something touches your heart. I\u2019m going to admit that I was wrong. I realized that there\u2019s so much more to it than the song or dance. There\u2019s a person, there\u2019s a relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brian said that each person has a different truth about himself or herself, and that it is up to them to set out on their own journey to seek it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI chose to stay true to myself. Be willing to be proven wrong. Be willing to take a risk. Be willing to be vulnerable even if that\u2019s a very scary thing. That\u2019s the only way you\u2019re gonna encounter truth. That\u2019s the only way you are gonna encounter people who will love you and you want to be surrounded with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVulnerability is something we are so afraid of. But that in truth is the root of how you can achieve what you wanna achieve in this life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Currently, Brian is living his life not as a Filipino or a Canadian. He is not just a lawyer as well. He is not just son, a partner, and someone who enjoys teaching people the way of life through his faith. He is simply Brian Vidal, who is still in his journey of the unknown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some people say that one must have a clear vision of the path they want to walk on; with ideas &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":208449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,54365],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-208445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-filipino-canadian-in-focus","category-instagram","mauthors-bea-kirstein-t-manalaysay","mauthors-philippine-canadian-inquirer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208445"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208450,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208445\/revisions\/208450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}