{"id":51241,"date":"2015-06-05T23:00:48","date_gmt":"2015-06-05T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=51241"},"modified":"2015-07-25T18:17:11","modified_gmt":"2015-07-25T10:17:11","slug":"living-to-the-fullest-patty-bercasio-pascal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2015\/06\/05\/living-to-the-fullest-patty-bercasio-pascal\/","title":{"rendered":"Living to the Fullest: Patty Bercasio Pascal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Patty<\/a>
Patty believes that “life is full of unexpected twists and turns.” One just has to make sure “to be ready to cope with any hurdles as we tread on the path of success.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s all in her name.<\/p>\n

If you look it up, her name in Latin means \u201cone\u2019s homeland\u201d or \u201cone\u2019s own country.\u201d\u00a0Some translations even refer to her name as \u201cheaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Patria Bercasio Pascal \u2013 or simply \u2018Patty\u2019 to friends and family \u2013 never forgot her\u00a0homeland and continues to live each day to the fullest in celebration of her Filipino heritage.<\/p>\n

Fulfilled Goals<\/strong>
\nPatty refers to herself as a \u2018pioneer\u2019 in her family being the first one from their clan to move to Canada.<\/p>\n

Being the eldest of 11 children, Patty had the innate longing to help her family in whatever way she can. She was working as a bilingual stenographer back in the Philippines in the 1970\u2019s, but she realized that her income combined with her father\u2019s salary was not enough to keep their family afloat.<\/p>\n

So in January 1974, she moved to Canada in search for a better opportunity. She landed in Winnipeg, Manitoba as a permanent resident. She can still recall her first few years in Manitoba.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be a ‘pioneer’ in a family is daunting to anyone,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to my credentials from back home and my desire to fulfill my goals on behalf of the family, I was able to cope with difficulties commonly experienced by new immigrants in a new land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patty recalled the harsh winters of Winnipeg, which seem to intensify her longing for family.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I had] no family members or friends to provide morale support,\u201d she pointed out. \u201cMy foremost goal was to sponsor all my family members to Canada, finish my degree, get married, and have one child only (so I could closely monitor his formative years, studies and eventual career), teach English in a non-English speaking country, take supplementary programs in some institutions, volunteer in the community, and write my memoirs in that order.\u201d<\/p>\n

And how\u2019s Patty doing now, 31 years later?<\/p>\n

\u201cI fulfilled all of these goals so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life in the Great White North<\/strong>
\n\u201cThe fact that one of the two languages is English helps immensely,\u201d Patty said.<\/p>\n

With her credentials and her experience, she was thankful for the opportunities she encountered in Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a very diverse country, and opportunities for advancement are easy to obtain for those who are willing to work hard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s still some things that pose a big challenge for Patty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe weather is both extremes too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer in some places,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also pointed other challenges she encountered, \u201cDiscrimination and racism can happen in the workplace, if we don’t fight for our rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the wonderful opportunities in Canada enabling her to provide for her family, Patty admits that she still misses a lot of things about the Philippines.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I miss] Filipino hospitality, fiestas, scenic spots,\u201d she listed.<\/p>\n

She was also quick to point out that she misses several tropical fares like fruits, \u201cespecially mangoes and caimito (star apple).\u201d<\/p>\n

Having been in Canada for over 30 years, she has certainly grown accustomed to the country\u2019s culture. But Patty says she still tries to incorporate her Filipino heritage in her day to day life.<\/p>\n

Today, she works for the Richmond School District as a Cultural Interpreter and Settlement Worker in Schools. She also translates school documents from English to Filipino.<\/p>\n

\u201cI manage a pool of volunteer interpreters and translators from different cultures,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201c[We] help parents who are new to the community understand the Canadian school system through orientation meetings and referral sessions\u2026 We bridge homeschool communication and provide referrals to the services as required. Through workshops, school meetings and symposiums, I come to understand their immediate concerns, i.e., language barriers, acculturation, separation and reunification, to name only a few,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also taps on her Pinoy side to interact with the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI touch on value systems, Filipino customs and traditions, and interpersonal relationships. There are a number of Filipino families in our community, and during public events, we reminisce our good times back home in between bites of authentic\u00a0Filipino food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through her hectic schedule, Patty finds fulfillment in her tasks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most fulfilling part of my job is honouring these volunteer interpreters by coordinating an Appreciation Party to thank them for their invaluable help in our schools as interpreters\/translators,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBridging communication gap and understanding cultural differences are the key to my job satisfaction,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\""Tom's<\/a>
“Tom’s Secret” is one of the fruits of Patty’s anti-bullying advocacy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Patty\u2019s Advocacy<\/strong>
\nWorking closely with children and immigrants, Patty has developed an advocacy against bullying.<\/p>\n

She even wrote a short story\/brochure for their anti-bullying campaign called \u201cTom\u2019s\u00a0Secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a number of published articles dealing with anti-bullying in schools, community, and the workplace,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently, I am working on an educational magazine (in comic form) which will be launched early next year\u2026 It is a literary project that deals with the common problem most people experience these days,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Patty has also published her memoir entitled ” My Journey: an Immigrant’s Story of Survival,” which serves as one of her platforms when conducting seminars.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also a passionate advocate for cultural diversity, to which she has been recognized numerous times for her efforts in promoting multiculturalism.<\/p>\n

In 2002, she was given the \u201cCommunity Youth Volunteer Honourable Mention\u201d in 2002 by the Surrey- Delta Leader. In 2014, the Minister of Multiculturalism Teresa Wat presented her the \u201cProvincial Nesika Awards.\u201d This year, she was awarded the<\/p>\n

Certificate of Nomination as \u201cChampion of Diversity\u201d in the 12th Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards in Abbotsford.<\/p>\n

A Piece of Advice from a \u2018Survivor \u2019<\/strong>
\nWhen asked about what piece of advice she could share with new Filipino immigrants in<\/p>\n

Canada, Patty shared, \u201cThere isn’t any individual I know that hasn’t experienced disappointments and failures before fulfilling his\/her goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

She concluded, \u201cLife is full of unexpected twists and turns. We just have to be ready to cope with any hurdles as we tread on the path of success.\u201d<\/p>\n

– – – – – –<\/p>\n

Do you know an outstanding member of the Filipino-Canadian community whose story deserves to be told? Nominate the next Filipino-Canadian In Focus. Click here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s all in her name. If you look it up, her name in Latin means \u201cone\u2019s homeland\u201d or \u201cone\u2019s own …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":51242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-filipino-canadian-in-focus","mauthors-ching-dee","mauthors-philippine-canadian-inquirer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51241","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\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}