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Life in the Philippines
In the Philippines prior to moving to Canada, Aimee's parents worked and lived in the province Negros Occindental. Although Aimee's parents had different jobs that weren't connected to the sugar, Aimee's mom being a private school teacher, and her dad being a machinist, their other family members did, and according to Aimee's cousin, Canada was a way out of financial challenges that their province had due to a lack of sugar exporting in the 80's-90's. -
The move from the Philippines to Canada
Aimee Beboso arrived to Canada age 13 with 2 older brothers and her parents. Aimee believed that they were moving to a big city because of how North America had been portrayed in the Philippines, but they ended up in Timmins, Ontario, a small town with lots of snow, which was surprising for her. Her parents had stable jobs in the Philippines, so the move was likely to gain more opportunities in Canada, and raise their children in a more developed country with better education for her brothers. -
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1993 ~1998, Aimee's high school experiences in Canada
When Aimee got to school, she stood out because she was the only person with black hair and a darker skin tone in her grade at school. This led people to call her "Pocahontas", which is quite obviously a racist remark. Even though her classmates called her rude names, Aimee still managed to make friends because she was smart and kind enough to help others with their homework. In this case, although she is made fun of, she is still able to be included at school because of her smarts. -
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1998~2017 Detailing Aimee's family college education and work
Aimee's family is very successful, a relative of hers says all 7 of their family hold degrees. Some of them work in the fields of computer science, engineering, med, as well as journalism. These people were able to be where they are today because of the life offered to them by immigration. Today, Aimee helps other Filipino migrants, and many are domestic workers with a strong will to provide for their kids, similarly to how Aimee's parents migrated for their children to have a better education. -
Beboso visits the Philippines
Aimee visited the Philippines a few years prior to 2017 and unlike Canada, where she has felt discrimination or felt singled out being the only person with black hair and a dark skin tone, she felt she blended in. It felt more like home to her, and her heart ached because of leaving it.