Rowena’s Journey from the Desert to the Snow   

By Joe Larano Jr.

When Rowena Benson left Dumaguete in the late 1980s, she carried more than a suitcase. She carried the hopes of her young family and the quiet courage that many Filipino mothers know by heart. A registered nurse, she flew to Riyadh to work as an operating room nurse. At that time, her two daughters were only four and two years old. They stayed with her parents, who promised to care for them until she could stand on more stable ground.

Life in Saudi Arabia was demanding. The long shifts in the operating room, the strict routines of hospital work, and the loneliness that greeted her after every duty made her miss her daughters even more. Two years into her contract, a painful chapter unfolded. She learned that her husband had left the children for another woman. The news broke her heart, but Rowena held on to her purpose. She focused on her work and on the dream that someday she could give her daughters a better life.

In the early 1990s, she applied for immigration to Canada under the independent skilled worker category. It was a long journey of waiting, submitting documents, and proving her qualifications. After three years of patience and countless prayers, she finally received her approval. In 1998, she arrived in Delta, British Columbia. There, she stayed close to her former nurse colleagues who had settled earlier in the area.

At first, she did not immediately return to nursing. Her first job was in a local grocery store as a sales assistant. It was far from what she trained for, but she accepted it with humility. She believed it was important to understand the Canadian work system and to gain experience that would help her take the next step. She treated every small task as a chance to learn, even if she often went home exhausted from standing the whole day.

But the hardest part was the quiet. The long winter nights were especially difficult. The cold had a way of making loneliness feel even heavier. Many times, Rowena cried herself to sleep, thinking of her daughters and wondering if they still remembered the warmth of her embrace. Yet she kept going. She reminded herself that every sacrifice had meaning, even if she could not see the full picture yet.

Determined to return to her profession, she began the process of applying for her provincial nursing license. She enrolled in review classes while working part time. Her days were long and tiring, but she did not lose sight of her goal. When she took her first nursing examination, she failed. She was devastated. For a week, she barely spoke and questioned whether she had made the right decision in coming to Canada.

Her friends did not allow her to stay in that dark moment. They encouraged her, prayed with her, and reminded her of the nurse she had always been. With their support, Rowena found the courage to try again. She reviewed harder, asked more questions in class, and promised herself that she would rise from her setback.

When she passed the exam on her second attempt, she cried tears of relief and joy. She felt as if the years of sacrifice were finally taking shape. Soon after, she began working in one of the well known hospitals in Metro Vancouver. Walking through the corridors once again as a registered nurse felt like a homecoming.

But the greatest blessing came when her daughters finally joined her in Canada. They were already twelve and fourteen when they arrived. At the airport, they ran toward her, and the embrace they shared erased years of distance and longing. That moment became the healing she had prayed for.

Today, Rowena’s story continues to inspire many Filipino migrants. Her journey reminds us that hardship is not the end of the road. It is often the beginning of a stronger and more compassionate version of ourselves.

When asked what kept her going through the years of loneliness and struggle, she smiles gently and says, “I never stopped believing that everything has its time. I just kept walking forward.”

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”— Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), American educator, author, and advisor to U.S. presidents.  (Contact: jblarano@gmail.com)