Jhunell De Rivera grew up in Parañaque, a city located within the National Capital Region of Metro Manila, Philippines. With a childhood spent in a dense urban environment in a country that has a reputation for its hot, humid weather, his favourite Manitoba season may come as a surprise.

“I genuinely love the winters in Manitoba and all the wintertime activities,” said Jhunell. “I know a lot of people would naturally lean towards skiing or snowboarding, but for me, snow tubing is where it’s at,” he added, referring to a popular winter pastime that involves flying down a snow-covered hill in nothing but an inflated tube.

Snow tubing is an activity that Jhunell picked up shortly after his arriving in Manitoba, spending many weekends at a ski hill located just minutes outside the province’s capital city of Winnipeg.

“I frequent a lot of Manitoba’s national parks year-round, going hiking on trails, taking long drives through the countryside, and boating across the province’s beautiful lakes,” he added. “Even though we’re far from the ocean, visiting our lakes is always worthwhile, regardless of the season.”

A Human Resources Professional, Jhunell channeled his early interest in health care into a career spent supporting other health care workers. His current role is focused on supporting candidates that were selected during Manitoba’s most recent recruitment initiative in the Philippines as they prepare to relocate to Canada.

It’s a move that Jhunell has experienced personally, having left the Philippines for Canada in 2016 and working in both Toronto and Vancouver, most recently settling in Manitoba.

“I first came to Canada with my family,” he said. “Since then, I’ve experienced life in some of Canada’s biggest cities as well as in Manitoba and I can say that Manitoba offers a really incredible quality of life. The cost of living here is affordable and the pace of life is calm so I’ve found lots of time to spend with family and to enjoy activities both in nature and in the city.”

While Jhunell has found many new activities (like snow tubing) to occupy his time since moving to Manitoba, he enjoys easy access to many of the sights, sounds and tastes that he enjoyed in the Philippines.

“The Philippines is a basketball country and Manitoba has a fantastic basketball culture. Winnipeg has a basketball team (the “Winnipeg Sea Bears”) and I can go to games and cheer for our team in a welcoming atmosphere that has embraced and celebrates the Filipino fan base. We’ve been packing the Canada Life Centre ever since the Sea Bears came to Winnipeg,” he remarked.

“There’s so many new things to explore and enjoy here but also many familiar comforts from home like Jollibee or Max’s restaurant. I’m eager to welcome new Filipino healthcare professionals from the Philippines and I’m hoping that some of what I’ve discovered and gone through since immigrating to Canada will be helpful to them as they settle in and make Manitoba their new home.”

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