Weather provided the greatest shock for Dr. Anna Wolak when she immigrated to Canada.
The native of the Philippines spent nine years in Adelaide, Australia before she moved to Vancouver and then worked in the Okanagan.
“In the Philippines, when it’s 25 degrees [Celsius] we bring out sweaters,” Wolak said. “Now 2008, when I was in Osoyoos... I remember waking up one day and it was like -15 on the Friday and then on Sunday it was -28 and I woke up and I was like what have I gotten myself into?
Eight-foot snow banks, the car wouldn’t start… Even in Vancouver when I drive when it’s snowing, it’s… hard for me.”
But Canadian weather didn’t keep Wolak from becoming a leader in the medical profession.
Wolak was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Immigrants by Canadian Immigrant magazine and title sponsor RBC Royal Bank, June 26, alongside eight other recipients from British Columbia and Alberta, including Senator Mobina Jaffer.
Arthur Wolak, her husband, nominated Wolak.
“As the son of immigrants to Canada, I have always been aware of many immigrants… who give so much to Canadian society,” her told the Courier in an email. “Philanthropists often get recognized… but often to the exclusion of others who give so much of their time and energy in all sorts of work and for many causes in many diverse areas that affect us all.”
Wolak developed curriculum for a prenatal course that’s taught at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and participates on multiple medical education planning committees, among a lengthy roster of endeavours.
“It’s one of the lesser known facts that the word doctor come from the Latin verb to teach,” Wolak said. “I want to hand down things that I’ve learned and make sure that a higher level of education is prominent or important for all physicians because medicine, especially in this day and age, changes overnight and we need to keep abreast of all the advances.”
Judges selected 75 finalists from nearly 700 nominees and then 40,000 votes from the public from which judges determined 25 honourees.
“I was quite flattered by it,” said Wolak who devotes hours to her voluntary committee work.
“The work that I’m doing is very time-consuming and it takes time away from my family,” said the mother of a nearly three-year-old and a three-week-old son.
Highly educated, bilingual in English and Filipino and having lived in Australia, Wolak didn’t experience massive culture shock when she moved to Vancouver. Her parents and brothers had been here for two years and Wolak met her husband shortly after she arrived. But she still needed to learn to swim as “a small fish in a big sea.”
A resident of Oakridge, she immersed herself in mainstream Canada first and learned about the Filipino community in Vancouver later, largely through her role as a family physicians at the Fraser Street Medical clinic.
“There’s a large Filipino presence there that I hadn’t actually realized,” she said.
The energy spent establishing her place in Canada is worth it.
“It’s a lot of time spent but it’s an investment in your future,” Wolak said.
