Updated 2025

|| I’m Still Here ||

Hi,

Yes I am  and I am from the Philippines. We came here with my family as immigrant last July 26 last year. So, we’re only 1year 3months in Canada. I’ve taken IELTS,CLB but not yet of CELBAN. The last time I took the Ielts was last feb here in Canada. It was too bad because I got a score of 6. I took also one in the Phil last June before we came here in Canada and I got OBS of 6.5 which is higher than the recent one. Is CLBPT and CLB the same? Yes, I took already twice of CLB. The first time I had it was last Sept.17 wherein I had scores of 6,7,7,8 (listening, speaking, reading, writing). The second one was in VCC where my scores were 6,7,8,7. G

(This post has been in the Top 25 for the past 4 years)

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🜄 Return to Self

Dear G,

You’ve been in Canada for just over a year, and already you’ve carried so much.

Beneath the surface of your test scores (IELTS in the Philippines, IELTS again in Canada, CLB assessments, and your curiosity about CELBAN) I hear something deeper: a quiet resilience. A desire to find your place here. And the ache of not quite knowing how.

I want you to know that what you are feeling is not wrong. It is simply the truth of being in-between worlds. Still tethered to what you once knew. Still learning how to belong in this new land.

This space of longing is sacred. And returning to it – fully, honestly – is a kind of strength.

🜁 Fog to Clarity

Your message holds questions: about CELBAN, CLB, listening scores, preparation.

These are good questions. They come from someone who wants to do things well. Let me offer a little clarity.

The CELBAN (Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses) is not the same as the CLBPT (Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Test), although both assess language proficiency. But CELBAN is designed specifically for internationally educated nurses—it weaves language into the clinical, interpersonal, and ethical realities of healthcare in Canada.

So while your CLB scores of 6–8 show a strong foundation, CELBAN will ask something more: not just what you understand, but how you respond: how you speak with clarity, listen with compassion, and write with clinical precision.

In short: the test does not just evaluate your English. It evaluates your readiness to communicate in the sacred spaces of care.

🜃 Rooted in Enoughness

It’s easy, in moments like this, to question whether you’re enough.

You are.

You are not behind. You are not late. You are not failing. You are a nurse who has crossed oceans, carried the weight of transition, and still chooses to keep going.

Even your scores( though you name them with disappointment) are not a reflection of lack. They are simply markers on a map. They tell you where you are now, not who you are.

You are worthy of this journey.

Not when you pass. Now.

🜂 Rekindling the Inner Fire

There’s a flicker I feel in your message, G… a little warmth just beneath the fear. You said: “I wanted to try CELBAN last year but I keep on postponing.”

I want you to know this: you’re not alone in that hesitation. Postponement is not laziness. It’s self-protection. It’s the nervous system saying, “Wait. Let me catch up.”

But now, something in you is stirring.

You are ready to begin: not with bravado, but with gentleness. Not with pressure, but with presence. That is a sacred threshold.

You can prepare. You can learn. And you can do it without rushing. Without proving. Just with steady, sacred intention.

🜀 Standing at Zenith

This is not the beginning of your journey.

This is the moment when all of your steps (across countries, through tests, between roles) begin to cohere. Where longing meets preparation. Where your past and your future meet in the present.

You do not need to figure everything out today. You only need to begin.

The path to CELBAN is not just about tests. It is about remembering who you are, reclaiming your voice, and letting your heart feel safe enough to hope again.

And so I say gently: welcome back to yourself, G.

The nurse within you has been waiting – not just for permission to try again – but for the sacred courage to return.

When you’re ready to take the next step, I will be here.
~ Kim

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