krishafromtheisland

In the summer, we would be out all day in the sun, playing intense games of siatong or batterfeet or bahaw-bahaw. 

It was always like this...until it wasn't.

Like most Filipinos, many of my friends and family opted to work abroad or even move there for good.

I wanted to know more.

I sent out a request to these people who've found a home away from home. I asked them to tell me their stories.

Do I plan to live there for good?

My name is Fayette. Actually, it's Ma. Stephanie Katrina Nacua but yeah, Fayette. :) I'm currently a psychiatric nurse in Highfield Healthcare Ireland. I love Dublin but nothing will ever compare to Cebu. :)

My home is my FAMILY. 

There is no other greater driving force in my life than them. The best asset that I have so far is also them. No money or prestige could ever amount to familial love.

I am very lucky to have such supportive family members. I take no pride in money or success but in family’s love and closeness. All experiences with them are my best home memories so far. :)

I miss hugging and talking to my family.

I love the fact that we can talk for hours without even knowing and mostly I am in awe of how amazing my nephews and nieces are growing up with our guidance. I thank the Lord for that.

Another thing to miss are my beautiful friends. I don't have a lot but I know I have true ones. We don't get to see each other a lot but when we do, there's no gap felt. I miss learning about life and embracing adulting together. Life in Cebu is heartwarming.

Honestly, cooking and traveling is challenging for me.

Face it, I don't get both. I've lived all my life being told that food is already ready when I wake up thus I found no need to learn cooking and going to work and school were only one car ride away with my dad.

I'm not spoiled but I was well loved so don't get me wrong. I don't get what I want always but I was well taken care of so it may seem petty but those are my struggles.

I overcame my struggles through prayers and God-given strength alongside the help of friends here.

I needed to go solo so I set my mind in surviving but I know I was never left alone. I wanna thank Mr and Mrs. Claudius and Trishna Rama for adopting me as their own teenage daughter. Hahaha. Meant a lot. Really.

The sights, the scenery, the cold and the new culture is overwhelming but when you're such a private person, you couldn't even share the glam of it all through social media.

 You keep to yourself everything--- even the not so good sides.

You tell some your closests and they know how you struggled. Budgeting is difficult and trying not to spend is harder when you need also to go out when you're on your rest day to unwind (thrifty person here) and homesickness is inevitable. I'm glad I'm in the city now. Seeing a few more people walking alongside you makes you less alone psychologically.

I'm lucky to have good people around me. 

Supportive people who see potential in me yet knows my limitations in cooking and directions without condemnation. :) hahaha.

I have my long-term goal of moving to my dream country later on and settling will always be for my Philippines. Work hard outside and relax harder in Cebu! Haha.

Here are my parting words to people who want to embark on the same journey:

Trust in God’s plans. It's hard and I don't sugar coat but it will be better when you find the right people to journey with you. Feet on the ground always. Don't post too much, make success your subtle noise. :)

I am Dhan, a Registered Nurse in the United Kingdom.

I am passionate about my work. Because I love what I do, I have a steady source of motivation that drives me to do my best. My mantra, “Meraki” a word that modern Greeks often use to describe doing something with soul, creativity, and love - when you put something of yourself on into what you’re doing whatever it may be.

In my recent post (Trauma and Orthopaedic theatres), my passion has led me to challenge myself daily and learn new skills that helped me to do better at work through self-study and guided mentoring.

I am ambitious and driven. I thrive on challenges and constantly set goals for myself, so I have something to strive toward. 

I’m not comfortable with settling, and I’m always looking for an opportunity to do better and achieve greatness. I love to be challenged and makes my plans a vision. Currently, I am about to venture a completely different career path in Nursing - Oncology.

The best memory of home(Philippines) for me is our long Christmas preparations. 

As early as September, Filipinos put up Christmas decorations at home, Shopping malls play songs of carols with Christmas trees, balls and lights occupying every department’s store racks, the hearable street carolings and the gatherings/reunions that are of a great number.

Worst though, traffic is everywhere mainly because of mall-wide Christmas Sales; people rush to buy presents for the holidays. This is something that has been practiced by most Filipino households even before there were Jose Mari Chan and Mariah Carey memes announcing the first of September on social media. HAHA.

We have always been festive, I believe, and we like grabbing the opportunities to come together as a family to enjoy a generous spread of food on the table. And this is something I am gonna miss first time as an OFW.

To be honest, I was not really scared of anything. 

It was more of a zeal feeling and random anticipation. I believe I came prepared for this journey. Right from the very beginning, I have envisioned all my plans coming to life. Thus, scared is an understatement for someone who has dreamed this big.

Once you’ve set yourself a personal, specific and realistic goal like working overseas you should at least be half motivated to see it through. Although halfway through the journey towards conquering it, you may wilt a bit because of the challenges.

The best thing to do I believe is to remind yourself why you started in the first place. So when that moment comes to its pure joy, not rue you have to be facing.

We hear so much about the benefits of working overseas. 

Personal growth, new languages, new cultures, the traveling and shopping, the people you meet along the way. And although all of these are true and may sound glamorous, living overseas is definitely not all sunshine and rainbows.


There are some really tough obstacles that require time and effort to overcome.

I work in a demanding environment. We work long day shifts and it is true that sometimes you don't even get time to sit down, eat nor empty your bladder just to cater your patient's needs. My rest days are valuable to me because it is the only time for me to regain my strength back mentally and physically.

Alongside this, I miss my friends and my family. 

The weather shifts. The Socio-cultural alienation. This adulting thing.

Never did I find all the comforts of working overseas gratifying. It’s hard. There are moments where you feel an overwhelming amount of emotion that completely takes over any and all reason.

Nostalgia is not an overstatement for an OFW.

I truly miss the comfort of living in the Philippines.

Nevertheless, traveling has been my refuge during these times. It is true that the stress of work and daily demands can distract us from what we find to be actually meaningful and interesting.










Thus, taking a break from the daily hustle and bustle in theatres is essential for my mind to relax, recharge and rejuvenate.

 Stepping away from my nursing job is good both mentally and physically.

When I return to the job, I usually have the space to look at work-related matters with fresh eyes.

My favorite things about living in a first world country are its’ accessibility to transport (overground and underground trains, trams, buses, bikes etc) and the English peoples’ “famed-politeness”. 

First, Public transportation is far and wide, here and there, omnipresent. At some point, makes traffic, not of an issue. Having said this, made it easier for me to commute to work efficiently just by cycling without the hassle of pollution and gridlock.


Also, manners are said to be extremely important to British people and failing to observe them is seen as incredibly rude.


As a result, even the rudest of British people have some semblance of manners; they are fond of saying please, thank you and sorry.

The level of politeness among British people may surprise you at first as it’s certainly more prevalent than in some other countries.


Some of there famous lines are “Are you alright?” , “Bless your heart”, “Are you happy to do it/if I...”, “You’re a star!” etc. Eventually, you get to apply it to yourself and becomes second nature.


I have not actually thought about that (living for good) for now, perhaps when I am here longer.

Parting words for people who want to embark on the same journey?

Moving abroad for work takes careful preparation.

If you’re really contemplating international work, be sure to do plenty of research on the country and company and talk to others who’ve made the same move.

This is what I believe to be true, considering the culture shock, and rapid changes in everything like weather, people, work, food, and other unexpected occurrences, you’ll have no choice but to stay still.

Your pillows and blankets will become your temporary cronies, food, travel or shopping will become your stress-relievers, and most of all God will be your ultimate source of strength. Live and let live that’s all it is.

My name is Iara. I am currently in LA. I work in retail.

One of the memories that comes to my mind was that one Christmas when I used my Christmas money to put gas into our multicab so we (my whole family) can drive around the island. 

Home is where I also met my husband, Scott, so I have soooo many memories of us there. 

I wasn't able to go home for a while after moving to the US. So there were A LOT (people, things, food, places) that I miss, but the moment I came back was when I realized that the feeling of being home is what I actually missed. I hope that makes sense.

The scariest thing about leaving home is accepting the fact that everything and everyone goes on and I am not part of it anymore (physically).  

To know that when I come back, people and things/places won't be the same and I can't hold it against them, because everything changes. Even I changed.

Trying to navigate around those changes are definitely hard and I wouldn't say I have overcome it. All I can do is accept it and try to make the best of it.

Hi. I'm Jezzy. I'm currently living in Norway with my husband. At the moment, I'm a stay at home wife but I'm busy learning the language.

I miss my family, my friends, and my beautiful hometown.

Being away from your family is the scariest part of living abroad. Thinking that you will have no one to run to when you are lonely and in despair. And nobody will understand you because you are in a different dimension. But I began to meet new people and gain new good friends. It makes me feel like I'm home.

Living abroad isn't a fairytale come true. 

Being in a different world with a different culture and speaking a different language is hard. It takes patience, hardwork, and bravery to get to wake up everyday and still think positively about it.

Here in Norway, I love how I'm close to nature. 

I also learn new things everyday. I get to meet new people and most especially I am with the person I love.

Parting words?

I am not suggesting for you to marry a foreigner. Haha! Kidding aside. All you need is courage and be ambitious. Just believe in yourself that you can do more. And always have faith in God.

He was in the US Army and was stationed in Georgia for 3 years; we then came over to California when his contract finished. I am now working as a Behavior Interventionist in one of the school districts here in Orange County, California. 😊

My best memory of home is our fiestas. 

We celebrate fiestas on a provincial scale down to Sitios within barangays.

I love how everything is just so vibrant, loud, and fun. It’s a whole month of celebration too!

I remember how the sight of the banderitas hanging across electric posts throughout my tiny proud sitio of Pusok Cemento makes me all happy. It’s the perfect visual for me to let my brain know that we are in a celebration mode.

I also remember waking up very early in the morning over our neighbor’s loud music of Brother Louie and Touch by Touch, and then falling asleep to the sound of the mixes played for the disco-ral 🤣🤣🤣.

I miss just hanging out with my family and cousins to see the nightly entertainment during fiesta times. Eat Balot, tempura, green mangoes, peanuts, etc.

I miss the feeling of being surrounded by the people who love me and those I love the most.

My parents did not approve of me leaving the country. 

I had to ask my elder siblings to help me convince them to give me their blessing.

I am the baby in my family so I can understand why it was so hard for them to let me go. It wasn’t easy on my end too, I am very attached to my parents and I am very sheltered, leaving home would be stepping out of my comfort zone-extreme level.

The idea of being so far away from my protectors and acknowledging that I will be breaking their hearts if I leave was beyond scary.

I think to this day leaving the country was the boldest move I made in my entire life.

I found my peace in the thought that I will do great over here and make my family proud because of how much I have grown.

I immigrated to the states with nothing but the clothes in my bags.  

My husband on the other hand also had nothing because everything was provided by the Army for him(his housing and the food he eats).

In our first apartment, we had nothing. We are away from our family and friends. We didn’t get any hand me down furniture or anything to help us get started.

We slept on the floor, we had no chairs and we used the box of the cooking pots we bought as our dining table.

We used garbage bags as curtains to cover the windows.

Our resourcefulness was heavily tested during those times when we just started.

And after 10 weeks of playing house together, husband left for  Afghanistan and stayed there for 9 months. 

I was literally all by myself, spending the whole day thinking about my family back home and my husband in a hostile area. It was quite a change from being in a comfortable home surrounded by people who love you to an empty space by yourself.

I love how everything that my husband and I have now is all from our hard work. 

We literally started with nothing and now we are homeowners in Orange County, California. Looking back at how far we’ve come I say we have grown so much. Being away from family and having nobody else but each other made our bond stronger and our motivation to be successful greater. 

Parting words for people who want to embark on the same journey?

If you just started in a new place away from home it’s expected  that you’re having a difficult time right now so don’t be too hard on yourself.

It’s okay that you feel sad and angry, acknowledge those feelings and channel them to feed your motivation and your determination.

Acknowledge and celebrate your every success no matter how small-learning how to cook, do laundry, etc. Keep your positive attitude intact and you’ll be just fine. 😊 😆😆😆❤️

My name is Krista and I am working as a Senior Customer Service in one of the most prestigious airlines in Qatar.

Here's what I miss most about home: celebrating birthdays, Christmas, new year and festivals with family and friends. 

We tend to celebrate all of it regardless of what we have. We laugh, catch up and plan for the next occasion. Ahh, can’t wait to be there soon to celebrate with them again.

The scariest thing about leaving home is my kids not recognizing me as their mom. 

But I manage it by constantly calling them, video chats and going home once or twice a year.

Living abroad is not easy at all. I work, eat, sleep and repeat. People are sometimes not so good with you, but you need to stay for you to earn. I do all the things on my own while I need to pay a lot of bills from home.

We socialize less socialize coz you need to think what the family needs before spending each penny. I cry sometimes coz I just want to be with family and cherish every single time with them but it’s not possible coz I am also doing what something for their future.

I don't have plans of living here for good. 

But the good thing is since I work in the airline industry, I get to travel the world so easily.

Parting Words?

Be strong and have plans. We never know when or what will happen to us as we go to this path. Pray, love and have faith. God is guiding us all the way.

Ako si Joan Gungob dakong taga Pusok Cemento LLC, Cebu City. Naa ko karon sa Netherlands, The Hague usa ko ka au pair diri sa pamilyang Buma.

Ang akong dakong pamilya nga perming saba og ang manok nga alingogog--- mao na akong best memory. Ang akong pinakamingaw sa tanan ang Pasko jud kay wala jud makapildi sa Pasko sa Pilipinas 😢😢😍😍😍

Ang pinakahadlok nga ning biya ko kay abi kog dili ko makatindog sa akong kaugalingon nga wala akong ginikanan sa akong duol nga masangpit dayon kung naay kinahanglan.

Apan dugay nako diri dawas sa nasud og naning kamot hihapon mong barog nga naa kompyansa sa kaugalingon ako kining gibuntog sa pamaagi og tawag sa pamilya kundi mag luto og pagkaong pinoy bisag kulang ang mga sangkap. Lipay na ko og akong tiyan.



Daghang tao gahuna huna nga kung maka abroad datu na dayon, daghang kwarta, wala sila kahibaw nga wala jud mi na ipon para sa among kaugalingon kay among gihina hunaang among pamiya sa Pinas.

Kanang picture nga madanihon og nindot? 

Tsk kana kay ganahan sad tawn mi maka bati sa among gihagoan nga usahay usahay amo sad hatagan og pagtagad among kaugalingon. Kay ang among huna huna og kasing kasing naa sa among Pamilya sa pinas. Lisod manginabuhi diri sa gawas kay (DEPRESSION IS REAL) naagian ko na nga kalitnlang ka og hilak,dili ka ganahan mong kaon og labaw sa tanan dili ka ganahan mong gawas kay lagi gimingaw ka sa imong pamilya. Silence is so loud that it creeps me out.😢😢😔😔😔

On the flip side, what's your favorite thing about your new home?

Sa akong bagong napuyan karon sa pamilya Buma diri Sa Netherland kay gi hagan ko nila og pagtagan nga usa kapamilya. Girespeto ko nila og labi na sa tanan gihatagan ko nila og higugma❤️❤️❤️

Do you plan to live there for good?

Wala pa sad koy planong mong puyo diri sa pagkakaron.

Parting words for people who want to embark on the same journey as you.

Make God as the center of your journey. Think twice and never forget where you came from. Stay strong and most of all, enjoy it because you never live once. (None believer of YOLO) 

Hi, you can call me Anon, based in the Desert City Dubai. A sales coordinator/go-to girl in the office; aka tita ng lahat at doraemon ng opisina.

The thing I miss most about home is Mang Inasal.

Like literally stuffing yourself with all the unli rice you can finish, while laughing with your friends or family, racing on who got the most cups. There's something about food at home, may it be in a pungko-pungko or a crowded Starbucks; there is always someone to share with.

Here outside the country, as most people are so busy with their own jobs and lives; sometimes it's hard to find a coordinated time with anyone. And oh, those quiet days when you can just sit at home, open the windows and let the breeze come in while you take a nap.

The scariest part about leaving home is being out of your comfort zone. You gotta have a high level of tolerance.

For us Filipinos, tolerance seems to be a negative word, but in this place its actually even celebrated. You will meet people from different races, or even from the same country; but later on, you'll realize how diverse each are in terms of character and norms.

Social culture shocked. Or maybe shookt.

In the Philippines, delicadeza sounds very decadent...outside the country, I have learned to toughen up, accept criticism, be patient and open myself to widening my acceptance and understanding even if its out of my comfort zone.

The most difficult thing about living abroad?

Work. Lots of work. I only get one day off and sometimes I'm even amazed how a 24 hour can go so fast, especially if you just wanna stay at home and rest and sleep. That makes me appreciate hard-earning OFWs who do everything just for their families.

I hope people back home realize that its not all rainbows and roses here...and that a Skype call wouldn't be limited to just asking about how much will be the next tuition transfer, or the new shoes, or when will be the next out of town trip when your loved one comes home.

Although technology has helped people to get in touch with love ones from miles away, I think we've lost touch of how a simple how are you, kamusta ka na, kumain ka na ba really matters...

Accessibility is my fave thing about Dubai.

 Although the rent is crazy (like imagine paying 10000 pesos for a bunk bed in a 6 person room); being in an area where you can literally just walk up to the nearest supermarket/mall and having a good metro system is heaven-sent (no shade to the 3 hour Mandaue-Compostela route I used to take.no shade).

Another is being able to help when people really need help.

Sometimes, because youre pressured to save because you dont wanna go home with nothing, whenever something comes up back at home you can easily help out financially. Especially when youre a 20 something who's not really required to bust their ass just to put bread to the table, you'll be amused on how much growth a person can get, just because of a fresh perspective on how responsibility works when you're far away from home.

Living here for good? Nope. 

I'm turning 28 next year, and miraculously sometime after I turned 25; I finally made up my mind where to build a home; it's not on a snowy cabin somewhere north, nor a high rise building, or well known subdivision.

In my mind I find myself in a lovely wooden shack in Camotes Island, free from the pressures of the world,  as I write love notes to my future self.

Parting words for people who want to embark on the same journey

RUN.

Just kidding!

It's the exact opposite--- it's to slow down enjoy life as it is.

I think most millennials can agree, because of the pressure of having to prove myself and make a name out of something, I was so desperate to try out new things, change my mind the moment I see something greener, give up when I felt like nothings working.

I was moving too fast. Wanting to go out of the country too fast.

I realized wait up--- I've actually missed out on life as I passed by through it.

I came from an OFW family with my dad being in the PH for a few days maybe only after a year or two,  and now being an OFW myself, there are moments when I wish I could just be me as I was back home..scrambling to get a jeepney to be on a cousins birthday, having tanduay ice with my friends after their break ups, being an un-absentee ninang or just go to the neighbors house and have a laugh.

But life is how you make of it, and home is where you wanted it to be. No matter where you find yourself in the world, stay grounded..just live life how you wanted it to be.