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.