Laragway in Hiligaynon (a dialect in our province, the Negros Island) means an image or a figure. These random images of the human faces were photographed by my husband over the course of a few years using a well-loved hand-me-down Canon EOS 1000D.
“When you photograph a face, you photograph the soul behind it.” – Jean Luc-Godard.
I’ve been quiet for a while but no cause for worry. I am perfectly fine, taking life one day at a time. I did not intend for this intro to rhyme but why not it has a nice chime. Haha! Please forgive my poetic skills or the lack thereof.
I have meant to change the name of this blog but every time I come up with something it has already been taken by someone else. Sigh. This process reinforced a life lesson that you can’t always have what you want. Instead of wasting energy on being frustrated and forcing things that are not meant to be, just accept the situation and find alternative ways to make it work.
I can imagine how anxious and worried my husband and our families were while I was flying home. I was travelling alone after all at 34 weeks pregnant on a long-haul flight. I was pretty scared too but thankfully, I was in good hands (or should I say airlines).
I’m certainly not the first one to do this and I would like to give props to the amazing mommies who hurdled the long hours of flight, lay-overs and security checks without the comfort of their partners and only had themselves and the kind people they encountered along the way.
I booked an economy class airfare from Cathay Pacific for my Dubai-Manila-Dubai journey last year. As it is Hong Kong’s flag carrier, there was a short layover at Hong Kong International Airport.
I was already content because the airline has one of the most generous legrooms at 32 inches for long-haul economy flights.
But, sometimes, pleasant surprises come along.
As promised, here are some of our photos.
We didn’t have an official photographer or had a professional shoot before or after the ceremony. We just took turns taking photos of ourselves and those photos where we’re both in were taken by our good friend who was with us on our wedding day.
I know, I know. I’ve been gone for too long. But here I am now back to digitally recording my life. No promises still, as I might just be on hiatus again.
Guess what?! I got hitched! Yep, as in married. I am scared and anxious but more of excited as I venture into this new world of being a Mrs., a wife and in the near future, a mother. What I realized is that no matter how you prepare, you will never be ready until you’re already there. You learn as you go through life and every experience is an opportunity to grow. I am delighted and blessed that I will be sharing my life with someone whom I know will be there for me no matter what, who will nurture and support me, who will question my decisions when they’re questionable, who will never get tired listening to my musings and miseries, someone who will be joyful and proud of every little triumphs I will achieve, someone who will hold my hand on any given day and just be there.
I love how kind of muted the colors are. ♥
Of course, I am not dismissing the fact that there will be days that we won’t always be in love with each other, there will be times that we will be annoyed at each other and days that we just want to be left alone. But I also know in my heart that we will see it through because our love and commitment will always be there and that He is always there to guide and strengthen us. I hope to share more of this journey here.
P.S. I’ll be posting our photos on my next entry. 🙂
It is my birth month!
Though I find growing old a bit depressing, I quite like the fact that I’ve grown wiser (I’d like to think I did) over the years. I attribute most of it from the time that I left home and lived on my own in a foreign land.
I’m not planning on becoming an advice guru but here are a few things I realized for every year that went by.
YOU’LL NEVER BE IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE FOREVER
We all feel safe and secured in our little nests that we almost always reject change. We cringe at the idea of having to adjust and move away from what we have been so used to that we deny ourselves the chance to grow and experience new things. It takes courage to break that safety wall that we have built. Once you’re out and have gone through the worst phase of adjustment, you’ll feel liberated. You’ll thank yourself for taking that risk. As they say, ‘there’s no forever’, so be bold, take chances and embrace the fact that life is full of uncertainties.
WEEPING IS FOR THE WEAK
Or maybe not. At some point in our life we’ll feel defeated and discouraged that everything we have envisioned is not just happening no matter how hard you try or think you have tried. It is ok to breakdown and feel vulnerable and experience all this kinds of emotion. To feel is to be human. But let this be a motivation that you will carry on despite all the odds.
I always knew that I wanted to live and work abroad. I’ve had that idea at the back of my head for a long time but I just didn’t know when and how it will happen.
Then came March 2014 when I knew it was finally time. I got really determined after receiving the unfortunate news of Mat’s denied working visa application to a colder part of the world. Though it wasn’t personally mine, it was a vital step to achieving our life goals. After that heartbreak, we tried another path but it seemed that there was something else meant for us, for me.
So to cut the story short, I arrived here in the deserts of Dorne on a cold and windy winter morning of November 2014.The universe conspired for me to be here. Back home I literally had zero savings at that time, not even a single peso in my pocket. But things will happen if it’s meant to be. I have always believed that. So by His faithfulness and my father’s generosity (through his retirement money), I was able to fund my plan to be an OFW. Hurray!
I was scared and had a lot of questions but definitely excited for the whole new experience. After more than a month of job hunting and several cries for financial help from home, I landed a job in a real estate company where I met my sisters by heart (I’ll write about them soon).
The struggle is real. This is a popular line I usually encounter which became true for me when I was already here. I was culture-shocked, from the environment to the weather, people, language and way of living among others. I didn’t know what I was feeling that time and it was difficult for me to process. I felt alienated by all of it. I dismissed the feeling of homesickness as I did not want to go home just yet and put all my efforts (and my parents’) in vain.
For 26 years, it was my very first time to move out from the comforts of our home and be really independent. I’ve been here for almost two years now – the longest I have been away from my family. A lot of realizations poured in and I am proud to say that I have survived the first few rounds and will continue to hurdle the succeeding ones. Every waking moment in this sandy pasture is a day full of promise. A promise that someday, I’ll be able to live the life that I have imagined for myself and my family and that at the end of this journey I will be stronger and wiser.
P.S. It takes a lot of courage, strength and maturity to be an OFW. I salute all those who have been working away from home enduring all those lost years with their loved ones. Hindi po biro ang inyong pinagdadaanan. Mabuhay po kayong lahat!
P.P.S. Mat-Mat is my Jon Snow, my soul mate and my destiny. 🙂 ❤
So yeah, finally, I now have a blog.
This is just actually a virtual version of my long overdue diary. I have always liked the idea of documenting the significant moments of my life but laziness get to me every time I attempt to write in my journal. Perhaps lack of confidence is also one reason. You see, I’m not really good at writing but I love to read (all thanks to J.K. Rowling and some old pocketbooks at home) and I wish I started earlier.
There will be no theme for my entries as this blog will be a medium for my random musings as an expat trying to fit in and survive here in the vast and extremely hot (during summer) yet exciting desert of ‘Dorne’.
This is a milestone for me, so I’m pretty excited about how this will go. I hope I’ll be able to keep up.
And oh, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Here’s a moon cake for you.
Ciao for now!
Mundanely Yours 