From the Philippines to Aotearoa

I am writing this short essay before 2023 ends. I’d be most probably cooking all day on the 31st, so what best time to do this but now?

Here goes.

2023 is a roller coaster ride – and the most exciting year of my life YET.

I left JG Summit – my second home for almost seven years. Had a job for six months at the largest mining company in the world – cut my contract short as my visa for NZ was approved. Worked as a part time assistant baker at a French bakery for a month – this was a surprise and a delight! Now working for the same company as my husband’s – never imagined we’d be co-workers ever but here we are!

Life indeed is full of surprises. AJ and I finally moved to a new country and we left behind everything that was familiar to us: our family and friends, our previous jobs, our previous life.

We’re surrounded by a language we’re not that confident in and a culture that weren’t ours. I was uncomfortable at least once every single day. But that’s the thing with moving to a new country: You are forced out of your comfort zone and left exposed before the world.

BUT for the first time, I truly felt the freedom to be a whole new me. It was as terrifying as it was enchanting, and yet it also made me feel so alive.

Nobody here expected anything of me. There were no preconceived notions about who I was or what I should be doing. Here, I am just another face in a small busy town. It is liberating and exciting and exhausting and it made me feel tiny and insignificant, yet so utterly free! 

It also helped that our first move was to New Zealand too. People here are so kind and polite – during my first walk around town, everyone’s greeting us a ‘good morning/afternoon’, or making small talk about the weather. Nobody has ever been rude to me! People are not afraid to make eye contact, smile, and wish you a good day.

It's a laid-back country too! People don't expect too much, so the work-life balance emphatically favors 'life'. Five minutes before the end of my shift – they’ll ask me to pack so I can go home at the exact time. Yes! People are so relaxed – they are walking around in barefoot! You don’t have to dress to impress. Another yes!

And it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world – it is the prettiest place I’ve ever been. It has an amazing range of mountains, rainforests, lakes and coastlines, glaciers and deserts. You don’t have to ‘pay’ to enjoy. You can pack a bag and camp beside the river, hike a mountain trail for a few hours, swim at the lake, go on a picnic at the countless parks all around, take a walk or just nap under the tree while listening to the chirping birds.

It's the best country that suits AJ's personality as he loves nature, and hikes. While I fell in love with the peace and quiet, and the slow pace of everyday life.

Well..I still have a lot to write but this seems long enough for one Facebook post.

So to end this short essay – I just wanted to say, again, Thank you God.

Every moment of existence is a grace.

Thank you for all the opportunities and for teaching us the value of resilience and adaptability.

For giving me so much joy in the challenge of creating an updated – and, hopefully, better – version of myself.

To 2024 – CHEERS! 🥂