Category: United States

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In Our Season of Rest  

Joy. Gratitude. Humility. This smile I have on in this picture was, in actuality, a boisterous, animated laugh coming from a deep well of delight that if you heard, you would most definitely think I have lost my mind. This smile is a summary of the joy God has brought to my heart these last … Continue reading In Our Season of Rest  

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Subtle Lies

Green Card About a month ago, I watched this Filipino TV show where a friend of the heroine suggested a solution to her problem: marry an American guy to get a green card. She is conflicted about this advice because she considers marriage sacred. So she goes to church to pray about it. She sees … Continue reading Subtle Lies

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* Part II: A reflection of the time I left home as an Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW. Filipino workforce is the number one export of the Philippines. You can read Part I here.* Arriving In A Strange Land It was bright. Yet the room was dimly lit. Everything was so vivid to me. I … Continue reading Stay

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* Part I: A reflection of the time I left home as an Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW.  Filipino workforce is the number one export of the Philippines.* It was dark. Nothing was visible. All seemed to have disappeared. Darkness enveloped everything that night. Thick. Heavy. Felt as though it was waiting to swallow me … Continue reading Leave

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On Thanksgiving: Counting My Blessings

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Thanksgiving is a tradition I was not familiar with while growing up. It’s not celebrated in the Philippines as an official holiday like it is in the States. While Filipino Christians may be familiar with this practice, the average Filipino is not aware of such occasion.

And so, it is a fairly new tradition for me but I have come to really love and enjoy observing it.

I still clearly remember my first Thanksgiving celebration. It was during my first year in the States while living with six other girls, fondly called the Taylor girls by everyone in our community, in one house. We all decided to rough it up and drive to Maryland, to one of the girls’ aunt’s home. Continue reading “On Thanksgiving: Counting My Blessings”

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In Running After My American Dream

A few weeks ago, a friend left for the States on a new teaching opportunity. She is not the first one of my friends to leave for the US after I myself left my hometown for Windsor, North Carolina. Yet for some reason I seem to be re-living that episode in my life when I found out about her trip. I began retracing my steps from where I am now to my journey not too long ago.

My father was the one who sowed the seed of the American dream in me. I was in high school when he showed me a newspaper article about how American schools would need foreign teachers to come and teach in the next few years. He said if I decide to be a teacher, this can be my chance to go and have a better life.

I came from a financially struggling family. So I wanted that better life, the American dream, but I wasn’t sure about the teaching part.
Continue reading “In Running After My American Dream”