OFW Diaries 1 : Behind The Scenes

Hello, friend.

The trip that changed my life, August 2017.


As a human being, I am amazed by planes. It sounds stupid but I'm fascinated by the smallest things.

Subconscious: haha you're funny, you think a plane is a small thing.

Well yes, for starters you can easily transport to any part of the world..

Subconscious: yeah, as long as they have a runway. Or if you want to be a hero, the Hudson river lol.

But for me, the awesome thing is that...you can fly...relative to the earth, of course. I have always lived my life looking up in the sky every time a plane passes by, thinking why I'm not on it, flying.

Growing up as a kid, my family didn't have much. My dad had to work overseas for almost 10 years. Because of that, I spent a few times a year in airports. Either just waiting, or sending off my dad to his country of destination. I never knew how it looked like inside. And I always wondered.

It was 2005 when I first had my very own plane ride. It's a domestic flight to Cebu. Back then I was extremely afraid of heights so I was expecting a lot of anxiety and vomitting.

Subconscious: so... did you???

No. It was the complete opposite. I had a really great time, and my exact thoughts were it was just like riding a bus. Easy peasy.

Subconscious: okay, so uhmm.. why are you telling us this story?

Up to this very moment, I have lived 26 years, 2 months, 2 days, and 4 hours of my life.

Subconscious: woah, goosebumps. While you're reading this, you're now fully aware that you're wasting every second of your life.

And as you may already know, growing up is hard. Being an adult is a b*tch. Every once in a while, you hit a bump in the road. Sometimes it takes you a longer while to recover and pick yourself up, other times you just crawl through and call it a day.

When I have bad days, I always look back to the times when my old self didn't know where I'll be right now. I look back to that happy, vomit-free girl having her first ever plane ride.

Subconscious: okay, really, WHY???

Ten years later, in June 2015, I was 7 months into my second job. That time I was already at the verge of insanity for being bored to death. The problem was that I couldn't afford to be unemployed and I didn't have the energy to start over looking for a new position again. So, with no single plan in hand, the universe decided to align the stars for me and gave me a kiss in the cheeks.

I received a suspicious email from this guy who calls himself Ganesan. He's a recruiter for an offshore company whose name will not be mentioned. Not because it's a scam, but because it's where I'm working now 😊 But that's jumping off to the end of this story.

Turned out this guy was offering me to work for one of their major clients, DHL, in Malaysia. And I was like, okay woah so back off a bit, don't toy with me. But it's true, just like that, God handed me over one of the dreams I always had. I didn't even need a resume.

Subconscious: but wait, you said that offer was in 2015. And you also said you've only been in MY 6 months. Seems like something's not adding up, you think?

I went through the interview and passed with flying colors. This is it, my dreams. I signed the contract. I was so sure I'm going to take the job. I told everyone about it - my friends, family, colleagues. They were already planning a send off party for me. One of them even cried. Although until now I'm not sure if he's just really sad to see me go or just drunk. But I. Was. Sure. Until I wasn't.

Subconscious: whaaaaat? What happened??!!?

Everything was happening too fast, I didn't have the chance to let it sink in first. From the moment I signed the contract, they asked me to fly in one month. One month. It's like I had to say goodbye to 24 years of my life in one month. When it finally hit me, I just broke down and cried my heart out.

The next morning, I was scheduled for a medical exam. My mom came to my room reminding me of my appointment. And I said, yeah I'll get ready. But I didn't. With tears still in my eyes, I found the courage to come up to my parents and told them I'm not going.

Subconscious: .................... ...... ..... I have no words for you...

So just like that, I passed on one of the greatest things that has ever happened to my life and let it slip through my fingers. But it wasn't all bad. The silver lining is they granted my request to be assigned in their Manila office instead. Still employed ✌

God works in ways unknown to the human mind. I always hold on to that. Maybe it was my choice to stay and let the opportunity pass, but I knew my story doesn't not end there. I went on with my life and lived the best out of it. I excelled in my new job, traveled to places I can't even remember how many, had the most amazing experiences with the people closest to my heart, and most importantly - I had the time to sit and think about what I really wanted to do with my life.

Shots by the greatest @carloniere, this is one of the many nights in 2015 that makes me not regret staying.

Fast forward to 2017, I finally made up my mind and decided to chase after my dreams. It seemed like the stars have been always aligned and they're just waiting for me to reach out. My manager agreed to relocate me in Malaysia.

Bowling with the team.


The thought of moving to a new country awoken the girl inside me who loved flying. But I'm not a girl anymore. I can't make big life decisions just because it excites me. This time I have to be wise about it. Wise, but not perfect.

Subconscious: you said you're looking back to the old you because of a bump in the road....

This is just the beginning of my story ☺

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This is a series of post about my journey away from home. Wish me luck!

Cheers!