Living far away from my family taught me so many things in life. Human nature is, we would always say we know already what to do if we will be facing a new situation but the funny thing is that when this time came and when it is just in front of us we would utter “Oooops, what am I going to do now?” “Whom can I turn too?” “What advise can you give me?”
The problem is that when we are inside our comfort zone we act as if we are “life geniuses” only to find out when we took the first step to go out that we are as coward as anyone can imagine! “Coward snail!” as they call it.
Each one of is guilty of it in one way or another. I myself is a living example! I thought I can do it myself even in toughest time! I was brought up to be tough and excel in whatever things that I want to do. But life isn't all about toughness! Not even about excellence at all times!
Being in Singapore without my dear husband with me was the biggest challenge I have to face. I told myself, this time I need to do things on my own, no husband to help me, no husband to comfort me in times of failures, no husband whom I know stands beside me and will surely listen to all my complaints in life. Everyday it will always cross my mind should I still stay here and finish my contract or just pack all my things and go back to Philippines.
The loneliness in Singapore is killing me softly everyday. Thinking that I left my two kids, sometimes I would ask myself is it really all worth it?
With work I have nothing to complain, everything is just a piece of cake! What else can make it even harder than working in Philippines #1 most admired company, Jollibee hahaha! But at the end of each very tiring day when I reach home, nothing to look forward to, no kids standing at the door waiting for their mom to come and asking "Do you have anything for me mom?" No husband to ask me "How's work mom?" After work I would just go to my bed and sleep and wait for the day to pass and hoping that time will run fast so that two years will be over.
The sound of silence is making me like a deaf.
Hours, days, months had passed. Everybody thought that I was able to move on and coped up already. What people don't know is that behind the big smile that I wore each day hides an empty heart, longing for my family. Before it can be called a day for me, I need to shed gallons of tears again. And it is only the four corners of my room who get to witness it every night.
Singapore isn't about bad memories for me. Don't be misled with that, as I am just sharing to you how it was when I started my life there. Singapore brought me so much joy too that I had always been thankful for. I never felt that I am different when I came there. Singaporeans embraced me like I am one of them, I never felt that I am a “third class citizen” there. Everyday I get to feel the love that they have for me. But after a happy day of working and fantastic memories that would be written in my heart, the agony of longingness will come alive again! Haaizzz! When will this end? I don't know too.
What is sure to me is that these few words helped me to learn how to be strong when I was away:
“Lord, help me to be out of this woods, help me to be out of this dark tunnel and escape the fear of being alone. Let me always remember Your promise that I should never be afraid for You will always be beside me and will carry me if I'll be tired of walking. Let me see the richness of life that I've chosen. Help me to realize how lucky I am above the rest. Help me to be tougher each day though I am far from my loved ones. Teach me to appreciate the friends that You gave me and to continue to live each day to the fullest. Let me be thankful for I got eyes to see the beauty of Your creation, for there are blind people who can only embrace it, let me be thankful for I got ears to hear the birds singing for the deaf would love to sing with them if only they can hear, let me be thankful that I have a tongue, so I can speak the truth and utter Your promises! Let me be thankful for everything! I may not be Your worthy servant but You always work in my life!”
I am fortunate, I am blessed and I am loved!
I was born on a cool, rainy Saturday on June 11 1977 in Manila. I am the eldest daughter of my parents Ed & Rory Domingo. I have one sister, Carla Bianca. I am now happily married to my husband Joey Jasper. We've been together as a couple for 6 years now and was blessed with two wonderful kids, Julianne Andrea ( aka RAIN ) 5 and now on her first grade, and Jamil Reginald ( aka SHINE ),2.
I started school when I was four. I went to kindergarten through secondary one at St. James College of Quezon City. I was able to finish the last three years of my secondary school at St. Patrick School with flying colors! This is also where I was able to learn how to get out of my shell completely and bloomed! I became very confident and I was given the chance to shine in this school. I involved myself in almost all the activities and never wasted time. I worked hard and prove everyone that I can excel and God rewarded all my hard works. I graduated Valedictorian that paved way to better opportunities in College.
I took up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
Taking up that course was really not in my heart back then but due to the love that I have for my parents especially my dad, I followed his advises and enrolled myself. It was really a pain in my heart then but what can I do? As they always say, “Parents' knows best!” I wanted to take up Communication Arts as I really wanted to be working in public, talk and share all the things that I know not to mention that I also look forward of knowing more things about life. Though I studied Accountancy, it never stopped me to dream and continue to do what I really want in life. I started to look for ways how I can be with people, and not just to spend the rest of the day computing for net income, net loss and balancing the trial balance which my course requires me to do. At 17, I worked in a quick service restaurant, Jollibee and Mc Donalds' as a service staff. Working there allowed me to meet new people whom later became my friends, customers whom I can get to ask how their day was, and made them smile through my service.
From then on I told myself, “This is what I really want to do and soon I will make it big!”
After college, I joined the first company who believed in me, Jollibee. I worked as an Administrative Assistant for a very short time and later became a manager. Having held this position, I get continue the things that I always love doing. And with my 8 years of stay in the company I met a lot of friends whom up to now I still communicate with, learned a lot of humbling experiences and touched hundreds of lives through my words and actions which I only found out when I was about to leave my second home. When the people that I get to work with started saying, “Thank you for all the things that you have told me!” “I learned a lot from you! “ “Thanks for inspiring me to be a better person.”
It was only then that I realized
“Hey! Am I really that sensible? Am I really making miracles in their lives?”
I continued to search for the meaning of life when after I left Jollibee in 2007, I joined Pizza Hut Singapore in the same year. Leaving my family was really a hard decision for me but I told myself that I am doing this not for any simple reason but for them and to rediscover myself. It was very difficult to live alone and my experiences in Singapore thought me a lot of things.
I thought I was doing well already in any aspects of my life but when I started to make my first step I learned that what I think I knew is not even half of my full potential. I am drowned in loneliness when I came to this country but still I never let this emotional crisis bring me down. I spent the idle hours of my day writing. I started to write how I feel and shared everyone my life experiences through writing blogs. I am not sure how many readers get to open my blog spot but I did it to get out from the hot water that is drowning me.
In Singapore, I met a lot of new people, different races, different folks, different strokes! But God was so good to me and He never left me in my new endeavor. He blessed me with new good friends, supportive boss and loving staffs! Unconsciously, I never expected that I am starting to touch peoples' lives again and inspire them to be on their best everyday. I never did it in purpose but their overflowing love for me measured how much I became part of their lives.
And now that I am back with my family, I wanted to continue the journey that I started and I want you to be part of it. I am working in an international language school now as a teacher and is starting to learn something new again. It may be a new career for me, another humble beginning to start, but I am happy and excited because I am with new people, new experiences, new learnings! I just love LEARNING! This will mean new things for me to share to all of you. May you be inspired with all the life experiences stories that I will be writing in the future.
May it touch your lives in one way or another and learn from it.
Read and be part!
