Written by: TAS
Like the lovely citizens of the Philippines, the people of Gaza are friendly, hardworking, devoted, and have strong family values, so I have never felt out of my element while I was there. But due to the unrelenting genocide that is still being committed against the Palestinian people, I was forced out of Gaza after seeing so many atrocities being committed by the IDF (the Israeli Defense Force) and witnessing war crimes unfold right before my eyes by there hands, and unlike my friends who weren’t so lucky to have a another citizenship and a government that looks out for them, I was able to find safety and more importantly, a hope for a better future back in my home country.
Returning back to the Philippines after spending years abroad was so exciting yet a bit nerve wrecking experience. On one side I had the great opportunity to reconnect with my roots and experience life in the Philippines with all its glory, but on the other hand, having to readjust and rebuild my life all over again presented a hard and unique challenge.
The Challenges:
Culture shock
One of the first hurdles I faced was reverse culture shock, while its true that both countries share a lot of common cultural attributes, they still both have special aspects that makes them unique. And after spending so much time abroad I found that I have grown accustomed to the different ways of life than here in the Philippines. Local customs, social norms, and even climate in the Philippines, had all something different that I had to adjust too making it difficult to feel at home immediately.
Bureaucracy
After returning to the Philippines I had to deal with local bureaucratic processes, which were often slow and tiresome, from getting official documents to setting up utilities, those tasks took so much longer than expected.
Discrimination
While the people of the Philippines are kind and friendly, I had a very hard time finding a job here, after applying to so many companies in fields that I was a very good candidate for, I was so shocked to be shot down at the late stages of the hiring process just because I wasn’t “pure” Filipino or even just because of my religion, these experiences though hard, hurtful and I might even say scaring, haven’t changed my view about the people here, but I was still heavily impacted all the same.
Opportunities
Despite the challenges I had a great time here in my home country and the chance to do a lot of thing that weren’t available anywhere else.
Rediscovering my roots.
Returning to the Philippines after so long was a great opportunity to reconnect with my cultural heritage, and to engage in local traditions, festivals, and cuisine that I have missed out on, this experience was really fulfilling and satisfying, it provided me with a great sense of belonging.
A growing economy
One of the major things I have noticed here is that areas in the Philippines are in constant development, there are always projects undergoing somewhere, and when one finishes another begins. And as the wheel of economic development stays in motion and expands, it continues to present wonderful opportunities for entrepreneurs and chance for a successful career.
A new purpose.
After returning to the Philippines I found myself extra motivated to give back to my community. I started considering volunteer work, and starting my own business. I have found new goals to work towards and achieve, and with finding my new self, along came a nice sense of clarity, peace of mind, and excitement. The Philippines offered me a way of life that is less stressful than other countries and a much more comfortable and rewarding life style.
Despite the undeniable challenges and hardships that I have faced and still facing, I still was able to find the opportunity for personal growth and career advancement, I was able to reinvent myself into something better, something that left me want to also give back to my community, the community that embraced me despite my long absence from home, a community that in my darkest times never abounded me.
And for that, I will always be grateful to belong to this wonderful nation, and most and importantly, I will always be proud to call myself a Filipino.
