by Jec Chua
For me, in every where you will go, the true beauty of the place lies on how great its people are. Living in a foreign country for over a month was quite difficult but because of friends every single of our stay there felt like home.
Singapore served as an alternative to the great "American Dream" to most Filipinos who bravely left the country in search of a better life. Even though I'm a living proof that there are domestic opportunities available to explore, the question of sustainability and reciprocity still exist that's why there are a lot of great Filipino talents leaving the country and choosing to work overseas. (I salute those people with brave hearts.)
I experienced the magic of being a Filipino living in a foreign land with a lot of familiar faces. Maybe, where ever you may go, as long as there are Pinoys around - you're SAFE.
Meet the Ranara Family. Mygz and Erik are one of the nicest people on earth. Honestly, before I went to Singapore, I didn't even know them but they accepted me in their home with wide open arms. Mygz is one of Dj's friends in the music scene. She used to be a band artist (member of "Butong Pakwan"). When we are trying to find a place to stay in SG, she offered her place and didn't ask anything in return. No wonder her family is so blessed, they have a big heart. I'll be forever thankful to Mygz and Erik for sharing their home with us. We always feel welcome and they treated us like family even though we are totally strangers to them. The kids are great too. I know U1 and Ia will grow up as kind as the couple since they are really raising them well.
Meet the Kusina Masters Shela Mae and Melody. Just like Dj and I, these two lovely girls crashed to the Ranara's place. These ladies are like my instant sisters in Singapore. I learned a lot from them. From speaking the Visayan dialect to how to cook and bake. We also had a lot of girl talks every once in a while and gosh, we always sleep late because of those chika sessions. I am so proud of these two girls and I'm always praying that they will always be safe and I hope that they will find what they are looking for in that place.
Arch. Chaine and Arch. Sherwin. This sweet couple served as our tour guides in Singapore. It was really nice to meet these two since I'm always hearing their names from Dj. They are my boyfriend's former classmates in college who are now working in Singapore. Filipino talents in the field of Architecture and Design are really respected in Singapore because of their professionalism and amazing eye for design and this couple and the rest of Dj's friends from the University who are now in Singapore are continually impressing the foreigners with their remarkable talent. I'm always telling Dj that I'm so happy because he got great set of friends. Even though I didn't have much time to get to know this two really well, I can feel the goodness of their hearts and it felt like I've known them forever. Thanks Chaine and Sherwin.
This picture was taken 2 days before we left Singapore. Dj's Archi friends treated us out on a movie and then we headed straight at Makasuntra Gluttons Bay for dinner. The guy's name is Roy and that pretty girl in white is JC. We shared a train ride going home with Roy since we are headed the same direction. Roy did some pep talk and it really helped us regain our confidence. Thanks for that wonderful night everyone!
Czarina and Mark. I don't have a photo of them that's why I just stole one from their facebook account. :D
Mark is Dj's friend from college and that's his girlfriend Cza. Surprisingly, Cza is my blog partner -Ruru's high school friend. Small world huh? I love this couple. They have a lot of stories to tell and they are really nice. We had a wonderful night chatting with them and their stories really inspired us.
Joy, Rinoa and Emjey. I don't know why we don't have a picture together. Out all of the people I mentioned in this post, these three are my only original friends. Most of the people I met in SG are Dj's friends. I love these girls.
Emjey is my former teammate in debate in UST. She's one of my closest friends in the debate circle and we shared a lot of memories together. I didn't expect that we will also share a lot of things together in a foreign land. Thanks Emjey.
Joy and I are destined to be friends! We share a lot of things in common. I'm proud of Joy, I know she's going to make it big in all of her endeavors. Dj and I really enjoyed our moments at the park the night before we left. We are really looking forward seeing Joy again in the future.
Rinoa is one of my swimming buddies. We spent a wonderful afternoon together with two other kids we just met at the pool. Too bad, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Rinoa and the kids I met at Kovan ( Vince and Vinny). Good thing facebook exist, I can still keep in touch with everyone.
I know, they're not Filipinos but surely they are at heart. These are Dj's foreign friends and they are truly amazing. Thanks for all the wonderful memories we shared and thank you for taking good care of Dj. He learned a lot from all of you and he really misses spending his days with you.
I know that we already left Singapore and we don't know if we will ever go back to that place we consider our second home. Despite the distance that exist between us and our friends in SG, the friendship will remain. And we do hope that our paths cross again in the future. Thanks for the memories. We will cherish it forever.
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