Mindanao Advice

When I was a kid, a fortuneteller told my mother that my destiny is in a foreign land. Of course, she didn’t believe it and took it as a sweet joke. But I believed it in a way because I was reading too many Viking romance novels and dreaming about a blonde warrior prince to take me away to the Norwegian fjords 🙂

When I graduated from college, I applied for work abroad. Reality grounded me, and I ended up in a government job. My future was at least secured, and I had just learned I had been chosen to be promoted, just as I was introduced to a Norwegian man. Life can certainly take an unexpected turn. Suddenly, my childhood dream came true maturely and prudently. I was pleased. Travel was no longer necessary to me. I got married and settled in my hometown, Davao.

We lived a harmonious and good life in a big house. We planned to stay in my hometown forever. But after two years, my husband developed a chronic irritated throat due to severe air pollution from traffic and the forest fires in Indonesia, with the smoke reaching my Philippine city.

The doctors had no cure, so we decided to move to a better environment. My husband traveled in advance and found a nice flat for rent in a small coastal community one hour east of Málaga, Spain. I traveled alone on a one-way ticket in June 2016. It was a thrilling experience because I was first denied entry to the Lufthansa plane in Hong Kong and, in Frankfurt, to the Schengen area. But I managed to go through.

Before our big move, I had many questions about everything connected to a new life abroad. Luckily, there are many expat forums and online communities to explore. People share their experiences from contemplating moving, the moving process, arriving in a new place, and their daily challenges. Without other expats’ helpful tips and stories, I would have felt very insecure.

Moving abroad is life-changing, and the internet has made it easier. There are lots of rental and buying options for houses online. The trick is to find the good ones; expat forums are handy. Meet-ups are very common, too, and a good way to be introduced to new surroundings.

I am still struggling a little to adapt to the Spanish lifestyle. Learning the language can be challenging but essential, so it’s only a matter of trying and failing again. Homesickness does happen once in a while, but Spain has so much to offer. Of course, it is not for everyone. I have read some write-ups about people returning home because of work issues and problems of adapting to the local culture. That’s why asking questions and being as prepared as possible is so important. Sites like Expat.com are perfect places to start, and if you have the opportunity, don’t hesitate to travel or settle in another country. Just do it, and participate in sewing the world together.