I’ve
Only Just Begun
When I leave for the
Philippines, I will bring
back sweet and comforting thoughts of Australia. This country has been my home
for the last five months or so, and it certainly has been mission fulfilled for
me.
I must admit that when
I got admitted to my scholarship at the University of Sydney, I was so sad just
thinking of the length of time that I will be away from home. I may have
travelled a lot before, but this was the longest time that I would be away from
home, and it made me so sad and homesick even before I got on the plane to come
here.
However, this sadness
and this homesickness that I imagined
never happened when I came here - becauseI I was overwhelmed with so
much warm welcomes from friends, relatives and people both from my here and my country. THEY have all made my stay here hospitable
and comfortable beyond imagination. I was surrounded by relatives, and friends
who shared their joys and laughter, their food and their red wine. I met new
friends. I met a wonderful new family in the persons of Janice and Frank Gedra
who gave me a home and treated me like their own daughter, to which I am
forever grateful. I reconnected with family, and spent rewarding time catching
up with them - time which would connect open circles in my life's journey.
I am sure I will miss Australia - the place and the people I've connected with. When I go to my second semester in Sri Lanka, it might not be as
relaxing, consoling and encouraging as being here. I will miss the almost
weekly Filipino food at the church, at Granville, and at various different
homes. I was never hungry here – both for physical food, spiritual food and
emotional food. I will miss the overflowing redwine. I cannot also forget the
experience of working as a house cleaner or a nanny at some points during my
stay here and was able to gain first hand impressions of the thousands who toil in these kind of works. The experience has given me a deeper understanding of life abroad
and how hard it is to survive just to earn some money either to send to our
family, or to save for a better life in the Philippines.
My Master’s program
has exposed me to new ideas that I can apply to my work as a lawyer and a human
rights activist and to my everyday experience as a woman and an indigenous
person. I will always go back to the Philippines to be a lawyer for the people,
and, to the best that I can, to help the marginalized sectors of our society.
Life back home is not all that rosy. Well, not much has changed.
Politicians remain the same – the same surnames run the country. From the
President down to the barangay. Life, as it was 20 years ago, is not much
different from today. More and more people roam the city streets in hunger and violence. Less and less people are able to gain employments. More professionals end up as call center agents. These, among so many reasons, are what drive many of us to choose the very
difficult decision to leave our homeland for abroad, in our hopes for better
lives because there seems to be no hope back home.
Those who had to bear a life away from loved ones remain the icons of hope, the beacons of
inspiration, that one day all will be well in the Philippines. Your struggles
in Australia reflect wondrous benefits for those whom you have asked to stay
behind at home. The ukay-ukay, the remittances, the capital for both house and
business, the alternative life of migration – these link Australia to the
Philippines, and back.
In this difficult world that we live in, let us continue to celebrate life, celebrate our culture. I thank
you all for sharing your time and resources with me during these past five months.
I would not have gone this far, with so many beautiful memories of Australia,
without your companionship and generosity. I hope I too was able to impart some
lessons in life to you, especially those whom I spent some time with. This is
not goodbye, but, ‘til we meet again.
We’ve only just begun –
Before the
risin' sun, we fly
So many
roads to choose
We'll start
out walkin' and learn to run
And yes,
we've just begun
And when
the evening comes, we smile
So much of
life ahead
We'll find
a place where there's room to grow
And yes,
we've just begun
(Mannja, Sydney, Australia, Dec. 2012)
