MANILA, PHILIPPINES

I will miss this city.

I will miss the people.

Human beings that I’ve hated and have grown to like. 

Do we really have to be apart from people we cherish and we’ve grown with just to prove that we are evolving humans? 

Well, I mean, if given a chance I would want to be born rich. Not that I’m struggling with life but, if given a chance, I wouldn’t have let my mom marry a man that’s married legally once, then married illegally for his second wife and to be the third. 

A sigh escapes Sandara as her thought brushes along the bustling street to NAIA Terminal III. 

“I’m so proud of you” her uncle looks at her with a smile “This is against me but I would always tell your mom that you are too young for this” 

“It’s alright, it would be better than the minimum wage here in the Philippines anyway, especially with the industry that I am in” 

“Wouldn’t applying for work on a cruise ship be satisfying and exciting?” 

“I’ve applied but it’s been almost a year since my internship in the U.S.” 

Sandara graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management. It’s been almost a year since she had something going on with her life. She had her utmost fun in Waldorf Astoria as part of the food & beverage team as part of her internship program for 1 year in Utah.

She always fancied going to the United States, her first experience was going to Maryland for her on the job training which lasted 3 months at Hilton Suites.

The internship was extra special, especially with Waldorf Astoria counted as one of Forbe’s 5 star hotels. 

That is big in the hospitality industry.

And nothing grand happened when she came back to the Philippines, she was not sponsored by the hotel nor she wanted to stay illegally without proper documents. She kept applying but was not accepted at all. 

She majored in Cruise Line Operations in Hospitality Management but her mom stopped her from applying in a cruise ship. She was against the cruise culture which involved mostly affairs and women getting pregnant and such. 

Not that she would do the same.

“Hmmm…”

“I did apply for that call center job, got the interview but I don’t think I would be happy with the wage, that’s all” she breathes in as she sees the gate “And I’m hoping to get a permanent residency after my studies, I just hope it all goes to plan” her uncle finally parks the car in front of QANTAS and looks at her. 

A friend of hers who worked with her at Waldorf and who also returned back to the Philippines told her that she was off to Australia to do a study program for about 3 years and see what the opportunities are after, without a doubt, Sandara hopped in and got her visa grant within  a week.

It was such a hectic diversion as her personal life was all over the place.

“Well, here we are” he shakes his head and presses on the button to open the trunk. 

“Thanks Tito” she gives him a hug before opening the car door “Let me just grab a cart” she runs & manages to grab one. Her uncle helps her by placing her luggages in the cart. 

“Take care okay? If you do get lonely, sad or if there is anything you need, we are just one call away” 

“Yeah, thanks for dropping me off again” he gives her one long hug and bids her goodbye. 

Sandara looks at the sign flashing before her. No crying…no crying. 

It’s currently the reality that she chose to be in, actually running away from the reality that she didn’t want to live in.

She clutches onto her passport, her boarding pass and looks ahead. Bidding the town goodbye one last time in her head. 

Melbourne, here we go.