An email I wrote to a friend in Australia

Here's an email I wrote to a friend who's now taking her Master's Degree in Australia. She is currently having a difficult time adjusting to her new surroundings.

Hi K,

Seems like the kind of life I live here in San
Francisco, hehe. Well, you really have to adjust to
the new surroundings and new atmosphere. Ibang-iba
talaga ang buhay sa ibang bansa sa buhay Pilipinas. I
pretty much do laundry, cooking, household chores,
etc. over here. It's all part of life. It's good that
you're starting to learn all these; they will be
helpful someday. I take pride in knowing how to do
these because it gives me a sense of independence.
Masarap mabuhay nang independent, sa totoo lang. You
take control of your own life instead of having others
have a hand in it. Thing is, I just don't like ironing
clothes though (hindi ako talaga marunong) so what I
did was buy wrinkle free clothes. I just hang it
straight out of the dryer, hehe.

As for crying buckets, I had my own share of that but
it was mostly because of my frustrations in life, most
especially those in college. I didn't cry because I
was homesick or something. Sure, I miss my friends and
all but it takes more than that to make me cry. I
cried because I realized that I could never get back
those dreams that have died once I left Ateneo. I
really had no problem adjusting here; I was really
looking forward to living here in America. I knew this
was where I wanted to be. It also helped that I have a
lot of relatives here too. Mas madali akong
naka-adjust because I knew I had people to run to when
things get really tough. Yun nga lang, I still get
haunted by those frustrations that, until now, makes
me depressed. I will probably never get over this or
at least, it will take time. I just hope to find
something new in my life that will make me forget my
past and make me really happy (perhaps love?). So
there. But life is getting better here naman. In the
long run, I know I made the right choice.

So just hang in there and persevere through all that
you're going through. Someday, I hope things will be
better. In the long run, the knowledge you'll gain
over there will help make you a better person. Good
luck!

- J