Migration, a strange but funny thing.

A monologue response to Prem Banfal's "I remember, I remember."

Migration, strange but funny thing. It weighs a lot on those who have experienced the idea of having to leave their beloved country behind, but weighs less on those who have found a better, almost easy-going life. Sometimes you have to leave you comfort zone just to see the bigger picture and when you do, you are left with no choice but to get yourself up from the once comfortable couch, stand straight and walk down the aisle of new and strange challenges. Some are fortunate enough to be able to overcome these obstacles. “Those are the lucky ones”, I used to tell my mother. But she would always tell me that we’re all lucky and that those people just know how to strive to better their situations. I didn’t understand what she meant by it.

To this day, the memories of our last days in the Philippines are still fresh to my mind. That summer was, by far, the most joyous summer of my life.  We spent that hot summer season going for many long drives with friends and relatives, eating sweet mangoes under the Accacia tree every weekend and swimming near the Tay Tay Falls.

Other times when we are at home and the sun blazed down from an almost cloudless sky, my sister, my cousins and I would grab an old mattress from our basement and place it on our house terrace, sit on it and just enjoy the peaceful view of rolling hills and green meadows. We would sit there for hours and play traditional Filipino games, or sing our favourite songs at the time. 

After playing games, we would all lie on our stomachs and put our feet up against the wall; sometimes, I would see small groups of heat waves trickling their way along the manicured lawns below us. Our long-time maid would treat us little orange-flavoured iced candies when she sees that we are behaving. In the afternoons, I would pay my grandfather a visit next door and he would tell me stories and teach me Spanish and how to make little marionettes using only your fingers. I saw life in pink.

Sadly, though, we had too much fun that we didn’t realize that was our last summer in the Philippines. I remember crying because of the idea of leaving my house behind. I didn’t want to leave my beloved country, my friends, my relatives, my old mattress and my grandfather. Saying good bye to everyone was the hardest part but time turned the page to a new chapter in our lives and it was time for us to go. So, we flew to the land of the long white clouds, without ever thinking about the things that may come into our way.

And so began another chapter in my life, which consisted of few ups and downs. Indeed, moving to New Zealand was one crazy roller coaster ride. I was faced with difficult challenges; attending the local intermediate school and trying to interact with my fellow classmates, for me, was such a fearful thing. One day, I remember crying and almost giving up. I wanted to go home and be with my friends. That was the day when I saw that life was no longer in pink. 

But as the days turned into years and with the help of my family and new friends, I managed to overcome those fears. The greatest thing about living in New Zealand was being able to speak English quite fluently and meeting new friends and people who shaped me into the person I am today. However, the memories I have in the Philippines are still with me and they are the ones I will forever cherish. One day, I realized that I’ve already grown, experienced both good and bad things and learned a lot about myself. That was also the day when I finally understood my mother’s response. Life was, once again, in pink.