When one decides to migrate and build a life in a foreign country, would you just pack your bags and leave? If you are one who has gone through this, you know this isn’t the case.
As Howell and I decided to finally take the leap and leave for New Zealand, we knew that we had to do more than just fitting our stuff in a box. We put a huge amount of value on relationships, family, and all the intangible things you leave when you go. We have been fortunate enough to have several months to prepare before leaving and so we did what we can to leave every precious intangibles that we have in place.
Family
My sister and I have quite a strong bond. We practically had no other choice (kidding!) but to love and cherish each other since she is the only sibling I have. We grew up knowing that we are each other’s best friends and I know that nothing can ever change that.
We were not able to spend much time a few years before we decided to leave, though, since we were busy living our lives that we were not conscious enough to spend time with each other but we made sure we built better memories right before we left. We ironed out issues we might have chosen not to face had we not left.
We built memories as a family with our recent addition, Howell. We did not know what life would bring us when we leave so we knew that the memories and the time we have spent with them will be a good foundation for a few years of our lives that we will spend away from each other.
Relationships
One thing that we also firmly believe in is that our relationships shape us into the people we are today. These relationships kept us strong and gave us a sense of purpose and direction. And we know that even if distance might keep us far from these relationships, they will continue to be our stronghold, in good and in bad times.
The above picture is our Men’s and Women’s group at our prayer group, Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon. The latter picture is our bible group study from The Navigators. More than being our support group, they are our friends. We can run to them for practical advice as a newly married couple. They are also there to pray for every area of our lives. We continued to meet with them in formal group settings and in fellowships outside. They have given us precious nuggets of wisdom that we have carried going here.
We also built new memories with our friends before we left. We had out-of-town trips, talked nonstop about our life and future plans with them.
Lastly, we made sure to pass on the things we have learned through the years. We have built relationships with the younger generation so we can share our knowledge and personal experiences from where they can also learn.
Practical Life Skills
Living abroad entails a lot of adjustments. Everything is new. Issues and concerns on our new life here can considerably be lessened by learning the basic skills of home management before we left. We learned the basic house chores like cleaning our home, cooking for ourselves, shopping, budgeting, and managing our time well to make room for the things that we need and want to do. We are able to adjust fairly well in our new life here because all the basics are in place before we left.
In securing that all these matters are in place, we were sure that once we left, we will be ready for our adventures ahead. We knew that no matter what happens, we will have no regrets in the future because all our relationships are strong and our basic life skills are packed.
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