Monday, July 27, 2009

Thank You, United States of America.


As most of you know, I have made a drastic decision to move on to Europe just about a month ago. I honestly don't know how things will turn out, it could be a wonderful decision or one big mistake. Although my life is uncertain at the moment, I must point out a similar situation exactly eight years ago to this date.

July 27, 2001. I got on an airplane setting off to the America. My flight took me from Manila to Detroit and finally to Saint Louis. I was very excited to be in America, I knew that the country will provide me with a lot of opportunities and new experiences one can only get by moving away from his home country. America did not disappoint. I must admit, it was very difficult at first. I had to adjust to different cultural issues and way of living. It was a bit tough to move around without a car, learn baseball(very confusing!), and adjust to high school life with a very funny Filipino accent. Thanks to a lot of people I was able to manage. Some friends in high school were really vital, from Matt who was very welcoming, Paul who has become one of my best friends, Chris who I learned from a lot when it came to American culture and others I will not mention(but will tag) because there were so much of you!

From a gains perspective, I really am grateful for the opportunities I was able to take advantage of. Having made amazing friends, the chance to go to University, and the freedom really shared by all living in the country. I could go on and on and on about how amazing the country really is, but there is one trait America has that no other country in the world has that I truly love... EVERYONE IS WELCOME. It is so unique how once you've set foot in the country(legally) everything is fair game. You can achieve whatever you'd want to put your mind in to as long as you're ready to put work in.

I might have left "Uncle Sam" but I will never forget the people, ideology and privileges I have gained from it. It was an amazing eight years of my life no doubt. Nothing can replace living with the most wonderful and nicest set of people in the western world. It will be tough to top America, but hopefully, I will be able to give the same praise to Europe in eight year's time...

And to all my friends, thank you for making my stay in your beautiful country all the better...

'till then!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Something Nice That Came Along...


At one point or another, things does not go a person's way no matter how dedicated or deserving one is. This has been the story that seems to have wrapped my life the past few months. Its been tough to be honest, I have no money, struggling with a foreign language and culture, oh and by the way, having to restart with the job hunting situation. Anything and everything seems to have been getting worse and worse...

But sometimes, despite the crap that is thrown into our depressing life, when you have been brought down and kicked on the teeth time and again, something nice comes along... On 29-30 July, I will have the privilege of watching Manchester United for two straight days in Munich. For a mere €30 and a train ticket from Christin, I will have the pleasure of watching United v Boca Juniors and FC Bayern v AC Milan on the same amazingly wonderful football day! To top that, I will get to see all four teams the following day as the winners play one another, while the losers fight for 3rd place.

To make things even better, I will actually get to hang out with my bestfriend Irene in Munich for a few nights. And lets give her credit in advance for letting me crash with her... Also, credit to Christin for this wonderful gift, I will stop telling the bike story from my birthday last year...

Anyways, like Christin said, maybe this is the start of a great streak for me, maybe things really do pick up from here on. If it doesn't, I will at least have a smile on my face for four days. I will be watching the club I love, singing my heart out, drinking Paulaner and reminiscing about the old times with my favourite Austrian...

So, if you're having some sort of trouble at the moment, chin up. Your break will come...