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... and then the airplane landed… I didn’t know what to expect!!!
“The land of milk and honey!, The land where dreams come true!, The land of abundance! - Here I come!!!”
I was just pumped up seeing all sorts of people, hearing different languages and smelling different odors! LOL!
Funny, I was one of those Filipinos who perceived that America will make me an automatic moneymaker ! (As in the moment the airplane lands, I am rich! LOL!) I was imagining the golden roads (exag ! LOL!)… and that I could act like a millionaire! Super LOL!
“Mabuhay !, Kumusta na kayo?” a tall, dark and old man spoke from behind us… A Filipino!!! –working in the airport!!!... I was so happy to see one! Wait.. one more, there was another one over there!... and another one! … and then it dawned on me.. the many Filipinos who were in America already.
Nice… I was happy to listen to their stories… like a sponge, I was the eager learner, I just took everything in…
The weather? It was September then and it was soooo cold!!! (Well, coming from the Philippines, it was already colddddd for me! LOL!)
Then we rode a smaller plane to New Orleans, LA… our work place..our final destination.
Then we rode a smaller plane to New Orleans, LA… our work place..
New Orleans was hit by Katrina in2005, we came two years after and what we saw was a city still struggling to keep up with the times.
It was disheartening to see the place the first time, that time, there were still a lot of rundown houses, damaged buildings and roads and desolated areas.
It was disheartening to see the place the first time, that time, there were still a lot of rundown houses, damaged buildings and roads and desolated areas.
Reality started to bite.
Nope, there were no roads paved in gold. Nope, moneymaking wasn’t automatic! Nope, the "I’m-a-millionaire-act” never happened! (Not yet, lol!)
Nope, there were no roads paved in gold. Nope, moneymaking wasn’t automatic! Nope, the "I’m-a-millionaire-act” never happened! (Not yet, lol!)
The truth is America is the land of milk and honey. It is the land of opportunity. It is the land where all dreams come true. It is the land of opportunity… just like any other land…
I learned that I bring “me”, wherever I go, and wherever I am; there are the blessings of heaven and the Promised Land.
Wherever you are right now… there is your heaven. (or hell, whichever you want to create…)
The land doesn’t really matter. It is what YOU bring. It is what YOU offer. It is what YOU give.
NAMASTE.
NAMASTE.
so animated and i love it! i love most the way you concluded that it's YOU who will make things matter, who will make the land promising and who will make your own milk and honey.
ReplyDeletethanks! :)
DeleteSo true Ma'am Gemma. It's all YOU who create your own land whether its a heaven or hell. It all depends on YOU! The land doesn't matter. What matter is how you're about to create your land filled with hopes and opportunity.
DeleteSo true!!! A lot of us was hoping to land on a place with high hopes of uplifting our lives. Though, America was not the way I expected it to be when I came here, but it truly changed my life. It made me become stronger and closer to Him. It gave me so much hope. I was able to encounter and overcome different challenges that I never thought I can. But here I am still standing strong despite of all the struggles. And most importantly, it brought me to places where I never thought I would be able to visit.
ReplyDeletefollow your heart but take your brain with you , our Exodus in land of milk and honey is amazing living life to the fullest - akane
ReplyDeleteI love the conclusion, It is what YOU bring. It is what YOU offer. It is what YOU give.
ReplyDeleteWe are the one who create our own land of opportunity or land of milk of money.it is up to us if we are living in heaven or hell.
I like the last statement. It's always what you do with what you have that makes you successful.
ReplyDeletetama ang inyong sinabi na ang land of milk and honey ay kung saan kayo nakakita ng oportunidad at katuparan ng inyong mga pangarap
ReplyDeleteyup and it's also about marking footprints on the sand....
ReplyDeleteopportunity is everywhere, it's up to you what, when and where you pick it :)
ReplyDeleteThe last lines are really moving. It's as if to say that wherever we are we have all the chances to make things happen. This one is a great post.
ReplyDeletevery true! I like the way you wrote this post, perfect word choices :) a good post to awaken the misperceptions :)
ReplyDeleteCan't help but nod every time you mention things that bite. So true and one moving post really.
ReplyDeleteExpectatiön versus reality is a phrase tha can be related to this blog. When we dream, we often visualize and overlook the reality. But, if it is reałly a dream worthy of fulfilling, the real scenarios do not cloud us with negativity. Instead, we feel a sense of purpose and respönsibility to continue in the pursuit of a dream and make a difference despite the reality.
ReplyDeleteThe kinda hilarious side of ma'am Gemma. LOL. I fully agree. You wan't gold? Then in exchange of what?
ReplyDeleteYes, very true..it is true, reality is far cry more different from what we are expecting. It is the truth, being in ths US gives us opportunity to strive and aim high for our future.
ReplyDeleteI always believed that God will bless us wherever we are. Our entire being is proof that God loves us. Our life itself is a blessing. We are equipped with everything that we need in order to succeed as long as we take heed of God's direction.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why I still want to teach somewhere else aside from my own country is because I seek growth and improvement not just materially but also in terms of knowledge and competence. We increase our knowledge and wisdom when we interact with people of other culture. That way we can see a better and bigger view of what the world is and how things work. I would always joke about wanting to find out what lies beyond the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) which I usually hear when there are reports about a weather disturbance. We are all travelers in this world and having the chance to experience it fully makes us richer, maybe not financially but in wisdom and character.
USA is a country of opportunities. It is up to us whether we create our own heaven or hell while catching these opportunities. It's all about our mindset. Just always remember to focus on the goal and always give our best shot.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteYes, Maam Gemma it is up all to us how we run our own life. We have a free will to do it. Either we choose heaven why not? where we can enjoy the solemnity of life or hell wherein the worst might happen.
ReplyDeleteI learned that I bring "me", wherever I go, and wherever I am; there are blessings of heaven & the Promise land.
ReplyDeleteI will represent the Philippines when I'll be there so I have to give the best of me in "the land of milk and honey."
Doing the best that I can with the right mindset & put the rest in the hands of God will make me and other Filipinos achieve what our hearts desire.
Yes, our fortune depends on us on how we workhard but it also depends on the place that value your hardwork. You will be more motivated if you are being ackowledged.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's true. When I first time came to the US, I was too curious about this nation. But like other nation this country offer you opportunities and test your strength by all means. If you can adapt surprises and still keeping yourself calm and cool, this is the land of milk and honey then.
ReplyDelete