7 Years

here in uk, people celebrate guy fawkes night (also known as bonfire night) every 5th of november. as for me, i have a different occasion to celebrate - the anniversary of my coming over here in england. and you can just imagine my arrival - with a bang (lots of fireworks)! and last november 5, was my 7th anniversary. i still cant believe i've been here that long!

i never imagined living here. i do admit, i have imagined myself living in a foreign country, but england wasnt on the list. it all started about a year before we went. there was an agency in the philippines recruiting for audiology posts here in england. two of my friends applied and they were accepted. i didnt apply. i didnt see any need to move countries. i was working in a good hospital - salary wasnt as good as i hoped but i was happy with what i was doing. but things became messy - relationships (personal and professional) broke down. fortunately, a year after, the 2 friends who migrated suggested we apply to work in england as there was a great demand for our profession. they gave as a link to an agency here in uk.

after just a few days of submitting our cv's (me and my other workmate/friend at the same hospital), i got an email from an agent. he has a job lined up for me. soon after, i was interviewed and then i just saw myself flying off to uk in no time. the whole process (initial contact to flying over) probably only took 2-3 months. my friend was also contacted a week after me, with a post in the same hospital so we left at the same time! everything was shouldered by the hospital - visa fees and airfare. we only paid for the medical exam locally. they even found us our accommodation, just a few meters from the hospital. everything was set when we arrived (was even picked up by a chauffeur-driven private car complete with uniform). our friends met us at the airport to give us our first essentials - food!, phone cards, plates, cutleries, etc - we were spoiled!

of course, the first few months seemed to drag forever! we were homesick, we didnt have much to do. fortunately, our partners were able to join us after 6 months. then finally, life happened! and time just flew by really quickly.

in those 7 years, we've only been back to the phils 3 times. we got married, bought a house, became british citizens, had kids. recently, i have unearthed old pictures from our first few years here. god, i feel old!!! anyhow, im really grateful for the opportunity given to me. im really proud of what i have achieved, how tantan and i have been able to build our lives here.

7 years and counting!