My Life's Journey

My Life's Journey. Ethel Rellin.

Introduction. Our life experience is very important because it is related on how we grow as individuals and it helps on how our identity evolves at various stages of life. We perceive and present ourselves throughout our lives, as per our sense of identity; we keep searching and understanding ‘who we are’. Understanding this process can lead people to question their ‘negative’ identity labelled by society. Half of life is spent in making big changes in the way we perceive ourselves. Our personalities keep changing as we resolve crises in life; thus, each experience brings a change within us..

7 up. To share something about myself is not easy because I have to recall my life when I was a child and unfortunately, I was not with my parents. I grew up with care and love of my grandmother whom I called “ nanay ”. At the age of 7, I remember, I was in 2 nd grade and I kept on asking myself why my teacher is telling me that my grandparents are not my parents every time we have a discussion about family. So that’s the time I realize that the person I called mother is not my mother. I keep asking nanay about my parents until I graduated in primary. At an early age, I have to listen to my grandmother to whatever she teaches, and whatever instructions she tells me. I always listen and follow her reminders because I was afraid to make mistakes and it remained in my mind that if I make a mistake, I will be scolded and it might affect our relationship; and as a child, I don’t want to be punished. And that’s the time I understood my situation and accepted the reality that I have a broken family. But despite having a broken family, my parents communicated with me and support my needs. At first, I was struggling to accept the reality of my life. But I still continue moving forward, and focused on doing good deeds, learning in school to finish my education, and do things on my own to become an independent child. And it is my big accomplishment as a child because I learn things little by little like budgeting, time management and decision making. I feel confident in everything I do as a child since my grandmother and my parents, though far away, was very supportive in everything I do..

14 up. To continue my journey in life, in my early adolescent, I try to establish myself to become an independent person with the guide of my grandmother. I didn’t want to become a failure especially towards my education because I believe that we must value our education because it is a key factor that dictates our future. I join and compete different activities in our school, joining and helping in clubs and church activities until I graduated in High School..

14 up. Then I continue my college degree with a full scholarship on nursing. In that particular stage, I experienced a lot of ups and downs. Somehow along the way, my life didn’t move the way I wanted it to. I got pregnant and, in a rush, decision making, I married at an early age. My grandmother did not tolerate my mistake but I was glad that despite my mistakes and failures, they have forgiven and accepted me, and they stayed by my side..

14 up. At the age of 18, I had one child, but it never became a hindrance towards my ambition to finish my education. After I give birth, I continued my studies in Manila with the support of my mother and father. And in college, I did my very best in order to graduate while thinking about the future of my children..

21 up. After I graduated college, that was when the real journey began. It was the stage in my life where I started finding a job and starts earning for my growing family..

28 up. Along the way, I got torn between getting a job offer I had from Philippine Information Agency and running the family business of my father. But at the end of the day, I chose to help my father to run his business..

35 up. And after a couple of years, I decided to find a new job and worked as an accounting clerk for almost 14 years in and outside the country, which was far different from the course I took when I was in college. And in year 2012, me and my family went to Cambodia and started a new journey. In year 2014, I started teaching in a private school, and as I come to like teaching small kids, I continue teaching until now..

45 up. As I look back, despite the rollercoaster ride that I had to tackle, and the ups and downs that I had to face, I never regretted anything. Because I have a caring family, a loving husband and four lovely children whom I treasured dearly. Life is a journey of self-discovery. Throughout, you’ll find learning opportunities for becoming a better educator, friend, partner, and family member. While there may be bumps along the way, the challenges we face are opportunities to grow. Personal growth is not necessarily easy, but it is rewarding. By understanding the stages of life, you can develop your self-awareness And with self-awareness, you can live your life with purpose and intention. Have faith and trust in Him. He will guide and provide..