JUSTINIANO, Wilhelmina P.

Section 10

Embracing the Journey: Jess’s Life Abroad

As a student, there will come a time in our lives when we dream of studying abroad. It may
be because of the sense of grandeur we often connect to its idea. It can also be because our dream
university is located there. It may also be due to our parents living there or wanting to live far from
them. I think whatever the reason, it always boils down to the experience we will be able to have
if given the chance. It is one of those moments in life that you become transformed since it will
force you out of your comfort zone. From the initial excitement to the bittersweet goodbyes,
studying abroad has the ability to enrich someone’s life. I have only seen the positive aspects of
studying abroad for so long until last week when we got to watch a vlog about a Filipina who
migrated to Australia to study there. This is when I realized that most of us tend to only set our
eyes on the positive side of studying abroad and that we usually overlook the disadvantages it
comes with. Because in reality, studying abroad is not always an easy decision to make and live
with. This is also supported by the answers we have gathered from our interview with Jeselmar
Mallorca or “Ate Jess”.
Filipinos are known for being family oriented and cherishing their relationships. This is
usually the first challenge of studying abroad. You don’t get to be with the people who love you
and you look for during important times. Being miles away from people we care about can
contribute to severe homesickness. Actually, Guornotta (2023) reported that homesickness can
affect both a person’s mental and physical health. It has the same manifestations as depression and
anxiety, and this can definitely affect a student’s performance academically. Luckily for Ate Jess,
she gets to live with her parents while she’s studying in UAE. This allows her to thrive and focus
on her academic responsibilities as she wouldn’t need to think about bills and keeping her house
organized. She was also able to come up to them whenever she had any problems. The constant
support system she gets from living with her parents keeps her reassured. While I am happy for
my interviewee, this is not the reality of thousands, if not millions, other international students
across the globe. As we have discussed in our report, living expenses together with university
tuition are high in many countries so some students are forced to travel alone. They don’t get to
have the constant support Ate Jess is able to get from her parents. All responsibilities, including
finances, fall on their shoulders. This usually becomes the driving factor as to why students abroad
try to work multiple jobs at the same time. They need to fend for themselves by paying their school
fees, transportation, and monthly dues. Consequently, because their money is already planned and
budgeted out, these students cannot socialize anymore or even treat themselves after a stressful
day at work or school. All their energy left or will be getting is reserved for the next day of work
and school loads they need to submit. I have been in a similar situation in my life. I was twice
forced to stop studying because I had to work for my dad and sisters. I was given a 12-hour job
with only one rest day. Because of my long hours and the exhausting nature of my work, I just use
my free time to rest, sleep, or catch up with my family. I made no new friends during that part of
my life and I felt so left behind. The only good thing about that experience of mine is that at least
I’m in my home country. The friends I already have are within reach and we don’t have the issue
of different time zones. But for students abroad, they don’t have this luxury. It must have been
twice or thrice as hard for them. Ate Jess was again blessed to not have this problem as she stated
that she did not need to work and did not also want to work as she only wanted to focus on her
studies and career goals.
Now on the academic aspect, I truly am envious of Ate Jess’ curriculum. It was my first
time to hear about UAE’s curriculum last week and I truly wish that we can have the same system
in the Philippines. Being able to focus only on your major subjects means that you will be able to
spend more time on learning instead of just memorizing the important concepts needed in your
field. Please don’t get me wrong, I am an advocate for GED subjects as I personally believe that
subjects as Filipino in Contemporary World, Understanding the Self, etc. are the ones that hone
our critical thinking skills. It is during these GED classes that I get to share opinions with my peers
and practice looking at things objectively with the proper subjectiveness. GED subjects are
important. But since we have already adapted the K-12 curriculum, I hope that they find a way to
use these 2 years to let the students finish these GED subjects so that in their college years, they
can just focus on their major subjects. It can also be helpful if we also take on their approach on
schedules. I think it is so important that students and teachers are able to take wellbeing breaks
once in a while every week. This can give individuals time to regroup and reassess initial plans as
a clear mind often leads to better decision making. This can also help them avoid being
overwhelmed that usually results in poor performance or mediocre outputs. According to an article
by The Wellbeing Thesis (2020), it has been proven that taking pauses is crucial for recovering
from stress, which might enhance your performance. Recovering from work stress can increase
mental and physical vitality, as well as lessen the occurrence of cardiovascular illness, sleep
difficulties, and weariness. This is why I think that our Department of Education should re-
strategize and consider trying this out. This will give our students a chance to have a feel for
whether this is something that could work for them. Ultimately, it is the student’s and faculty’s
wellbeing that is important. Ate Jess also verbalized that if she was given a chance, this is one of
the things she got to experience studying abroad that she would recommend to our tertiary
education.
Despite all the challenges Ate Jess had to face as an international student, she was still
adamant that studying abroad had truly been a blessing for her. Even if there was a language
barrier, at least she had the chance to learn about the cultures and traditions of her culturally diverse
peers. She mentioned learning and being able to join their celebrations which made her feel so
thrilled. Studying in UAE also assured her that she will land a job since her university has many
affiliations with companies in UAE and even abroad. Because of internalization, she was able to
expand her academic horizons. She got to experience different teaching methods that were not
popular in the Philippines which helped ignite her intellectual curiosity. Moreover, being able to
put herself outside her comfort zone led to self-discovery and personal growth. She was able to
make friends with people who do not speak her own language. Even with her parents by her side,
she learned how to independently decide for herself which is one of the beauties of studying
abroad. Lastly, because of this experience, she now has this thirst for exploration. Her experiences
in UAE fueled her desire to continue exploring new cultures, places, and global mindsets. As I
reflect on this activity, I am both sad and thankful. I am not from a well-off family so I know that
my dreams of studying abroad as a young woman might never come true, but hearing all the stories
Ate Jess had shared with us also made me realize how much I will need to give up just to study
abroad. It occurred to me that it comes with a lot of sacrifices not only on the student’s end but
also to his/her family. They will have to let you go even if they are not guaranteed that you will
always be safe. They will have to spend tons of money just to make sure you won’t starve yourself.
They will have to constantly miss you as well, maybe even more than you can imagine. Yes,
studying abroad really is a wonderful thought that could give you many blessings, but in the end
one thing is for sure---studying abroad is a difficult decision to make and live with.
 References

Choosing Therapy. (2023). Homesickness: Effects & 7 Ways to Cope. Choosing Therapy.

https://www.choosingtherapy.com/homesickness/

The Importance of Taking Breaks - The Wellbeing Thesis. (2020, January 14). The Wellbeing

Thesis. https://thewellbeingthesis.org.uk/foundations-for-success/importance-of-taking-

breaks-and-having-other-

interests/#:~:text=Taking%20breaks%20has%20been%20shown,and%20cardiovascular

%20disease%20%5B2%5D.