“Are you sure?”
People asked me when I decided to move to China in 2007. There I was in Beijing International Airport, a nervous, excited, emotional Filipina.
“Are you sure?” The voices of countless people kept ringing in my ear.
Am I really sure? I asked myself. I had never traveled outside the Philippines before. And never lived alone either. There were so many reasons why I should not be here:
I don’t speak Chinese.
I know nobody in China.
I don’t know how to use chopsticks.
My last job was in Media and Communications…can I really teach university English?
What if I get sick? What if I get lost? What if I drown in…snow? What if…what if…what if!
Of course, I was not sure. I did it afraid. I did it while my comfortable self is screaming and kicking. I did it because I know in my heart that I had to try it.
And that decision was one of the best decisions in my life.
It changed me.
It broadened my horizon.
It made me a better person.
It opened doors for me and uncover opportunities and interests way beyond what I expected.
Now, when I tell someone my hopes and dreams and they ask me – “Are you sure?” I’m reminded again of China and the times I did it afraid.
18 January 2018
