There was a time when we (my mom, my two older sisters, and I) were living in a 2 bedroom rented bungalow in Baguio. Then, when my mom and my eldest sister went to work in Tarlac, they rented another house there. My second sister and I stayed in the rented house in Baguio because were still studying that time.
That was around 11 years ago and some things changed since then. Now, we each have our own family and I am very proud to say that each of us is doing okay. I may sound like I’m bragging (maybe I am a little bit) but I am not bragging about me. This post is not about me at all. This post is about my family back home and how I am so proud of them.
My mother is a working mom. She started as a factory worker in a garment company. With no tertiary education to boast of, she started at the very bottom. Gradually, her work ethics and abilities were recognized so she slowly rose from being a humble helper to a production manager. Then seven years ago, she decided to start her own small garment company. Until now, her company is still small but it gives her and my stepdad (whom she met while working in Tarlac) a decent and steady income that enables them to build a house and buy another secondhand car. The house is still unfinished and the cars they have are secondhand but that’s a big improvement from having nothing.
mom and stepdad's unfinished but already habitable house
mom and stepdad's cars
My eldest sister is a B.S. Psychology graduate and is now running the company alongside my mother and my stepdad. She has two boys and her husband is a mechanical engineer who is working in Dubai.
my eldest sister's unfinished house
My second sister is a public school elementary teacher. She has one son and her husband is working as a teacher too in the same public school where she works.
my second sister's unfinished house... still has a long way to go.
Their houses are still unfinished and it would probably still take them years before they can finish their houses but all the same, I am happy for them. They don’t have to rent anymore. They have a house they can call their own. I am really proud of them, of their successes and accomplishments. My sisters and I have different personalities but there’s one thing we share in common and I am quite sure that we got it from our mother: we depend on our own capabilities to bring us to where we want to go. We don’t depend on other people (they don’t make “asa” to me because I am abroad). We are all very independent.
And look, my grandma (my mother’s mom) is also upgrading her house.
my grandma's house... i think she has the best 
