It’s now February and love is in the air. Hence, it’s the perfect time to share the story of this lovely Australian Filipina couple, Abby and Jesse, who will be closing the distance very soon!
Let’s hear it from Abby, herself:
A bit about me
My name is Nicole Abegail Santiago, “Abby” for short. I’m a young Filipina (24 y.o.), a university alumna and a host from Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat Province, Philippines. Prior to sharing my tale, I simply want to thank “My Aussie story” and the person behind this website for taking an interest in the brief information I had previously shared a month ago in a certain private Facebook group.
Anyway, let me tell you about the love story of a man from the Great Southern Land who will be closing the distance with a woman from The Pearl of the Orient Seas —
How we met
I met my boyfriend, Jesse Cameron Nye, through my cousin, Jenny Jean Davis, who just so happens to be married to my boyfriend’s uncle- Cameron. They all live in Canberra, Australia. Every time my cousin sees my boyfriend at family gatherings, she would tease him and tell him random things about me. And she also did the same thing to me and told me random stuff about Jesse.
The challenges
Long Distance Relationship (LDR)
Our relationship has been through some ups and downs. There were sad and pleasant days as well. Being in a long distance relationship has made things like dealing with misunderstandings difficult. We have now adjusted and are able to adapt by trying to be more understanding and patient so even if we’re in an LDR, we still manage to cope up with each other’s weaknesses.
But the hardest part of it all is missing each other frequently and feeling a strong sense of longing. But I’m glad we were able to overcome these feelings, since we have been so consistent in our support of one another and we managed to make everything work in the end. Of course, God is the the center of our relationship.
“Being in an LDR is quite difficult.”
There are those important days and events in your lives where you long for each other’s presence, but you are separated by thousands of miles and are powerless to do anything about it. It’s not uncommon to have moments when you miss each other, feel sad and cry, but I’m glad that we are soon closing the distance between us so that we won’t experience LDR again for some time.
Cultural Differences
I can’t argue against the fact that somehow, we have also had misunderstandings that are due to our cultural distinctions. We have experienced this early on in our relationship when we were still in the adjusting stage. However, by simply explaining our own cultures and the reasons behind them, we were able to clarify our expectations. Also, since we’re both quite adaptable, we eventually understood each other’s cultures and have managed to develop coping mechanisms.
Like and follow My Aussie Story’s social media pages to keep up to date!
Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr
Negative Stereotypes
One of the disadvantages that I somehow can’t avoid is hearing other people say “May isang Pinay nanaman ang nakaahon sa kahirapan” (There’s another Filipina who’s been lifted out of poverty). This is a common stereotypical comment that people throw at Filipinas who are in a relationship with a “white/ foreign guy” such as myself. Ultimately, I just want to eradicate this toxic mindset that some people have but I know that we cannot please everybody so I choose to disregard it and to not let it affect me.
What I love about our relationship
“I’m in a happy relationship with a wonderful person.”
Jesse is the best Australian bloke I know. He is very patient, cool-minded and quite mature for his age being that he’s only 25 years old. He is soft-spoken and he does everything to make me happy. He lets me feel a kind of happiness that I’ve never felt before in my previous relationships. Thanks to my boyfriend Jesse, I have discovered the best things in life and have gained a good perspective.
A piece of advice
The only advice that I can give to my fellow Filipinas who have Australian partners is to simply adore and love them. Make them our top priorities and also practice good reciprocation. Let us build up the image of Filipinas from those people who have belittled and accused us by saying that we’re only with our partners for the visa and their money.
Of course, no relationship is perfect but we should still exercise proper communication and practice listening to one another’s rants and happy stories. And learn how to comprehend too. These are the keys to building a closer bond and gaining a thorough grasp of anything. We Filipinas usually express our love through acts of service or “pag-aasikaso”. We are loving people and no one can dispute that Filipino women are the ideal life mates.
My journey to Australia
My journey to AU in February 2023 requires extensive preparation. Along with gathering all of the essentials, including necessary paperwork and documents, I am also getting ready and preparing my mind and body because I expect that I’d have to make a lot of adjustments when I step foot in Australia.
Things I’m looking forward to when I arrive in Australia
I look forward to new beginnings, a fresh start in a new environment. I am excited to learn new topics and gain a deeper understanding of Australia’s system and governance as it is part of my interest. Since this is my first time going overseas, I anticipate feeling ambivalent. I look forward to spending more time with my boyfriend and his parents who will eventually become my in-laws.
Will I be staying in Australia for good?
If asked if I will be living in Australia for good, I think my answer would be yes, as this is a goal for us as a couple. Therefore, it’s something that requires a lot of preparation and needs to be well-planned. We will see how it goes this year, whether or not I’ll be staying in Australia for good.
Before I conclude my story, I want to tell everyone who, like myself, is planning for certain things, that our plans will go smoothly and our prayers will be granted. We will eventually reside with our partners, be it in Australia or in the Philippines.
Again, this is Abegail and this is “My Aussie Story”.
Abby’s YouTube
Abby & Jesse’s Facebook page
Like and follow My Aussie Story’s social media pages to keep up to date!
Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr
Authors: Nicole Abegail Santiago x My Aussie Story
About the ” Your Aussie Story” series:
Immigrants in Australia, though from different cultures and backgrounds, tend to have similar experiences and common ‘struggles’ as they build their new life here in Australia. Through My Aussie Story, I’ve been trying to help out people like myself to be able to navigate the Australian way of life a little bit easier by sharing my own experiences.
I’ve always believed that every migrant’s journey would be less challenging if we learn from each other. This is why we’ve created Your Aussie Story. Your Aussie Story is a ‘series’ in our website where we feature inspiring stories of immigrants in Australia.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Disclaimer All content and information in this post is for purposes of sharing my experiences only, does not constitute professional advice and does not establish any kind of professional-client relationship.
Got a story to share? Get in touch with us here:
0 Comments