For today’s feature, I’m extremely honoured and proud to introduce you guys to Barry and Belle, a couple who will share their story and will hopefully inspire and prove to you that even as immigrants in Australia, all of your dreams can come true with hard work and determination.
A bit about us
We’re Barry and Belle, we both are from the Philippines (Belle from Batangas, Barry from Bacolod City). Before Australia, we were OFWs who met in Singapore (while working for Shangri La Hotels and Resorts). We both have worked and lived in countries like the US, UAE, Macau and Singapore. Belle graduated Magna Cum Laude from St Paul’s University Manila while Barry has a business degree from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Why Australia?
We decided to explore possibilities of migrating to Australia in 2012 when there was a bit of concern from local Singaporeans about the number of foreign workers in SG. We decided to look for a country where we can settle permanently as we have spent years and years working in different countries and maybe start a family there.
We decided to research about migrating to Australia because we actually met a lot of Aussies visiting/ holidaying in Singapore and we found them to be cheerful, easy going and respectful in general so we tried to learn about the living conditions of migrants in Australia, the quality of living, health sector, housing as well as of course, safety and security and what we found out was in general, favourable. So after a few months of research we decided on the best pathway for us to migrate to Australia, applied for the visa, got approved and arrived in Australia (Sydney) for the first time ever in July 31, 2013.
Getting used to living in Australia
We have been here for nearly 9 years now so we practically feel like we’re (almost) locals, lolz, as we believe we have successfully assimilated with the culture, the ways of life and we have made so many friends here that this place really feels like home to us now. Living in Australia made us tougher than we already were, most especially as we moved here with no friends, no relatives, not one person that we know aside from each other.
During difficult times when we were still adjusting, we were each others best and only ally.
BarBelle EverAfter
Living in Australia is a lot different from how normal living in the Philippines is where there seems to be a lot of free time for people to do things such as hang out or do a lot of things on the side, where in here time is too precious to spend on less important stuff and almost everyone you know, unless retired or unable to work, is employed. Time is in fact gold in Australia and almost everyone is working but, Aussies also know how to relax, spend time on the outdoors and travel, which we have also enjoyed through the years of living here. The salary rate here is the highest we ever received in all of our years of living and working abroad but it also corresponds to the high cost of living in Australia, most especially in major Australian cities where rent, food and transportation costs are sky high!
The first few years
As mentioned above, our first few years in Australia was not a walk in the park as we had to adjust fast to a new country, new social and work culture, establish friendships and relationships as we didn’t know anyone here prior to arriving. We had to do everything by ourselves, no connection, no spoon feeding, and sometimes we had to find out some lessons the hard way (mistakes that cost money, time etc). We had to do hard jobs (double jobs here and there) during our initial years here as we realised on the get go that to survive and maybe thrive in Australia we will have to maximise our earning potential in order to put ourselves in a better position to succeed in our new chosen life here.
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Overcoming challenges
We were shocked by the high cost of living (although we came from SG which was also one of the most expensive cities to live in) but still we were shocked of how much we needed to spend for accommodation, food, as well as other expenses. So the challenge of trying to fit our budget to what whatever money we brought here from Singapore as well as what we were earning here versus all of our expenses was hard. We had to cut on food expenses, always buying only items on sale, even sometimes just sharing a meal between us two. We decided that to make our Australian dream come true, we have to make it on our own and never rely on any help from our relatives back home in the Philippines for help if we can.
We overcome the challenges by sticking to each other and sticking to our plan. We arrived here on a non permanent visa so we knew that it will only take time before we have to again renew our visa so our goal from the start was to get permanent residency and later on citizenship. Whenever one of us was feeling low or when our plans in the early years did not go as we wanted, we were always there for each other and made sure we’re okay and are able to move forward.
On doing things differently
If given a chance, we would have wanted to move to Australia sooner like maybe 15 or 20 years ago, buy a house here (way more affordable back then) and the AUD was worth much more during that time. Aside from that, we wouldn’t want to do things differently as with the hardships and pain came perseverance, hardwork and eventually, success for us. If given a chance, would we still choose to migrate to AU? Definitely yes. Why? Because we couldn’t have been happier if we chose to move to a different country.
Migrating to Australia changed our lives
It changed our lives for the better as we love calling Australia our home. We feel so blessed to be living in a society where you can be whatever you want to be, without fear of being judged or ridiculed. What we also love about living in Australia is that you are not treated differently if you came from a different background or culture. Being from an international background is embraced here! In fact, its actually celebrated and you can be proud of where you’re from.
Now here we are
Our Australian dream has come true and we have both worked so hard to achieve that.
Barbelle everafter
We got 2 kids now living with us in our home in southwest Sydney. We have our own small business and employs a few young people, some of which are international students. We can say that we don’t work as much and as hard now as our 2 young little ones are our top most priority and we consider enjoying life with them now as our reward for all of our hard work from before.
Our advice to you
Do your research. Plan plan plan, and act on it! In your plan, create goals you want to achieve, put a target date on when you should achieve your goals and work your hearts out to achieve them. And of course, enjoy life in Australia with your family.
As a parting note
If any of you have some questions about moving to Australia or living in Australia, please feel free to contact us thru our social media, its @barbelleeverafter on FB, IG, YT. God bless!
BarBelle EverAfter’s YouTube
BarBelle EverAfter’s Facebook
BarBelle EverAfter’s Instagram
BarBelle EverAfter’s café and burger restaurant in Sydney
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P.S. Let’s look back to the day we officially became Australians! (Australian Citizenship Ceremony below)
Authors: BarBelle EverAfter 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.
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.
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