The Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the 'one less traveled' by,
And that has made all the difference.
By Robert Frost

I wonder at how some people can think that to be like the rest is an achievement; or that to do what everyone else is doing is doing the right thing. But sometimes I think and do like the rest....

About 10 years ago, I asked my husband if he would consider working and/or living abroad. It seemed like everyone our age was scrambling to acquire a US visa either to work or to settle there; anywhere but stay home. His reply struck me...apparently, he put to heart what the University President said (who was the graduation speaker of his class)..."stay in Mindanao and help it grow!" (Mindanao is the 2nd biggest island of 3 in the archipelagic region of the Philippines). I could not believe that someone who practically had his entire academic education from the Ateneo would feel this responsible for the region where he grew up in. I ought to have this mindset, having gone to the premier state university in the country. Bayan muna! (Country first!)

It did not seem right. Like most of my countrymen I, too, wanted the white picket fence around the house in suburban America with all the home gadgets and a well-manicured garden. I wanted to experience things in the Big Apple and visit Capitol Hill; watch shows on Broadway and pose with the Golden Gate behind me; I imagined seeing the seasons change - have outdoor barbecues with the neighbors and sip cold lemonade on hot summer days; wear sweaters with the blouse collar out and sweep the autumn leaves on a nippy afternoon; trim the Christmas tree and place decor on the mantle as the fire crackles and everybody huddles by the fireplace while sipping eggnog or hot chocolate; I love the idea of going on an easter egg hunt with all the pastel-colored ribbons and nice flower-print dresses on a fine spring day....I read too much, watch too many TV shows and browse through a thousand American magazines. Shallow musings...

10 years later, we're still here in the old country; still disappointed with a corrupt and bureaucratic government where public service mostly sucks and majority of the population is lazy and undisciplined. I could stay disappointed and envious everytime I see friends and relations on Facebook living their "succesful lives" as shown in pictures of snow and fancy cars, of the latest Chanel and LV bags, of vacations on some hot spot in the US or Europe. But I shouldn't...

This is a choice that we have made. I am not closing my doors to seeing the sights of the world! I believe that if I can imagine it, then I can do it....I might just need more time than most people. Almost EVERYONE wants to be somewhere else except in this country of ours. Almost, but not all.....

A friend told me once: "If you're doing okay here, then you're better off here!" There are a million reasons why people leave. There are also a million reasons why some of us have decided to stay....

And maybe if we just decide to put our hearts and minds to it and decide to pull our acts together, then we might see the day when there is less corruption and more efficiency in the government system, there are more hard-working Filipinos pulling their muscles and eking out a decent living for the bright future of their families, and a lot more countrymen who believe in themselves and commit to develop the Philippines.

The road is long and winding, as the song goes. Sometimes such a road is taken less. But I would not mind if a lot more people took it - the road to progress, to discipline, to cultural development, promotion and appreciation - to just a better Philippines. More shall have traveled down that road but it would be okay.