Nagkaroon ng mas malaking epekto sa kanila ang kanyang pagkawala kaysa sa presensya ng iba.
Noong umalis si Angie Cardenas sa Pilipinas patungong Australya nung 2015, iniwan niya ang kanyang asawang si Charles at ang kanilang anak na si Manuel.
Pagkatapos nilang ikasal, nagtrabaho sina Angie at Charles sa negosyo ng kanilang pamilya; ngunit, naghangad ang dalawa ng mas magandang buhay sa ibang bansa.
“It was fast,” Angie laughs, saying that she got married to her husband Charles after only less than a year of dating. Source: Angie Cardenas
Pag-alis sa Pilipinas
"It was really hard to give up something stable, but we chose to take a risk and explore other possibilities. I decided to take up Master of Information Technology in La Trobe. Our plan was for me to leave first, stay with my in laws' best friends temporarily and, then get everything settled within two years before my family followed," saad ni Angie.
Habang hinanda ni Angie ang kanyang sarili sa mga hamon na haharapin niya sa Australya, tila hindi siya handa para sa mga sakripisyong kasama sa kanilang pangarap.
"I was still nursing my son then. When I left, he developed separation anxiety and became sickly. He was in and out of the hospital a lot. I couldn't go home because uni just started. I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do," aniya.
Habang pakiramdam ni Angie na wala siyang magawa, nagsilbing ina at ama si Charles sa kanilang anak.
Angie is grateful that Charles was there for Manuel through the good and bad while she was away. Source: Angie Cardenas
"I'm very grateful for his sacrifice. He became such a hands-on parent," saad ni Angie.
Kalungkutan sa ibang bansa
Habang inaalagaan ni Charles si Manuel, nakikipagsapalaran naman si Angie mag-isa sa Australya.
"I arrived in Australia on November 1. My husband's birthday is on November 8, followed by my son's birthday on November 20. I missed them. I felt so lonely," saad ni Angie.
At habang madalas niyang kailangan labanan ang kanyang kalungkutan, naging malaking tulong sa kanya ang madalas nilang pag-uusap nila Charles at Manuel, at ang pagtuto niyang magmaneho.
"I learned how to drive in Australia so I could explore Melbourne on my own. I explored different places so I wouldn't think too much," saad niya.
“I learned to drive. I explored different places so I could distract myself.” Source: Angie Cardenas
Malaking tulong din para sa kanya ang pakikipagkaibigan niya sa kanyang mga kaklaseng dumaan din sa mga isyu ng kalungkutan at pangungulila.
Pagbisita
Pagkatapos ng isang taon, bumisita si Angie sa Pilipinas. Ngunit kahit hindi kailanman naputol ang komunikasyon sa pagitan ng mag-anak, may mga nag-iba sa kanilang ugnayan bilang pamilya.
"For the first three years of Manuel's life, we were always together. When I came back in 2016, he wasn’t at ease with me. He would just always be with his Papa and, he wasn’t calling me ‘mum’ that much. As a mum, it was painful.”
Bilang anak din ng isang Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), natanto niya ang sakit na dinanas din ng kanyang ama sa pagkawalay niya sa kanyang pamilya.
“He wasn’t at ease with me. He would just always be with his Papa and, he wasn’t calling me ‘mum’ that much. As a mum, it was painful.” Source: Angie Cardenas
"The effect of being away was intense, but I wasn't going to allow my son to be distant. So during my three-month vacation, we did everything he wanted to do. I always picked him up and brought him to school. It brought back our bond as mother and son," saad ni Angie.
Magkasama ng muli
Kinausap ni Charles si Angie bago siya umalis patungong Australya muli. Sinabi niya na hindi na niya kayang mawalay pang muli sa asawa.
"I cancelled my flight to Australia and we re-booked on a date the three of us would fly out. We disregarded warnings about how hard it would be for all three of us to be in Australia. We had no house of our own and my husband didn't have a job. Luckily though, everything eventually worked out," saad ni Angie.
Apat na taon ng naninirahan ang mag-anak sa Australya. Sa kasalukuyan, nagtatrabaho bilang IT professional si Angie sa umaga, habang nagtatrabaho sa gabi si Charles sa market research.
Angie, Charles and Manuel are now together, living in Australia. Source: Angie Cardenas
Bagamat dumaan sa hirap at lungkot ang mag-anak, saad ni Angie na ang pagkakaroon ng tiwala sa Diyos at ang pagpilit niya sa sarili na makipag-ugnayan sa ibang tao.
“It’s hard. I know a lot of people who have to leave their kids back home. We need to be there for each other. That's where I got my strength - from those going through the same thing," aniya.
BASAHIN DIN
