Hi Every-hive-one, I am so delighted having to introduce myself to this wonderful community. Before anything else, I want to take this opportunity to thank my dear friend & sister-in-law (couldn’t ask for a better one) @callmesmile for guiding me here in Hive. I must say, I found the perfect channel where I can express myself through writing. It has always been my passion and this will be the place I can freely write without being judged. Oops, silly me! I haven’t even introduced myself yet.
ABOUT ME:
My name is Sheryl, I was born and raised in the beautiful town of Tabogon, Cebu, Philippines. As of this writing, I am 30 years old. I supposed it’s the perfect age to find one’s life’s purpose, sure not for everyone as we all have different timelines. I am currently living in Ireland for 5 years now (some of you might not know where it is as I myself before doesn’t know where this country is either🙈), it’s the beautiful island beside the UK. Hmmm how did I get here? Well, I got married to a Polish national who’s living here in Ireland for many years. At first, thinking about the Irish language scares me, fortunately, Ireland’s spoken language is English. Yes a total relief, phewww! I just came back from my holiday in the Philippines and at this moment I’m half asleep -still jet lagged.
This country is cold and full of greens. I can still remember vividly when I first step foot in Irish soil, mixed of emotions rush through every fiber of my being. It was sunny yet the cold windy breeze caressed my face. I took my first deep breath, it feels like somewhat the finest air you could ever have or the nicest smell of fresh air that I had ever smelled. It was a momentous feeling. It was incredible. It was feeling of joy and excitement to live in a different world too. Different people. Different traditions & cultures. What’s in store for me here? How will I navigate my life here? Those were the questions I asked myself. Though I understand I am a married woman, however, realising how far away I am from my home country gives me anxiety, I am thousand miles away. This is not living in the city and hit the road whenever I like to visit my family/parents in the countryside.
I have settled nicely in Ireland, the people are very warm & welcoming. People you randomly passed by/ met on the street, would say mostly along the lines of “Hi, How are you?” At the back of my head, what just happened? I don’t know that person. Little did I know, it’s their culture to casually greet you on the street either you know them or not. I think it’s a very nice trait to greet everyone around you. I love the people here- very friendly and kind. In 5 years and counting, thankfully I could say never did I experience being bullied or being picked on due to my ethnic looks/ background.
I took up Nursing by profession but along the way, I felt like it wasn’t for me anymore. I worked in a realty and BPO company whilst I was in the Philippines. Now, I am working here in the management of a Supply chain & Global Logistics company for 4 years now. I oversee account operations in UK & Ireland (very soon I will be moved to managed some countries in mainland Europe). Needful to say that I couldn’t be prouder as I am the only Asian/Filipino that works in this huge and prestigious company, most of my Co-managers/ workers are Irish, some are French & Polish nationals. I enjoyed a lot working with different groups. Learning a lot about their cultures and vice versa.
The real struggle when I first got here was their accents though I’ve dealt with most Americans & Australians people / accents in the Philippines. Every county (town) have different accents, it was so hard for me to understand the message they convey (for sure every foreigners / Asian nationals in this country relates to this). Also, Irish people speak British English- say for example: In Philippines we say Fries, but in Ireland they call it Chips. Our Chips in Philippines- they call it here Crisp. And the list goes on.
MY INTERESTS/ HOBBIES:
I must say I like doing a slice of everything.
From singing & dancing with family/ friends, to camping, beaching, mountain climbing, cycling, walking, etc. When I am at home, I like to read and watch movies (any film genre except horror movies or sci fi., though my favourite of all is watching Cartoons). I have watched most of cartoon movies if not all in Disney plus or Amazon Prime. From the girly side, I like bags, shoes & perfume. My husband knows this too well as I would never miss visiting boutiques that sell those when we are in the shopping center. Don’t get me wrong as (maybe) half of my collections were price reductions/ sale or half price sections. Yes, I’m that practical when it comes to my wants. You will find me where the huge signs and red labels are (Ladies knows this aisle too well lol). Besides, we are nine in the family (4 girls), my sisters gets to enjoy the things that I own too via Balikbayan box or when will go back home to Philippines.
I like travelling - my dream is to travel the world (don’t we all want it? Lol). I have travelled few places around mainland Europe to name Poland, Germany, Belgium & France- and Ofcourse around Ireland. I’ve meet people on different walks of life and it made me appreciate everybody around me. I became conscious what to say or do to other people.
I am so excited to share to all of you a piece of my heart through writing and photography. My favourite subjects are Nature, beaches, etc, also our mini Yorkie fur baby Viki. Yes, we do have a fur baby. She is our small ball of happiness. She’s the kindest, sweetest and smartest little baby. She will be 12 years old this year yet she still play & run like a puppy 🐶. She is part of our family. I know I side tracked too much.
Once again, I am so honoured to be part of this community and to consider this my new found haven. Thank you Hive. I can’t wait to share with you all my piece and passion. I am just as thrilled to read all my co Hivers blogs too coz I know this is the perfect platform for us to inspire, aspire, encourage and only spread positivity across ❤️.
Love to Every-hive-one,
Sheryl xx
