sa wakas, MAY BAHAY NA KAMI!

Finally, we have a home!

Three years into marriage, and we got a house.

Let's face it, in a third world country like mine if you marry a foreigner, people would assume he's rich. But when some of them found out he isn't, and doesn't have a house of his own, they gave us a sour face. Look! Not all Americans are rich, more than 50% are living paycheck-to-paycheck, just like some people in the Philippines.

When I arrived here, 2016, we did not have an apartment. We lived in a friend's house. After a month, we packed up and moved. Four months after that, we moved again. We stayed in a hotel for the next three months. Some might say, "uy hotel! Fancy!" Mind you, I was pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful, we had a roof over our heads but living in a hotel was not the ideal place to raise a kid. Our movements were limited. There was one time, a police knocked on our room because someone complained that our kid was loud. If we don't stop him, they would kick us out. I understand, it was the hotel's policy. But, my pregnant belly and our two-year-old son in the winter-cold street? Yikes! That'd be uncomfortable. I was sure though that our son was not that loud. I don't like loud sound myself, so you know what that means.

February of 2017, we applied for an apartment and got approved. Glad we did. At least we had a place for when my tummy was due. And I found a Filipina in the apartment complex. Became friends with her. Happy I had someone to physically talk to in our own language from time to time. But then, end of 2017, there was a rumor that the complex will be under new management. They will increase the monthly rent and there are other changes that a lot of tenants did not take lightly. So many tenants, including us and my Filipina friend's family, have decided to start looking for another place to rent.

March of 2018, I found a job for my husband that included a free apartment. He got the job, and we moved as soon as we possibly can. It was great because his previous job was an hour away. So he drove two hours everyday, five days a week. He was gone from noon to midnight, if not having an overtime. Only meant, we didn't get to spend a lot of time together, only during his days off, if there's no side job scheduled. This time, he was just around the complex where we lived. He comes home for lunch and spends time with the kids. We bonded more and felt closer together.

Early 2019, his friend called and asked if we could move our trailer that was parked outside his shop because the shop landlord said so. We understood. We pulled the trailer and park it in the street near where we lived. One day, someone broke into the trailer, things were taken. So, that's it! We said to ourselves, since we're getting enough return this year, instead of using it to take a vacation to the Philippines, as planned. It would be best to use it as a down-payment for a house. We looked and looked. Then, we found a house and put in our offer. April 2019 - It was a long anxious month of processing but in the end, our loan got approved. There were times we almost did not get the house, because it had a lot of issues, mainly the foundation. The house itself wasn't big but it was enough for us. At least, we now have a place we can call our own, as long as we pay it off. And of course, a place for the trailer and the rest of our half-functioning vehicles, LOL.

I saw pure bliss on my husband's eyes when we got the keys, it was such a good feeling. His happiness is also mine. He has been dreaming of having a place of his own for a very long time. Angsarap sa pakiramdam na ako yung kasama niyang tumupad ng isa sa mga pangarap nya, na naging pangarap naming dalawa. (It felt so good that I was the one with him reaching his dreams, that became our dream together.) Another thing checked off our bucket list. The new place was 45-minutes drive from the apartment where we used to lived and where he used to work. Two months after we moved to our not-so new house, he got a job that was just 10 minutes drive from the house. Things were starting to fall into place. Months have passed, here we are sitting in the front porch. I couldn't help myself but look at him and say, "I still can't believe we have a house." He nodded and we both smiled. The property has a backyard, enough for his future shop and a possible garden for me. Oh! Also a yard for our kids to play around, and we got ourselves a dog!!! :P

Imagine, we moved every year for the past three years. Our eldest, who was 2 when we started moving from point A to point Z, now 5, asked if we could bring the dog with us when we move again. It pained me a little bit. My son has been so used of us moving every year that he thought we'd be moving again in the near future. As a mom, I'd love for them to grow in a place where they will spend their childhood and build friendship with other kids. I want that place to be this place. YES! We finally have a house. Next project is, fixing some of its structural issues. ;)

"A house is made of walls and beams, a home is made of love and dreams."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

--- xoxo---