Leony

From the Philippines to Lake Bunga

I am a Filipino woman.

I am a single mother.

I am a personal carer. I look after people in their old age.

My life is spent caring for my kids and working to support our family.

My family, that’s who I live for. I live for my children. Their names are Ejay and Ella Mae.

I have two older sisters and a brother, who are still in the Philippines. We are from a small area, not near the city. We would get to the city by boat and do shopping once a week for the whole week. We had road crops – sweet potato – and sold veggies from a stall.

I moved to Australia in 2011 when I married an Australian man.

We met online. We were friends for two years. Then he visited me in the Philippines and we became engaged.

I quit my factory job, we applied for a visa and married in Australia in 2011.

Life in Australia was a big adjustment.

I was always talking in the Philippines. But here, I was confused. I didn’t understand. I always said, “what did you say?”

I had to get used to the weather, speaking English and learning slang.

My kids understand slang. I don’t. Sometimes Ejay will tell me something and I don’t get the words he says to me. I have a personal handbook in English. I learn a little bit each time, but it’s not perfect. Every day, I am learning more words.

I am also teaching my kids our home language. It’s very hard to teach them. I will not force them to learn, but I will try.

I am always making time for my kids and my work.

For my first job here, I cleaned cabins at a tourist park. Then, I worked at a hotel while I studied a certificate in aged care. Now, I look after older Australians as their personal carer.

Ejay likes his school. The kids love to swim at the beach. I like badminton and Scrabble and walking along the beach.

I like living in Australia. We have a better life. There are more opportunities for me and my kids. We can find work and education. We have better healthcare. Saving money is also different. Before I could not save money because of the small salary.

Here is different.

Here, we are happy.

We live in Lake Bunga, a coastal town in eastern Victoria. It is a beautiful place, and safe.

Here, we are home.