00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:02 He came to me and said, babe, would it
00:05 be crazy if we moved to Boracay?
00:07 I said, let's go.
00:08 For me, there was really no second thoughts.
00:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:14 Over the past more than two years
00:20 of being in the pandemic, we noticed
00:22 that we were starting to develop some stresses about staying
00:26 within the city and seeing the same places over and over
00:29 again.
00:30 We also noticed that our kids were becoming more shy
00:32 with strangers, even with neighbors.
00:34 One day, my husband was lamenting to God
00:37 about family concerns.
00:38 And somehow, this inspired thought
00:41 came to him as if God was telling him,
00:43 you don't have to stay in the city.
00:45 First thing came to mind was the beach.
00:47 As he was searching on the internet,
00:49 he came across Boracay Long-Term Rentals' Facebook page.
00:53 For me, there was really no second thoughts.
00:55 It's like a city outside of the city.
00:58 And since then, we've been planning, doing research
01:02 about making the actual move.
01:04 And so last February 10, we finally took the plane
01:09 and settled here.
01:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:27 Some of us have dreams of living by the beach
01:31 or settling, retiring by the beach.
01:33 At our age, I think we're the type of person
01:35 who can appreciate the slowness.
01:37 Well, the little ones, especially Elijah,
01:41 who's three years old, we were already
01:43 telling him that, Elijah, we're going to live by the beach.
01:46 He used to have a small sandbox in our dirty kitchen.
01:50 And we will tell him, when we live in the beach,
01:52 the whole island will be your sandbox.
01:54 You're going to have a bigger space
01:56 to play with your construction toys.
01:58 But with our older child, who's 14 years old now, Joshua,
02:02 we're still in the process of allowing him to adjust,
02:05 helping him with finding compromises.
02:07 And we're also not pressuring him
02:09 to love the island right away.
02:11 And we just let him be.
02:13 If that's his place of comfort, if that's his space of comfort,
02:16 we just allow him.
02:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:21 Before moving to Boracay, we really
02:24 looked forward to living the island life,
02:27 like walking the beach every day,
02:28 watching the sunset, if possible, every night,
02:31 having shorty burger or a fruit shake, or walking to the mall.
02:36 You know how that's like?
02:37 Our expectations are actually being met.
02:39 In fact, we're starting to develop network with people
02:42 here, locals, businessmen, and even friends
02:45 whom we can meet with on a regular basis from the church.
02:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:53 My husband and I, we love having our dates
02:56 and walking by the beach.
02:57 We love having a date while watching the sunset,
03:00 just talking during our morning routine, playing with the kids,
03:04 and just spending time with them.
03:05 For me, we're really having the time of our lives.
03:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:11 Oh, you know how it is in Manila.
03:13 If you need to go to the mall, do grocery, or run an errand,
03:16 you have to dress up.
03:17 Especially with me, I'm a celebrity.
03:19 People expect me to be a celebrity.
03:20 Especially with me, I'm a celebrity.
03:22 People expect me to look good, right?
03:24 Here in Boracay, everyone's so laid back.
03:26 In fact, I was just telling my son,
03:28 you know what I like about Boracay?
03:29 I can go out to the mall, do my grocery shopping, or whatever,
03:32 and be in Pambahay, and I'm fine.
03:36 That's another difference that I'm actually
03:38 loving here in Boracay.
03:39 And then just being out in nature.
03:41 I mean, there's something about nature
03:43 that's so healing for the body, mind, and soul.
03:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:50 It's so different from Manila, because in Manila,
03:52 you feel the stress of the traffic.
03:54 You experience the pollution in the air.
03:58 There's just different energy in the city.
04:00 But here, everything is so laid back.
04:03 Everyone is so healthy and happy with all the sports
04:06 and activities going on.
04:08 It's just great.
04:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:13 For now, we signed a 16-month lease here.
04:15 We look forward to the next 10 years.
04:18 We look forward to discovering more of the island,
04:22 getting to know more of the people.
04:24 What we know for sure is that God has a purpose and a plan
04:27 for us here.
04:28 But a few years ago, we were just
04:30 so into making a lot of money, focused in our career.
04:33 I'm also discovering that I can live with only
04:37 a whole bunch of clothes.
04:39 I don't need so much clothes or shoes.
04:41 It's just so liberating to be free from so much
04:45 accumulation of stuff and just be focused on what's
04:48 really more important.
04:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:55 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
04:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:13 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:16 In the past year, we discovered that spending time
05:18 with family and building relationships
05:20 is really more important.
05:21 Minute, my husband and my younger son
05:24 were walking in the garden.
05:26 And then the next minute, they were jumping into the pool
05:28 at the back of the house.
05:29 So it's just amazing how we can do a lot of outdoor activities
05:33 and family activities.
05:35 And the spontaneity of it all is just
05:37 so conducive to family life, to outdoor lifestyle.
05:40 God brought us here as a family.
05:42 I don't even miss Manila so much.
05:45 For me, this is home.
05:46 And home is where the heart is.
05:48 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:51 I'd like to invite you to watch my YouTube channel,
05:59 Life with Miriam and Ardy.
06:01 And we're so excited because we're
06:03 going to share with you our life here.
06:05 We're going to share a day in the life of our family.
06:08 And there's so many things to discover together.
06:11 So please, follow us, like, and subscribe,
06:14 because we would love to journey with you.
06:16 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:19 If you have an interesting or inspiring story
06:26 that you want to share, email us at stories.onlygood@gmail.com.
06:31 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
06:34 Subscribe now and hit the notification bell
06:37 to get updates on our latest episodes.
