The decision to launch my next business in Canada or the Philippines has weighed heavy on me for the past two months and last night I turned to someone whom I've been blessed with meeting here and, jokingly, among a crowd of friends, jokingly I asked her, "Okay, I can't do this. You pick -- the Philippines or Canada?"
Last month I had sat down with this very same fine, fierce female and we discussed to great extent my dilemma -- Canada or the Philippines. At one point in the conversation she turned to me and asked, "Where do you feel most uncomfortable?" Her suggestion was to do it there, where ever I felt most uncomfortable. One problem though, I feel uncomfortable doing my business in Canada and in the Philippines but for different reasons.
Last night, when I approached her again about my much pondered over dilemma, I really was expecting her to blurt out "the Philippines". We were at a party, I knew she had been drinking, and she was surrounded by friends who had all given their biased opinions. She stopped, looked at me, and then said, "Where do you feel you can make the greater impact?... Live a life of purpose."
Another question but definitely not the type of answer I was expecting.
I fell asleep thinking about her question last night and I woke up with it still lingering in my thoughts. It wasn't until I was at training today that I realized my answer and at the realization of it I got somewhat teary eyed and choked up.
I had approached a girl at the fitness gym. I asked her where all the yoga mats were. She offered her opinion and then asked some of her friends stretching on the mats beside her. I ended up approaching one of the personal trainers and he took me to the yoga room, flicked on the switch and showed me that they were all there drying. They had been washed earlier on today. He then told me to pick out the driest and that's what I did. I returned to the area where the other girls were still and joined beside them. They continued their stretching and I started my sets of roll-outs and push ups.
They gave me a little clap for my roll-outs and we chatted a bit.
They just seemed so sweet.
In Canada I feel us women have so much opportunity and options open for us to explore who we are as women and who we want to be. We may not all be fearless and brave but we definitely have services and businesses that support us as women, some more than others. But what about the Filipino women, the Filipinas?! They're just as deserving of such opportunities, options and support and yet it's only because the luck of the draw they were born here and not Canada.
And just like that I made my decision. I'm going to bring something cool to these Filipinas.
Now to tell my dad... Oh gosh.
A part of me thinks he won't be surprised, after all I did go to Korea with the intentions of only being there one year. I went engaged for goodness sake. Went for one year and stayed a bit over 11, came home married to someone else. Up until a bit over a month before I came to the Philippines I didn't even know I was going to have the opportunity to come. Now I'm here. Plan is to use my flight back to Canada on May 28th to break the news to my dad, then get back on the plane a week or so later and start grinding away at getting my business up and running.
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