Geil Astorga: A millennial dreamer

In this fast-paced world with all the buzzing innovations and ease of technology, people cannot help but aim for the ‘instant’ lifestyle. And for this young millennial, Geil Astorga, just because she started early and woke to this age of technology, it does not mean that she has found a shortcut to success.

Simple girl, simple dreams

She was a simple girl with simple dreams. While this could pass as a good Twitter and Instagram bio, for Geil, this was perhaps the most accurate set of words she could use to describe her early years.

Raised in the barrio of Sampaloc in Tanay, Rizal, Geil described herself as the “typical probinsyana (girl from the province).”

“My choice of clothes is conservative, I am always taught to ‘behave’ when at other people’s home, my family always monitored my whereabouts, and I prioritized my studies over everything,” the 20-year-old recalled in an interview with Philippine Canadian Inquirer, adding that she graduated as top of her class back in highschool when she was 15.

At 16, Geil submitted her 4^th year thesis to the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) which gave her an invitation to present the research at Tokyo University, Japan – as the youngest delegate and only student in the event for researchers, professors, and professionals.

Like a ‘throwback,’ Geil traced her early life in the Philippines as “payak na pamumuhay (simple living).”

“Mornings are full of vendors selling Pinoy breakfast favorites, neighbors know each other, and no malls or fast-food chains nearby,” she said.

She also added that their family was well-known in their area since both of her grandmothers were recognized, with one being a university professor and the other being a public official.

This soon changed though when Geil studied in the city of Manila. Studying as a scholar in Far Eastern University (FEU) for a Communications degree, she got a taste of freedom which was a bit of a leeway to make her own choices.

Despite the change in her lifestyle, Geil admitted that her core still stayed in her system, as she still maintained her grades and regarded her family as an escape to the city life.

“Every Saturday night I travel for three hours to go home, then back again in Manila by Sunday night. I don’t mind the hassle of commute, seeing my family was my escape to the pressures and stress of the city,” she said.

Looking back, Geil realized the value of her life in the Philippines.

“Overall, masaya ang buhay ko sa Pinas, pero lately ko na lang na-appreciate nung nandito na ko sa Canada (I had a happy life in the Philippines, but I just appreciated this lately when I was already here in Canada),” she shared.

#Goals, #ChallengeAccepted

Though Geil lived in simplicity, it was no secret for her that one day she will be leaving her home to seek a life in Canada. In fact, it was one of the things that she always looked forward to. As early as in her third year of highschool, she started processing her papers, with assistance from her mom who was already in the foreign country. However, these goals of hers in return had obstacles she needed to face.

Geil’s mom was like many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who sought for a different life and a different opportunity, and found themselves stepping in the Great White North.

“My mom is the center of my immigrant story. She left at August 28, 2008 (my birthday) and after eight years, on my 18th birthday, I followed her here,” she said.

Geil also shared that it was normal for her to entertain and receive questions of people asking why she had to go to Canada when most of her family is residing in the Philippines anyway.

“I am doing just fine. I tell them that this is an opportunity knocking on my door, I’d rather take it than contemplate with the ‘what ifs.’ Do it than die wondering,” she said.

She continued that, “Hindi ko naman kasi talaga alam kung anong klaseng buhay ‘yung dadatnan ko dito, pero (I really did not know what kind of life I will be living here but) I was positive. I look forward to the experience, sa mga bagay na matututunan ko, sa mga challenges na ma-o-overcome ko (to the things I will be learning, and to the challenges I will be overcoming).”

In her teenage years, Geil already found a sense of independence within herself that she really wanted this.

“I’ve always wanted to know how it feels to earn my own money and pay for my own education, work and study at the same time. I love the thrill, adventure… the feeling of not knowing what could happen but trust that God has a plan for me,” she shared.

With her mind and heart more than ready for this opportunity and spending two years in college that was initially not part of her plans because she knew she would be migrating, Geil found unexplainable happiness in her last days in the Philippines.

“I think it was my fault after all, I did not tell any of my friends that I am leaving and my whole family except my dad knew it the night before my flight. [But] my last few days in Pinas is amazing,” she admitted.

An event set-up for her departure for Canada made her realize how much homesickness she will be experiencing. A party to celebrate her birthday in advance allowed members of her family and highschool and college friends to go all-out in their efforts to show her their care and love for her.

“All these memories were replaying on my head and it made me realize how much I’m missing. What got me the most is the night my dad hugged me the night before I left. He was not [a] showy kind of father, pero (but) he was crying that night. He was losing his little girl. Pagdating ko dito lahat bago, iba, hindi pamilyar (When I arrived here, everything is new, different, nothing is familiar anymore),” Geil shared.

“In everything I do, everywhere I go, I compare it to what I have in Pinas,” she added.

Off to reality

It was time to leave la-la land for Geil when she arrived in Canada.

Not only was she suddenly slipping into sudden adulthood and independence, but when she moved to the foreign land, she was set to face many other adjustments.

At the age of 18, she said, “This was the hardest of all the years. I had to adjust with my new life here and at the same time not to be so dramatic because I need to face the real life. Tears won’t pay bills. It’s hard to get Canadian accreditation from [the] education I received back home, so I need to go back to school, and it’s expensive, I mean super expensive. My mom cannot afford it, so I have to do something.”

While Geil described Canadians to be nice and polite, she had to admit that the culture and relationships were too different both in school and work settings.

“No more usual beso-beso (cheek-to-cheek kiss) before being with a bunch of people, no more mean jokes, no conversation starter because we have different backgrounds and experiences. “There was a point when I am in a cultural confusion. Should I transform myself at magpakain sa sistema dito or maintain ko ‘yung mga kinalakihan ko sa Pinas (and let myself be eaten by the system here or maintain what I grew up with back in the Philippines),” she shared.

Geil then said that eventually she found herself bending to a different person. Her eager attitude to speak up and be heard was minimized to a more laid-back version of herself.

More questions arose from her as she started asking herself, what will she be doing there? Where will her life go? What will her future be? Though she was really goal-oriented and this was something she looked forward to, all these thoughts kept her up at night as she emotionally struggled.

Most of the things that kept Geil struggling were internal conflicts. But she had to admit that she experienced forms of discrimination because of racial roots, with some involving the current political situation in the Philippines to her as a person which prompted them to ignore her.

“The worst kind of discrimination was when a co-worker wanted me deported, saying I shouldn’t be working and studying at the same time. She had no idea [that] I’m a permanent resident and [I was] legally allowed to do it,” Geil shared, explaining that the situation with this co-worker of hers was more of a personal tirade.

After being separated from her mom for many years, Geil also confessed that it was also one of the things she had to adjust to. “I have no one but my mom. Imagine how strange it is to live with a person you haven’t been with in the last eight years? Plus consider the fact that I did not grew up with her, so we do not really know each other,” she said.

But with everything and all the struggles that she is facing, it was also her mom who kept her motivated. “I know what I experienced was nothing compared to what she overcame,” she added.

While Geil has experienced a lot of conflicts and battles in her first years in Canada, she had to admit that the safety of the country is one of the best deals.

“I can walk around without worrying about my wallet being stolen and I can go home whenever I want. The roads are clean, vehicles prioritize the pedestrians, and public transportations are organized. Accidents and crimes are rare. Government regulates the food products, no modus on any commercialized goods, and less public nuisance,” she explained.

Living the dream

In spite of the challenges that went alongside with her goals, Geil knew she had to focus.

Geil enrolled in a paralegal program in Ontario and passed all her courses with honours. Right after, she got her license at the age of 19. She decided to go back to school for a BA in Communication Arts and Multimedia Studies at McMaster University.

And according to her, back in highschool, she joined the debate council and competed in parliamentary procedure, and was lauded by the campus director who advised her to become a lawyer. Her mom was also in law school when Geil was still the cause of her baby bump. All of these things fueled Geil more to pursue the legal field.

However, she had to admit that she needed to have a soft cushion to land on just in case things do not work out, that was why she found herself walking to the communications field.

While Geil, after all her struggles may seem to have all the right options lined up for her future, she had to admit that as of now, she is a “typical career-confused millennial.”

She is currently gaining experience both in the legal and the communications field and checking herself which it is that she really wants to pursue.

“I am a legal agent working in a federally-funded research company under the skills I learned in my communication studies. I am going back to school this fall semester for another BA (Bachelor of Arts). I recently got approved to do a double major in Communication Studies and Multimedia in the top seventh university of Canada. I may pursue law school after this; on the side, I sometimes work with my paralegal friends and help them with cases,” Geil shared.

As an immigrant, one thing that pulls Geil to pursue a career in the legal field is seeing the situation of fellow Filipinos in Canada. She is not saying that migrant workers are struggling but “at some point, they need someone to defend them, and I want be that someone who can help.”

Geil finds helping the people as the best part of the career but “Worst part is the pressure, kasi buhay ng iba ‘yung hawak ko eh (because I am responsible for the lives of people) and whatever happens good or bad I am liable for it. Isang mali ko lang pwedeng ma-evict ‘yung tenant, ma-incarcerate ‘yung nakabangga, or walang makuhang compensation ‘yung worker out of work-related injury (One mistake might evict a tenant, incarcerate someone who hit a person with a car, or a worker may not get a compensation out of a work-related injury). People come to us with major need, at their most vulnerable state, and I don’t want to be the one setting them up for failure.”

This youngster has a lot of things on her plate as she juggles two jobs and schooling while finding herself in the process. Though it may seem like she is accomplishing a lot of things with all her activities and goals, for Geil, surviving the everyday life in Canada is probably the greatest accomplishment.

Maybe living the dream is not all about getting all the blessings and things one wished for, but accepting the struggles and learning included in this dream package.