Call me naive, but I was today-years-old when I found out that “coconut” was a pejorative term for people like me, a morena from Southeast Asia who grew up immersed in American culture. Whoever came up with that insult was massively ill-informed. Clearly, they had no idea just how valuable coconuts actually are. There is a reason why they're called the tree of life in this part of the world.
Thing is, the comparison feels more like a badge of honour than a racial slur. I’m choosing to co-opt that dig, and celebrate multiculturalism. It’s not that I’m brown on the outside and white (or green like a kiwi) on the inside. It’s that I’m a little bit of all the peoples I’ve loved, places I’ve lived and cultures I’ve embraced.
When Home is Alien Territory
These days, I’m based in my home country - the Philippines - yet I still consider myself a bit of a migrant. Perhaps just one that has settled well. As a youngin, I spent some time in the West, learning to speak English before Tagalog. Not immune to bullying, I was taunted for looking different. I remember some nasty brats calling me Chinese-flat face (note: I’m not Chinese). I didn’t think much of it at the time but relocating to Manila came with somewhat similar experiences of otherhood. The language barrier made me an outsider even though I was “home”. It was a struggle to find common ground with local kids but I eventually found my tribe.
Fast forward to my early twenties and I took up a job at an embassy. Little did I know that the choice would spark a fondness for New Zealand, which I’ve now held for most of my adult life. It would set me up on a grand adventure living in Thailand, travelling around the region and helping migrants on their own paths of discovery.
The Good in Working for the “Dark Side”
Sometimes it feels like a career in immigration chose me. I’d started out with an internship with a non-profit that helped resettle refugees and people displaced by armed conflict in Mindanao. Something came up with the IOM but by then, I’d signed on with Immigration New Zealand. I’d spent over 6 years there in various roles before switching to the private sector. Or as Immigration Officers might (jokingly) say, I crossed over to the dark side.
Dark side: it’s an ironic thing to say when I really think about it. When you’re administering the system, you see applications instead of people. Success is measured largely on the basis of the number of cases closed. As an immigration adviser, I’m an advocate privileged to know each client personally and aid in realising life goals. Fulfilment is off the charts in this line of work and I’m reminded of this every time our clients achieve their own milestones like graduating, starting a family or buying a home.
Making Lemonade and Enjoying It Too
A two-year border closure certainly gives a migration professional a huge supply of lemons. It’s a good thing I like lemonade (sometimes with a splash of vodka).
2020 was a year of lockdowns. After a few months, our family had to make massive changes to keep the proverbial lights on. In what I can only describe as a series of divine interventions, our businesses have remained afloat. Unexpectedly, we’ve flourished through the pivots we’ve made in response to the pandemic.
Many moons ago, I flirted with the idea of becoming a writer. There was no real plan to pursue it, just a glimmer of an idea shelved for a long time. One online introduction is all it took to set things in motion. At present, I moonlight as a wordsmith developing Southeast Asia’s business leadership talent by telling the stories of the region’s trailblazers.
Immigration-wise, my practice has grown. We process a wider range of application types and have more clients in NZ and outside of the Philippines compared to pre-pandemic times. We look forward to the work we’ve got ahead of us this year. We’re pouring our energy into:
Reuniting split migrants families
Helping migrants in NZ get residence under the simplified 2021 Resident Visa Category
Organising visas with pathways to streamlined residence processing for overseas healthcare workers and other highly skilled migrants
Facilitating enrolment and travel for international students and their families
In the next edition
Next week, we tackle the much anticipated phase 2 of the 2021 Resident Visa going live on 01 March.
Subscribe to have the next newsletter delivered directly to your inbox. :)