We are nearing the end of March 2025. And since January 31, 2025, things have been going downhill for me. Literally. Figuratively – in almost all sense of imagination possible.
I thought 2025 would be a redemption year for me, but it seems more like another filler episode in the grand scheme of things. But what are these grand schemes I’m scheming? Well. Hard to tell, I haven’t really outlined plans for my 2025 yet. Maybe I should work on that. Anyways, we’re almost 3 months down, and I feel like whilst my miles traveled has gone up, the way I have progressed as a whole seems more like a regression instead.
Here’s a quick catch up on what has been so far in 2025 for me.
January
I suppose the start of the year was indeed a little bit ominous. I didn’t exactly know what’s in store, I didn’t exactly know what to expect. But I sure as heck wasn’t prepared for the freight train that was about to hit me. I started out the year connecting with friends, like I usually would. Slowly preparing my planned travels to Vietnam and the WordCamp in Nepal that was I going to attend (yeah, that event has now passed as I am writing this, so I’ll just link back to a post about that here later).
As I always would, I started out the year traveling to Cebu. There’s a unique twist to it, however, as I departed for Cebu via General Santos. Flights were apparently cheaper from there, inclusive of bus and taxi to the airport, for some weird reason. As always, I toured around my favorite restaurants in the city, spent time at my favorite German bar, and even had a drinking session with my two relatives from there. On the way back home, I even bumped into another friend who was in Cebu for a marathon that happened the night before.
It was business as usual when I returned to Davao. One notable change perhaps is that I tried taking my stuff back to the main house for a while – but that didn’t last long. More on that later. So yeah I did settle inside the main house for a while. We had the usual family fiesta, I went a few days to Lupon, my mom celebrated her birthday, I got a new iMac. The world was healing, or so I thought. Then the news broke. I was going to lose my income lifeline at the end of the month… and things just spiraled from there.
February – Siargao and WordCamp
I started out February making a rather expensive “panic laag” to Cebu. Because, why not? Cebu has always been my save haven and my safe space. This is where I got to flight 3 and 4 for the year. I was in Cebu for 5 days. And just 5 days later, I would then depart for Siargao. Another expensive trip that I just should not have been able to afford.
I was there with my best friend for over a week. Moral support ako because she was meeting her boylet there. I had fun. I had my share of drinks and awesome evenings with new connections I’ve made from there. I even tried surfing! Siargao was definitely a great experience and I got to see the touristy side of the Philippines. I don’t hate it, but I also don’t like it. Especially the prices there.
Returning back to Davao on the 18th, I immediately departed on the 19th for WordCamp Asia 2025 – Philippines. I have a separate post for that coming up. Yes. I know. I am fucking crazy.
February ended way too soon and March as already knocking on the door.
March – Hanoi and my travel madness
March started out quite great. Some of my colleagues from Cebu who were working as intern when I was there came over to Davao. While the only lady of our group of three went hiking to Mt. Apo, Leo and I went out for drinks. And then we all went out together as well, especially for some great food. Mid March I found myself traveling by land to Iligan via Cagayan de Oro for the WordPress Iligan Meetup. I was speaking there and it was there were I launched my topic. “how to work ethically for foreign employers”, which is the complementary talk to my WordCamp version of “How to hire ethically from emerging markets”.
Literally half a day when I got back to Davao, I was already Manila bound for the first leg of my set of flights that would lead me to WordCamp Nepal 2025 and back to the Philippines. I departed the Philippines with my German passport in tow so I don’t have to pay travel tax (I entered the PH less than a year ago, hence I could do that)
Hanoi was really a great experience. I was supposed to stay at a mutual in Sa Pa, but things didn’t work out as expected and I ended spending two weeks in the center of Hanoi instead. No complaints though! I made a lot of great connections, connections I still talk to to this day. I was also able to reconnect with my long time bff Martina. She integrated fairly well as a local. I appreciate the motorcycle rides we’ve had across Hanoi and the nearby area. But fuck man, Hanoi is cold. Or should I say moody? There were some days were the weather was rather okay but also times when it was harshly cold, too. I wasn’t quite used to this kind of setup and I was also not used to the pollution. I caught quite a flu and fever for a few days during my stay in Hanoi. Hey, that pollution prepared me really nice for what would await in me in Kathmandu!
Traveling to my second touristy destination in less than two months made me appreciate my hometown, and home a little bit… but it also made me realize how fucked up the prices are in the Philippines, to some extent. I was able to get a good meal with 3 viands and a drink, consistently, for less than 90php. Let’s not forget their Bahn Mi that you can get for less than 80php as well. And last but not the least of course is bia hoi or the very cheap beer that you can get at 80php for 2 liters. It’s crazy. It was also in this place where I met a lot of other crazy friends and made meaningful connections. From a fellow half-German, fellow Germans, aviation geeks, even a Canadian actress that is up and coming.
Before I know it though, it was time for my 3 part leg bound for Kathmandu. I booked the three-legged journey via Kiwi and it took me to Kuala Lumpur on an AirAsia (AK) flight first and then to Kathmandu via Colombo on Sri Lankan Airlines. All in all I spent less than 10k for this three legged journey. Quite a steal if you ask me. Especially considering the sumptuous food I got on my my oneworld member UL flights. Or maybe I’m just used to bare minimum of taking me from A to B on the local carriers that we have in the Philippines.
At any rate, let’s throttle back to Noi Bai. I departed Noi Bai on an AK flight bound for Kuala Lumpur. It was a normal flight, I got the aisle seat on this flight, which I didn’t really mind. Arriving in KLIA, I had over 10 hours until my next flight. If I remember correctly I arrived in the afternoon of March 31, with my UL flight bound for CMB departing the following day past noon.
I was rather excited for this leg of my journey because it would be the first full service carrier I’d fly with since the younger years of mine when I would fly with my parents on SQ or LH flights from Europe and vice versa. The food served on UL was really good, better than I expected actually. I would say it kind of spoiled me. I departed KUL at 3PM local time and arrived at 3PM local time with my next flight departing in the morning of the next day again. It was quite a long day for me already and I do remember passing out on the ground near a charging area at CMB. I was just too tired.
The KTM bound flight departed pretty much on time, and again I was served with amazing food. A bit of teaser of all the amazing food that would await me in Kathmandu. (I understand that this is April already but I’ll just include this flight in the mix. WordCamp Nepal 2025 will get its own post. Yes. I owe myself 2 WordCamp posts now)
All in all, I’m pretty stoked to have made it to Kathmandu. Upon arrival though, the immigration officer, in a joking way, asked whether I was sure I was a German, given that I look pretty much like them. And like them I looked indeed. I was able to go to places where tourist would normally be flocked by people offering various things. No one ever talked to me there about offering touristy things.
So yeah, all in all, I’ve been traveling on a very tight budget. God will provide is the motto of mine during this travel, and in some way, shape, and form, I was able to do these travels. There is a lot of debt waiting to be cleared back in the Philippines, and this is what is a little bit worrying for me.
See, since January 31, 2025, as mentioned above, I have lost my main source of income. And I struggle to catch up.There has been a spell mid March all the way until recently even, that I felt like I wasn’t good enough anymore – for anything. Depression really got me bad. Despite trying to upskill myself in various fields, I still feel like I am not enough in the things that I am undertaking. It has really gotten under my skin, but I hope that in the coming weeks, opportunities will show up. They simply have to start show up.
I won’t wave the white flag and say that the lesson here is not to travel. I don’t think I spent too much on this travel. It’s perhaps being more mindful and financially secure before I do so. There are plenty of travels that await in Q2 alone – the journey back home from Kathmandu, perhaps even Brisbane or Shanghai in June, are on the cards. We’ll see how all that plays out.
For now, I am just happy that I get to wake up every day, trying to be just a little bit better than the day before. I show up for myself. And whilst it doesn’t give me a cent yet, I hope that it will follow soon.
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