I’m a Lucky Mom
Mari: I should be the one to thank you because you’re the one who made me in your tummy, right? Me: (Stunned by her answer.) But you grew inside my tummy, so thank you.…
Continue readingCollected moments
Author: Maryan
Stories of becoming, belonging, and finding home between two countries.
Awakening
It’s almost midnight, but I’m fully awake. With my phone in my hands tapping letters on the screen, under the blanket. I’m feeling guilty. I promised myself to not use screens before bedtime anymore.…
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03
April – the Start of a New Beginning in Japan
The end of March is, in fact, one of the busiest times for moving companies, as university students relocate closer to their chosen universities or entire families move to accommodate a husband’s new job.…
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04
Mari’s Great-grandma
No one is ever ready to face the passing of a loved one, no matter how sick or old they are. It is the only truth that people keep on denying. Losing a loved…
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05
11 Things in Japan That Surprised Me As a Filipino
I came to Japan in the spring of 2011 when my sister who lives in Japan invited me for a month-long spring vacation. During my stay (and even up to now) there are several…
Continue readingThe end of my breastfeeding journey
Breastfeeding is hard in the beginning, harder in the end, and hardest when it’s over. I literally cried silent tears tonight afte my little girl, for the fifth night, slept without breastfeeding. I felt…
Continue readingWhy the end of my breastfeeding journey brought me to tears
May 15, 2022. Two years, six months, three weeks, and two days, for the first time, my little one snoozed without the boobie in her mouth. She believed the story I made there was…
Continue readingLines of a Toddler
“By Myself” My little one who is two years and eight months old as of writing, is always trying her skills and practicing her independence. Her favorite line to say these days is “By…
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09
Gardening Trouble
One trouble about gardening is planting without knowing the characteristics of the plant. I fell in love at first sight and bought this “beautiful” tiny plant with attractive neon green leaves a year ago…
Continue reading10 Differences Between Elementary Schools in Japan and the Philippines
1. Teachers in Japan do not have a permanent school assignment. They change schools. They can only teach in one school for three to four years the longest. They have to move to another…
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