PROMDI GIRL TO CITY GIRL - “ A DREAM COME TRUE” (My Introductory Post)

Hello Dear Hivers! It is my pleasure to be with you all here and I can’t wait to share my stories with you! I have lots of stories, experiences and discoveries to share with you all!
I am a simple province girl who dreamed having a stable job, having my own happy family, a car and a house in the future. Here is the story of a promdi girl who became a city girl and achieved all her dreams. You can call me “Des”.

My name is Ma. Lourdes M. Mantala, 37 years of age, originally from the province of Marinduque and I’m currently residing at Paranaque City. When I was young my ultimate dream was to become a teacher. That’s why I took a Bachelor of Secondary Education Major In MAPEH. When I was in my college days, I loved to dance. My favorite sport is badminton. I am living proof that dreams do come true no matter where you come from. I was born in a small province with 3 siblings, and I am the only girl. I am not born with silver spoon, but my parents worked hard for us, but unfortunately my father died when I was 7 years old, and my mother died when I was in my college years. We were completely orphaned. That was the saddest part of my life! A heartbreaking experience for me, indeed! That was the moment I hit rock bottom to the point that I no longer want to continue studying, I don’t want to continue my life anymore. I also hooked up with different vices like drinking alcoholic drinks, and smoking. I always questioned myself. “What will happen to me? What about me now? How I will survived with my own? But God enlightened me and helped me to cope up everything. I just always prayed to Him. I surrendered all my worries to Him and with the help of my disabled uncle I pursue my studying and finished my degree, and I passed the Professional Licensure Examination for teachers too. My world was built on struggle and tested by circumstances and sacrifices. But, within the walls of hardship, I found a way to rise. I left our province and pursued my dreams in Manila without enough money, I searched for work and took different kinds of jobs just to earn money. There were times I wanted to give up, especially when I got scammed by some job offers and kept getting rejected from the jobs I applied for. I realized that it is not easy to find a job. But I still believe that I can. My passion is teaching, that’s why I pursue my teaching career. I became a private teacher for 2 years where I earned a little. I also became an online English teacher for Korean students for almost 3 years. My ultimate dream job is to become a public-school teacher, but applying for it, is extremely difficult. There are so many challenges and processes to go through, and sometimes I feel like I am losing hope. But that didn’t stop me from achieving my dreams. The long wait is over, I was hired as a public-school teacher in Parañaque City. I couldn’t even explain the happiness I felt at that moment, I’m beyond happy because I know that with this job, I’m finally financially stable and secured for life.

I worked as a public-school teacher at Tambo National High School, and I am handling different types of students. I am currently teaching Grade 10 Junior-High School Students. My major is MAPEH (Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health). Teaching also taught me a lot; to be a learner too. I’ve been into different situations. Being a teacher taught me to be more patient. Because I encountered different types of students in my 15 years of teaching. I’ve become a dance trainor, choreographer and coach in our school. I also became a speaker in different school activities. I had lots of accomplishments and achievements being a teacher in our school and I was awarded as an Outstanding MAPEH Teacher for 2 consecutive years. Teaching is not just a profession; you won’t last in a teaching career if you don’t have a heart for teaching and for students. Dear Hivers, I got my Ist dream unlocked!! (Permanent Public- School Teacher)

I also experienced another painful heartbreak. It’s heavy to carry, especially when the pain hits you in ways you didn’t expect. Know why? My 10-year relationship broke me up and he found another girl. I built my dreams on him. I can’t imagine that my whole future with him suddenly becomes part of my past. Another painful heartbreak my Dear Hivers! But I believe in the saying if someone leaves, someone better comes along the way. Yes! It is true! After a long year of moving on in my past, someone came who truly loves me and never leaves me behind. And he was my husband now. No perfect relationship. We also experienced different problems along the way. But we remain strong. We planned to get married after 7 years of our relationship and we are blessed with 2 beautiful daughters.

I love my family, and I will do everything for them. I don’t want my children to experience the hardships I went through in life. worked hard and saved money for their future. I am proud of my own little family. They are my motivation to keep pursuing my dream-both for myself and for them. Another dream unlocked!! (to have my own happy family)

As a married couple with 2 kids, there are lots of problems that we encountered along our journey. We worked hard for our family. We never stop dreaming. I know that in God’s perfect time He will hear our prayers. We know that everyone has dreams, and when I was young having my own car is one of my dream. And yes, after long years of waiting, God heard our prayers. On the year 2020, I bought our new car, because I want to see smiles on my family, my children, siblings and me as we ride together, playing music inside and enjoying the journey. I want them to be comfortable when we are going to some places. I know that with too much exerted effort, anything is impossible.Got my driver's license too. My dream car unlocked!!!

Since I decided to plan my life here in Manila, I used to rent in different boarding houses. At first, I also stayed in my aunt’s house in Taguig, but I didn’t stay there for so long. Renting a house is not easy. For almost 10 years I have experienced different types of landowners. Even when I got my own family, we are still renting a house. Sometimes, it is hard to find a house that fits all our needs, especially when money is tight. One of the biggest problems is the cost knowing that you are going to pay the monthly rent of the house that will not be yours. Even though it is difficult, we stay strong because we are together. So, I decided to save money again with the help of my husband and we try to help in any way we can. Again, we prayed that in God’s perfect time we will have our new house that we can call our own. With exerted effort again and endured savings, we started looking for a house in Cavite in the year 2023. We also waited for so long for turn over and last January 2025, the long wait is over! I got a call from the developer, and everything goes well from inspection to turn over of the keys. I am so happy that we can feel truly at home and no longer worry about moving again. My dream house unlocked!

Despite hardships, struggles and hindrances in life I have realized that no matter what you encounter in your journey, if you have goals in life and dreams, you will make a way just to achieve those dreams. Lastly, we come to see that success is not the end but a new beginning. Once a dream is fulfilled, new goals emerge. In the end, achieving our dreams teaches us that journey matters just as much as the destination.

Why did I Join Hive
I am looking for another part time job to help my family, and thankfully I met @antonette in fb and help me shared her knowledge about hive. I am excited to gain friends and more knowledge about this platform and I know that I am on the right track to express my thoughts, feelings and to share my journey and connect with others here with good vibes and positive thoughts.

All pictures posted are mine. All original. And I edited the pictures with the help of Canva ensuring the authenticity of the content that I wrote. I fully understand the rules and policies of Hive posting, that the use of AI, Grammarly, and plagiarism are not allowed. I also understand that engagement is very important for successful blogging. And by this, it will have a dynamic interaction between the reader and writer.
Thank you for reading Dear Hivers! See you on my next blog!