Can you believe my first international travel was when I was already in my 30s? It wasn't even for leisure, it was for business/work. I was so anxious and scared because I didn't want to look stupid because I didn't know how to communicate with people when I'm abroad, do I exchange money, what documents should I bring? It was a whirlwind of emotions but thank God I have really supportive co-workers who took care of everything. Granted it was a work trip, everything from my plane tickets, insurance and hotels were taken cared off which at least made things easier for me. And for our first international country--it's Singapore.
And as mentioned, this happened a couple of years ago but I wanted to be able to look back and read about my experience so better late than never! I do not have a ton of photos to show for it as it was mainly a work trip. I had a video of me crying while on the place because I couldn't believe the opportunity I was handed with. I mean I know it's work but it did propel all the travels I would have in the future.
I told my bosses it was my first international trip so upon arrival at the airport, they booked everything for me. I was picked up by a Grab car and dropped off to my hotel. My other colleague was already there waiting to assist me with my check-in. Also did a tiny orientation on money exchange and some apps I should have while there, then we went shopping because he lost his luggage lol. I didn't have any data at all and no SGD as well, just relied on my credit card and my colleague's hotspot. We'll be staying for just 2 days so I didn't stress myself out.
After shopping, we did a litte tour with some of my other co-workers. We had half a day to stroll and go around before our scheduled dinner drinks. Singapore was humid and I wish I had worn lighter clothes, but lesson learned for next time! We had some coffee while exploring China Town, visited some temples and then went back to our hotel to prepare for our dinner. The rooftop bar we went to was amazing--it had a perfect view of the river and Marina Bay Sands just enough for me to witness the light show scheduled that night.
And I know it was work, but honestly that dinner + drinks was very invigorating for me. It fueled my social energy talking to my multicultural work group, seeing the view while doing so--everything just felt in place. Even before having the privilege to travel outside the country, I was already a staunch watcher of how our taxes are being spent here in the Philippines. The moment I stepped on foreign soil, my beliefs were further solidified upon seeing how the other half lived. The effective transportation, the efficient government services, the well-built roads--I could go on but you get my point.
This opportunity no matter how much it made me happy, also left me wondering are we second class citizens to our own country that our public officials do not make the tiniest efforts to make our lives better? Everything in politics is for their own selfish motives--and while sure, we have some people in politics who do have the purest intentions for the people, they're slowly being overtaken by the evil majority. It was a lot to take in, thank God I had work to put my mind to. I'll leave it at that for now. I just wanted to reminisce how this feeling was for me a couple of years ago.
Ochi is a twenty-something Corporate Trainer who loves to cook, take photos and videos of her food, eat and travel. On weekends, she's either drunk or snuggling in bed watching her favorite crime drama. 
