My Introduction

Hello! Hola! Bonjour! Salve! Ni Hao! Konnichiwa! Annyeonghaseyo! Apa Khabar! Kamusta! I hope everything is going well for you. To be honest, I've just lately begun blogging, and I'm having a great time doing it, so I decided to just keep going. It's still a challenge for me though, especially now that I'm a newbie here at Blurt.

But, before I proceed, I believe it is only proper to introduce myself. Cheryl Hope is my name; my family has called me "Chichi" since I was a child, but when I started my career in teaching, I selected the name "Hope." The reason for this is that I wanted my students to be able to say it quickly and easily remember it. My students all have special needs, so it's only fair, right? However, I'm happy with being called any of the two, and I don't mind at all.

Nueva Vizcaya, a city in the Philippines' North Luzon area, is where I was born and reared. I'm an Ilocana at heart, but I'm also fluent in Tagalog and English. I occasionally fantasize about being a Korean because of their beauty, and I guess because of watching too many kdramas - LOL- Yet I'm frequently mistaken for a Chinese person, especially by people I've just met.

I am married, my husband is based in Dubai and has a 21 years old son who is doing his University in the Philippines. Now, that just made me feel ancient! I'm 42 years old btw.

Currently, I am working as a Learning Support Assistant at one of the International School here in Brunei Darussalam. As I mentioned earlier, all of my students have special needs
( Autism ). I have been on this job since 2008 and it has been a passion ever since. It takes a lot of patience, tolerance, and, most importantly, a huge heart to work with them. As I frequently say, children with special needs are no different than anyone else; they, too, require understanding and love.

Brunei has become a second home for me. It is a little country roughly two hours away from the Philippines, yet when compared to its population, the Philippines' capital Manila is substantially greater. Isn't that amazing?! Look it up on Google if you don't trust me. Hehehe!

There are numerous things to do down here and one of my favourites is hiking. Brunei's rainforests are renowned for their beauty. Brunei has been able to preserve much of its rainforests thanks to its oil wealth — over 70% of its primary rainforests are still intact, making it the best rainforest in Borneo. Hiking up in the mountains, smelling the forest, listening to the swaying leaves, seeing the animals around me, and feeling the wind on my skin enhances my well-being and is a great way to relieve my stresses, especially once you reach the peak. That sense of accomplishment is amazing. When I am not outdoors doing my fitness, expect to see me in a studio as I love dancing, I am not a dancer but I can sway here and there and I can follow the rhythm just right. I do Kpop fitness, Piloxing, Healthy Dancing, and Zumba. I can stay in the studio and do a straight 3 hours of those if I put my heart into it and of course, a 15 mins break in between. But then the Pandemic happened, and life became a juggle. The studio and parks have been on and off, and Omicron is still pestering us. This, however, was not an excuse to keep me from moving. I needed to break a sweat. Something had to be done to alleviate my anxiety. Those endorphins were desperately needed! As a result, I decided to continue my workout at home. It was boring at first, but whenever I put the music up it somehow helps me get back on my feet and do what needed to be done. As a result, I was able to get the hang of it as time went on. Apart from doing fitness I also like to cook. Not so much of a love to cook but just so so. I try to do low-carb recipes and try to be consistent at it though of course cheat days sometimes are inevitable. I love to eat. Who doesn’t? Lol When I'm not cooking, which more likely happens most of the time, I watch my Kdramas on Netflix, and/or I play my acoustic guitar and just sing my heart out loud. Apart from making me work out effectively, music helps me lighten my mood and helps me on my feet starting my day just right.

Travel? Oh, God, seeing the Aurora Borealis in Norway is my super travel fantasy! Who's on board with me? Sheeessshhh. Next on my bucket list is a trip to South Korea to meet all of my oppas. Hahaha! And of course, traveling around the Philippines is a must! See the lovely sights in Cebu, Davao, Palawan, Bicol, Boracay, Bohol, and Siargao some of the provinces in the Philippines I dream of. In reality, so far, I've only traveled some parts of Malaysia and I'm hoping to do more in different places after the pandemic eases and of course, after I've saved enough money.

So, ok I think that’s just about it. Exploring BLURT community, I saw possibilities of friendships, getting appreciated and rewarded. It's going to be a learning journey for me too so any comments, suggestions and any help would be so much appreciated.
Please do wish me good luck, this is just the start, and looking forward to more.
THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN! WOOOOOOOT!

Special shout out to LODS @g10a for helping me get around here.
Thank you, massive LODS.

😊😍
chichi18