Getting to Know Me — A Glimpse into My World

 Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am so happy that you are here. I am Kate Veronica Samong Gonzaga but you can just call me Kate. I’m from Sabang, Danao City, Cebu, Philippines. My name is too long, right? I always struggled a little bit with my name as growing up. I always struggled to keep up with all of the school activities when I was younger because I took so long to write my name. I always fall behind everyone else. Gladly, I learned to write more quickly now, lol. 😬 I got to know Hive through my classmates. I happened to hear them talking about it and became really interested. On January 18, 2025, I was able to attend the orientation and learned how legitimate it is through Miss @jeannmazing. Knowing that this might be a chance to improve my writing abilities while simultaneously improving my circumstances and meeting my wants filled me with excitement and hope. I am 22 years old and currently pursuing Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Social Studies. As the only daughter and the eldest, I, like many others, am responsible for helping my family escape from poverty. Because of that, I forced myself to pursue a program I didn’t think I would pursue as the program that I really love is not available in the university that my family can afford, which is a university with free tuition. I really wanted to be a policewoman, but unfortunately, life has its own destiny. Living in poverty is 100% hard. At a young age, I already tried different kinds of jobs just to help my family financially. During high school, I tutored someone to support my family’s needs. I also tried washing other people’s clothes, being someone’s assistant — following every command she gave, babysitting, and doing other people’s projects and assignments in exchange for money. After my first year in college, I applied to a call center, thinking of giving up my studies and just working. But then, I decided to continue my studies, reminding myself that education could be my family’s key to a better future. My work experiences kept growing as I balanced school and jobs. Applied as an ESL teacher during vacation. As the academic year started, I’ve worked as a staff registrar at events, tried online selling, became a marshal at a company’s team-building event, and even applied as a VA. I learned to be resilient and determined from every challenges I have faced. I knew that with dedication and hard effort, I could change my story and build a better future for my family and myself, so I continued to go forward in spite of the obstacles. Since my journey has taught me a lot and given me a deeper understanding of various aspects of life, I have no regrets about where I am or what I have come to. I am now in my 4th year and will soon be in the field for practice teaching.  I do apologize for blabbing too much about this experience of mine. I honestly was very overwhelmed to write my thoughts here. I grew up without anyone to share what I’ve been through, so I tended to just write down my feelings in a notebook, on a sheet of paper (and burn it), or in my phone’s notes. Through this blog, I will finally express what I feel. However, I won’t focus on the drama, hahahaha LOL. I’ll focus on the lessons, the growth, and the hope that comes with every experience, as well as share things that I love (like photography). What I want to accomplish is to transform the thoughts I have into words that might uplift and connect with those who may be experiencing the same emotions. I'm thrilled with using this blog as a platform to discuss topics that are important to me in addition to sharing what I think. So, what will my future blog be about? 1. Places I have been to. Travel has a way of transforming us, and I hope to share those experiences of mine here. I'll share insights about the places I've been, emphasizing the beauty, and lessons I've learned along the journey. This is for anyone who appreciates exploring the world or wants inspiration to get started, whether it be for hidden treasures, travel advice, or comments on the travels themselves.  2. Photography. For me, photography is more than just a pastime or a habit, it is my way of seeing and engaging with the world. This sometimes have become my coping mechanism in every challenges or difficulties I have encountered. From landscapes to candid situations, I'll share my best photos and the story behind them.  3. My Experiences (in different aspects of life). Our life has its ups and downs; it is like a roller coaster. I think it's important to express our individual experiences, though not it a very detailed way. But in a way where anyone could gain inspiration and hope. This is where I will express my experiences — lessons learned, obstacles encountered, and moments of progress. My aim is that I can give help to others who can relate, feel comforted, or perhaps inspired.  4. Thoughts. I always find time to be alone, think, and reflect. It helps me understand myself better, reflect about everything that happened, clear my mind, and plan for what’s ahead. In those quiet moments, I find peace, answers, and inspiration to keep going. I will put my thoughts into words here, and hoping that may others find hope and comfort from them.  This will be my tiny corner in the internet where I will share and express lessons learned from my journey, including those mistakes, achievements, sad or happy times, and everything in between. I hope that my experiences will inspire or will help others along the way. I want to share different life experiences, and things I’m passionate about. Whether it’s my reflections on different life events, photography, things I’ve learned along the way, places I have gone to, or just a space to contemplate, I hope you find something here that connects with you. Thank you for visiting by, I am so excited to have you on this journey with me. Grab a coffee and let's embark on this journey together. I can't wait to hear your thoughts, ideas and interact with you along the way! — Feel free to explore, drop a comment, or just say hi. I’d love to connect! Xoxo 💖