The Journey — Germany

A Dream That Refuses to Stay Still

There is something profoundly transformative about dreaming. For as long as I can remember, I have always been a wide-eyed dreamer — a young girl with a mind full of stories, ambition, and an unrelenting belief in the power of possibilities. Yet, as any dreamer from a modest background knows, dreaming is both a privilege and a curse. It is an act of hope but also of defiance. This is the story of how I turned my dream of studying abroad for free into a reality.

Growing up, Germany was not the first place I envisioned myself. My childhood was spent in a rural barangay in Barili, surrounded by mango trees, Hagonoys, and the unyielding heat of the tropics. My parents, hard-working and deeply pragmatic, often spoke about education as the gateway to a better life. But in their minds, “better” was local, tangible — a good job nearby, a modest home, stability. For my mom, specifically, it meant a licensed elementary or high school teacher at Cagay Elementary School, a simple house, and a teacher husband. My dreams, however, were stubborn. They outgrew the boundaries of my small town and soared far beyond.

Germany entered my consciousness through a chance encounter. I overheard a teacher talking about the country’s strong educational system and the possibility of studying there with little to no tuition. The idea latched onto my imagination. Germany, I learned, was a land of rigorous academics, rich culture, and an uncompromising commitment to intellectual exploration. It was a world I wanted to be part of.

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Placeholder — swap in a real photo from Germany (arrival, campus, or the barangay before you left)

Why I’m Writing This Down

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