About this episode
At 18, fresh out of senior high school with a STEM diploma and a wish to study engineering, Dia left her home province in Leyte for Cebu. Her mother wanted her to become a teacher instead, so Dia took a six-hour trip by ferry and road to a city where she knew no one, with a cousin beside her and some money from her mother. Her first call-center application was turned down; two months later she was hired, and a year on she is supporting herself and sending money home.
In this second episode of the Growing Up Filipina series, host Todd Michael Gori asks Dia about the house she grew up in, which was marked by her father's violence toward her mother until he died when she was about ten. She explains that those years left her afraid of finding a partner who would treat her the same way. That fear feeds into her dating life: she says she now prefers to date foreigners, because in her experience they have treated her with more respect, though she says she is in no rush to settle down.
The conversation also covers the practical side of her life: what the call-center job is like, how its customer-survey incentives work, and her decision to switch from engineering to nursing because the career travels better abroad. Her goals are clear. She wants to finish school, travel to Bali and Switzerland, have one or two children when the time is right, and build her mother a house of her own. A tattoo on her arm reads "never stop dreaming."
The episode closes on lighter ground with favorite foods (lechon and halo-halo), nightclubs and Latin music, museum dates, the children who ask for food around IT Park, and a short holiday-season lightning round.
Highlights
“I'm scared of finding a guy, because I'm scared that if I find one he'll be the same as my dad and hurt me.”
“I love working. I love making my own money, not asking money from my mom.”
“Butterfly means freedom. And if you're dreaming, you should follow your dream. Never stop dreaming.”
“If he doesn't give my mom a house, it's okay. It's not his responsibility.”
“There will be things you look back on that you're very happy you didn't jump into so soon.”
From the host’s chair
Todd runs the interview as a long, casual conversation and works through Dia's life story in order: her hometown, the move to Cebu, her family, her job, dating, and then her goals. He keeps asking follow-ups when an answer leaves a gap, for example why her mother objected to engineering, or what has made her stop dating Filipino men. When Dia talks about her father, he asks before pushing further and keeps that part of the conversation gentle. He also brings in his own experience as an American living in the Philippines, including ten years in a call center, time in Mexico, and his habit of buying food for hungry kids in IT Park. At one point he steps in to clarify that her "enjoy life while I'm young" doesn't mean what foreign viewers might assume. Those choices fit the series' angle, which is first-person accounts of growing up as a Filipina, told in the guest's own words.
Questions about this episode
- Where is Dia from?
- Dia grew up in a rural part of Leyte, a different island and province from Cebu, about five hours away by ferry plus another hour by road. She moved to Cebu at 18 to look for work.
- Why did Dia choose nursing instead of engineering?
- She first wanted to study engineering, but says she now plans to study nursing because it is in demand overseas and she would like to work abroad. She doubts a Filipino engineer could easily work as one in another country.
- What are Dia's goals?
- She wants to finish her studies, travel to Bali and Switzerland (her dream country), eventually have one or two children, and build her mother a house of her own.
Notes written from the episode recording. Quotes are lightly edited for clarity; timestamps link to the moment on YouTube.