Flora Perez, known to most of her friends as “Fohla”, is an Electrical Engineer who hails from Rosario, Batangas. She loves playing badminton and table tennis, as well as making sure her home is clean. She is also an avid watcher of telenovelas, and proudly proclaims to have never missed an episode of Ang Probinsyano.

The youngest of four siblings, Fohla made the bold decision to leave the comforting presence of her family in the Philippines and strike out on her own. Before moving to Canada, she was an overseas Filipino worker in Taiwan and Korea. When her contract was almost over, she sent applications to Norway, Australia, the Netherlands and Canada. And luckily for her, she said, she was able to move to Canada with her husband, who was her boyfriend at the time.

Fohla recounts that one of the hardest things of being apart from her family is that she was not able to be with her parents when they passed away. Her mother passed when she was in Taiwan, and her father followed after when she was in Canada. She takes comfort in the enduring love and support she gets from her siblings. She now also has two beautiful children with her husband, a daughter and a son, and has since adjusted to the fast-paced life of being a full-time working mom, wife and mother. No easy feat.

Another strong love she has is for her culture. Asked why, she responded, “magalang, close-knit family ties, masayahin, resilient. Mabuti ang loob dahil may takot sa Diyos. Gusto ko matutunan ng mga anak ko.” (“Respectful, with close-knit family ties, joyous and resilient. We are good, God-fearing individuals. I want my children to learn this.”)

No matter the hardships she has to face, she remains confident and puts her trust in God. According to Fohla, “The one you must trust must be the One that cannot fail.” Her favourite quote, “Lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6) are words that she lives by and are a strong indicator of her faith.