Imagine this.
You lose your childhood home because of financial instability. The online travel platform that recruited you just a few months ago shuts down. The job and consultancy projects you were expecting never came through this season. A person you have committed to a long-distance relationship ceases all communication.
Your travel agency, a self-started passion project you have been working on, still struggles to make it in this industry. Then, your beloved grandmother is just released from the Intensive Care Unit. And on top of all this, you are struggling to survive a pandemic.
Meet Kate. A thirty-five-year-old graduate of Tourism Management at the De La Salle University, former English and Tourism College Faculty, and founder of GustoAvventura who was forced to face these circumstances at the start of 2020. Kate is one of more than five million professionals that have lost their jobs because of COVID-19.
Like many, she has spent the last six months dealing with financial insecurity, coping with uncertainty from the pandemic, and adjustments to a completely new lifestyle. Yet despite all odds stacked against her, Kate has learned to overcome each obstacle with some newfound friends and her incredible persistence, grit, faith, and optimism.
Stranded in Puerto Galera
In March, Kate traveled to Puerto Galera with her grandmother because a corporation based in the island recruited her as an assistant manager. Upon receiving news that the company had temporarily closed and after another job offer from the local government never came through, she was devastated.
Under the nationwide lockdown, she and her grandmother were limited to the foreign island – with nowhere to live and no one to turn to. Because of quarantine restrictions and to not risk the health of her grandmother, Kate decided to build a new life on the island.
When asked how she came up with the courage to persevere through obstacles, she would quote her favorite bible verse,
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Jeremiah 29:11
Stories of kindness and generosity
With this in mind, she came across an Airbnb listing for a studio apartment at the Arkipelago Beach Resort in Small Lalaguna. She took the offer from Amy and Pedro Magsino – the part-owners of the resort and also two of the many genuine and kindhearted people Kate would meet in the island.
The Magsino Family were more than "OK!"
In exchange for their compassion and hospitality, Kate tutored Amy and Pedro’s adopted children – 12-year-old James with academics and 7-year-old Mia for Sunday school. She also trained their staff based on a few modules she taught as a tourism/English professor at the University of Santo Tomas and Lyceum of the Philippines-Cavite.
She conceptualized a strategic plan for the Tourism municipality and Arkipelago. Together with Amy, they made a video during the pandemic to get support for the staff. With the help of the family, Kate even secured a position as a tourism consultant for Puerto Galera.
After a couple of months of staying with the Magsino family, Kate and her grandmother felt like one of their own. The love and support that they gave were invaluable, especially during Kate’s most vulnerable time.
Learning How to Scuba Dive
Pedro teaching Kate the basics of scuba diving.
During her stay, Pedro – a PADI Course Director and the president of the Scuba Diving Association in Puerto Galera – introduced Kate to the world of scuba diving.
Seeing Kate’s enthusiasm for the sport, he offered to train her for a PADI Open Water Course, free of charge. Initially, she hesitated to take the opportunity to learn scuba diving, since his family had already given her so much. However, Pedro insisted to pay it forward for all the people who have helped him progress in his industry.
After receiving her PADI Open Water Certification through Pedro, Kate decided to pursue this new zeal with Alain and Calou Carolus – a French couple she met while hiking and meeting indigenous tribes on the island.
Kate and the Blue Lagoon Team hiking in Puerto Galera
After leaving their well-established life in France for the Philippines, they completely renovated the Blue Lagoon Dive Resort in hopes of supporting the locals. They pride themselves on rebuilding the resort with excellent environmental standards in mind.
Their dive resort utilizes solar-powered lanterns and repurpose ocean driftwood. They provide guests with reusable water bottles and advocate for safer seafood consumption. They also maintaining the cleanliness of the shoreline, and avoiding the use of anchors to conserve coral reefs.
Their dedication to the environment is truly admirable. In fact, Kate first met Alain – a retired veterinarian – when he was giving first aid to an injured sea turtle!
After developing a bond with the couple during a visit to the indigenous Mangyan tribes, they generously offered to take Kate and her grandmother into their resort. They gave them free accommodation in their Garden Bungalow. And Kate was given a full SDI scuba diving scholarship.
Taking the rescue diving course
Scuba certified by Alain Carolus- SDI/ TDI Master Trainer, MF2 FSGT, MSDT PADI
During Kate’s stay at their resort, Alain and Calou taught her many essential diving skills such as advanced buoyancy control, learning to dive in deeper ocean area, and penetrating wrecks. They also covered topics on scuba professionalism.
She quickly progressed throughout various certifications from Advanced Adventure to Nitrox and Deep Dive to Rescue with First Aid and Oxygen training.
Kate admits that, initially, she was very nervous since she struggled with feeling comfortable underwater. She often fumbled with her fins and clearing her mask, fearing that she would ingest seawater or get it in her eyes.
Despite this, Kate persevered and never gave up. With their support and months of intense training, Kate managed to log more than 100 dives in a short period of time. She now feels confident with her skills and has little to no trouble with the mechanics of scuba diving.
Moving forward after the pandemic
With Puerto Galera opening up to tourists, Blue Lagoon Dive Resort started welcoming more guests into their establishment. While they were sad to leave, they were more than happy to give up their rooms to scuba divers who wanted to stay in Blue Lagoon.
Kate and her grandmother relocated to a place where they can see the beautiful views of the island, Secret Bay. But soon after, with several typhoons coming into the region, Kate decided it was time to finally go back home to Manila.
Generosity overflows in Puerto Galera. The local Mayor Hon. Rocky Ilagan together with Mr. Glendon Persia of Puerto Galera Penguins Water Transport Inc. blessed Kate and her granny with a private water taxi ride. They rode the Vessel Hagibis and are now safely back in Manila.
With a brand-new outlook in life, she is determined to succeed in her travel and tour business. She plans to offer sustainable tourism and dive packages to her customers once everything returns to normal.
In the meantime, Kate is now working on a travel channel while building her professional network and making strategic partnerships for what she has in mind for the future. Many have doubted her but she is confident that the tourism industry will rise. And it might be sooner than what everyone thinks.
Kate’s remarkable story showcases the power of kindness and the attitude of gratitude. She thanks the people who have been with her through this journey. She will forever be grateful for those who supported her, prayed for her, and believed in her, especially in these unprecedented times.
When asked about the most valuable lesson she’s learned in the past year, she says that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. She has also learned to adopt a culturally-sensitive mindset when communicating with foreigners and the importance of staying humble.
Throughout her entire life, Kate has stayed true to her motto of always pursuing your passion regardless of time, age, location, and what other people say.
When asked about fear of failure, she responds:
I know following your passion would entail a lot of risks especially if you don’t have the resources for it. By hey, it took me ten years to realize that there’s always going to be that fear of failure, there’s always going to be that fear of rejection, fear of the unknown but if you don’t take that risk, we miss out on truly being happy.
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About the Author: Isabella Engalla
Isabella Engalla is the founding editor-in-chief of CONVO Magazine, a completely youth-run, independent publication focused on providing a platform for creatives around the world.
