My Transformation Experience in the Land Down Under

CARMEN ROCELI M. LOPEZ

I want to begin this reflection by acknowledging the traditional owners and custodians of the land where I lived, studied, and learned from 2023 to 2024—the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to indigenous elders past, present, and emerging.

Chosen to Make a Difference

Working to improve the economic empowerment of women micro-entrepreneurs was the calling I embraced when I joined the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in 2018. PCW is the lead agency and national machinery for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Philippines. Our project was tasked with working with government and private sector partners to support women entrepreneurs nationwide. I enjoyed the work that we were doing and found fulfillment in assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). However, my knowledge and skills were limited due to my different educational background and work experiences. To deliver more effective services to MSMEs, I needed to upskill. 

In early 2021, I applied for an Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS). It was a shot in the dark. Thousands apply for these kinds of scholarships on an annual basis. I wrote my essays and developed a re-entry action plan (REAP) to support women in the Gawad Kalinga (GK) communities in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, my father’s hometown. By God’s grace, after the rigorous deliberation that lasted more than a year, I emerged as one of the selected awardees for the Philippines. Choosing to make a difference was daunting for someone who never dreamed of studying abroad. There was no chance for a middle-income family like mine to be able to afford a global university. But God has a way of showing us that nothing is impossible with Him.

Life in the Land Down Under

Through being awarded an Australia Awards Scholarship, I got to enter Australia’s top University, the University of Melbourne (Melbourne University/Melbourne Uni/Melb Uni/UniMelb). It was another miracle for this simple Manila girl. I never really thought that I would be able to study in a Top 50 University in my entire life. Furthermore, aside from covering my tuition fees, AAS also provided return air travel, an establishment allowance, health insurance, and a monthly contribution to my living expenses. This meant I could focus full-time on my studies as I received enough to cover my monthly expenses, which included rent, bills, groceries, and other needs. Living in Australia is expensive. Nevertheless, almost everything was within reach.

As an AAS awardee and an active Filipino-Australian Student Council of Victoria (FASTCO) member, I worked closely with the Philippine Consulate General in Melbourne. I got opportunities to network with local officials and community leaders regularly. Red tape was at a minimum. We could freely reach out to people in power to express our solidarity or, if need be, air out our grievances. Life was so much easier. Not to mention how conducive the learning environment was at Melbourne Uni. All the resources we needed, like books, journals, and forms, were accessible online through a unified digital platform. This portal is further supported by the availability of open spaces, libraries, and pavilions, where students can sit, study, chill, and learn. In Melbourne, a lot of things are perfect.

“Transfiguration” Experience

Like the transfiguration story, the wonders I saw in Australia felt like witnessing Jesus transfigured and becoming radiant in glory every time. There was so much beauty and splendor. I could imagine what Peter thought when he said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here” (Matthew 17:4). When I was in Australia, I felt the Lord bringing me from glory to glory. I wanted to stay there, my newly found Mount Tabor. Jesus was and is there. I celebrated Mass regularly at St. Francis’ Church. My friends and I even organized our own Visita Iglesia during Holy Week. We attended community events. I was also a volunteer at various organizations. God’s goodness was palpable and visible everywhere. I often told myself that I could live there for a long time. However, as much as I wanted to build a shelter in Australia like Peter’s plan in the Mount of Transfiguration, there is a greater call waiting for Jesus and His apostles. The same goes for me back home.

Scholar for God and Country

According to literature, St. Thomas Aquinas calls the transfiguration “the greatest miracle”. It gave the disciples a glimpse of heaven through the glorious transformation of Jesus. My life in Australia was comfortable. It was not heaven, but better, compared to living in Manila in some ways. However, the mission that I have committed my life to is in the Philippines. I have vowed to serve communities, women’s enterprises, and other marginalized sectors. This is why I was awarded a scholarship in the first place. To be an Iskolar para sa Bayan (Scholar for Country). And on a more personal and spiritual level, a scholar not just for country, but also for God. 

In parallel to the story of Jesus, He came to the world not to show His glory and show off. He even cautioned the disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen until He had been raised from the dead (Matthew 17:9). But Jesus came to serve. Jesus came to live, die, and rise again for us. Because of that, we have been saved. Because of Jesus, we have a shot at heaven. I love my life in Australia, but my heart and soul are in the Philippines, where Jesus has called me to serve. And so, I shall get up and follow Him. For my life and hope are in the Lord forever. 

I am excited to share what I have learned in Australia with the communities I serve here in the Philippines, beginning with my target communities in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. I understand how difficult it is to access information, first and foremost. With this, as part of my re-entry action plan, I will create a simple website that provides access to information on various economic opportunities within the province. Given people’s familiarity with social media, I aspire to create a platform with a similar user interface to encourage interaction and engagement. In my experience in Australia, they ensure that platforms are simple and easily navigable. Following the establishment of a platform, I will craft a women’s economic empowerment and leadership module based on assessment and response to rural communities’ needs. Instead of the usual top-down approach, I will prioritize listening to the women’s voices on the ground and try to integrate their suggestions.

I look forward to working with the communities, journeying together, and in the process, sharing and supporting each other’s transformation experience.