They say that second chances are not given to make things right but to prove that one can be better even. This was the case for Rosebel Ann Bejasa Balitaan, an Abu Dhabi-based assistant store manager and visual merchandizer.
The optimistic Filipina, fondly called Bella, arrived in the UAE in 2014. A single mother with two boys, her goal was to give them the life that her parents let her experience. She tries all her best to support them unconditionally. She thought this could be the least thing she could do since she hadn’t been home for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
When she arrived in the country, she realized that one doesn’t have much of an option but to work hard. Bella recalled working as a barista for a coffee shop and then returning to her place only to cry her heart out because she missed her family back home.
She then learned how to enjoy life overseas with friends. She befriended her colleagues until they became families.
Her network had expanded when she transferred to another company, a leading apparel group in the country. As a sales associate, she was tasked with maintaining customer relationships in order to build long-term brand loyalty.
After all the hard work for two years, Bella was promoted to assistant store manager; subsequently, the company gave her another responsibility to handle, which is visual merchandiser.
From being a burden to championing in life
When Bella was in college studying Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management, she was determined to finish the course. However, she got pregnant, so she had to stop going to school and tend to her pregnancy.
Her OFW mother decided that she would only go back to school after giving birth. Another unplanned baby came, which kept her from getting the college diploma her mother aspired for.
Bella’s parents decided to take her to the UAE.
“She’s my inspiration from the beginning. We always thought that working abroad was easy until we did not experience the way they have been through we will not know the life they have been through,” she said.
Working for 12 to 16 hours per day, she assumed she wouldn’t be able to secure a diploma. However, when she enrolled herself in a crash course at the Filipino Institute, a leading educational centre in the region, she did not only successfully obtain a professional diploma, she also graduated as class’ top one.
Bella advised her fellow Filipinos overseas to find the right people to trust as everything would follow.
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This story has been featured in the 24th issue of The Global Filipino Magazine. To get a copy, you may contact Mr. Orli Gayeta at +971503196856. If you have an inspiring story or know someone with one, please send an email to eic@theglobalfilipinomagazine.com.
