8/10: Malayo na pero Malayo pa Photo Competition

By: Miko Llorca

This photo was taken during the Kiltwalk in Aberdeen, Scotland. An 18 mile charity walk that looks simple at first glance. People in kilts, moving along a quiet country road, their world turned upside down in a puddle.

That upside down scene feels like my journey as an OFW. Two layers. Two worlds. The life people see and the life I actually walk through.

Before coming to the UK, I worked as a public health nurse in Pasay City. My roads back then were busy streets, barangay health centers, house visits, and community clinics. Jeepneys, tricycles, noise, heat, and long queues of patients. That world is not in the frame, but it is always in the background of this photo.

Now I am here in Scotland, walking in cold weather, raising money for charity, surrounded by people in kilts. On the “reflection” side, it looks like a good, settled life abroad. Fresh air. Scenic route. A nice experience to post online.

But beneath that reflection is the part nobody sees. The real, tired feet. The long shifts, the homesickness, the pressure to do well at work, and the responsibility of supporting family back home. It is a different kind of community work, but the heart behind it is the same.

Malayo na. I have come a long way from Pasay streets to the Scottish countryside. From hoping for an opportunity to actually living and working abroad.

Pero malayo pa. The road in the photo keeps going, just like my journey. I am still building my career, my savings, and my plans.

This is what “Malayo Na Pero Malayo Pa” means to me. I am both the walker and the reflection. Eighteen miles in one day. Thousands more to go. Yet with every step forward, I hold on to the steady belief that each step is bringing us to a better life.

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