Single in Athens
Happily Single in Athens
By: Yoko Ramos-Vingno
Arriving in Greece when she was only in her early twenties, life for this perky Filipina took a different route as she put aside her personal plans to enjoy the pleasures that greeted her as she landed on Greek soil. Known for its grandeur and antiquity, Greece, indeed, has a lot to offer in terms of its history and people – not to mention its healthy Mediterranean cuisine and islands surrounded by pristine waters. Indeed, these first pleasant impressions stuck with this young Filipina! With plenty of friends around and some money to spend in this bucolic place, she has been living a happy and independent life. For some, living in a foreign land alone poses problems, but not for Chona Narvaez Pamintuan who left the Philippines for Greece when she was only in her 20s.
Chona has spent her prime years in Athens, all 23 years, working and living -- with two other Filipinas -- in a decent apartment located at Ambelokipi, an area near central Athens where a lot of Filipinos live. She lives alone and actually liking it --- which is quite uncommon for a lot of Filipino families living in Athens who have relatives either living with them or also working in Greece. Chona fondly describes Athens as a nice and relatively peaceful place. She vividly remembers how she and her new found friends visited as many places in the 80s up to early 90s to discover the country which they have adopted as home.
Chona arrived in Athens in April 1986 -- her first time to be away from the Philippines. She, along with a friend found jobs immediately to work with families by doing house chores. She lived with her first employer for a while and after only one year left and went on her own; found an apartment and a new job which at that time was aplenty since there were not many Filipinos and foreigners in Greece then.
Chona is the second child of Avelino Pamintuan and Encarnacion Narvaez. Her father, who hails from Pampanga, and her mother, a native of Marinduque, met in Manila. They were blessed with four children. The Pamintuan family settled in Muntinlupa in 1963 at Katihan Street where Chona and her siblings grew up. Her father, as Chona recalls, in their childhood peddled dirty ice cream and was well liked by their neighbors and friends. The father did odd jobs to supplement the family income which was always never enough to support an expanding and growing family. He also put up his buy and sell business. Her mother sold ‘merienda’ food to help daddy and, young Chona in her own little way helped her mom from time to time. This proved to be Chona’s training ground that prepared her later on for life and survival in the adult world.
Fast forward to her teenage years, Chona finished her secondary education at the Muntinlupa National High School in 1979 then went to study at Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and took up Accountancy. She was politically active during her student days, which was not a surprise at all, as Chona is an outgoing person who could articulate her opinions quite well. Thereafter, she became a member of the Kabataang Baranggay, a youth aggrupation of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos and led by the former president’s daughter, Imee. She ran in the election as vice-chairperson of the Kabataang Baranggay in their place and won. Her built-in charisma and desire to serve her constituents helped her win the election.
After finishing college, her interests changed and found herself mulling about experiencing a life outside the Philippines. Her dream then was to travel to the United States of America and live the American dream. Just like other Filipinos who left the country for greener pastures, Chona started looking for job opportunities abroad. Not long after, a job offer in Hong Kong came her way and she applied for it. Hongkong, however, was not meant to be --- for after completing all her papers and her passport ready, she withdrew her application when another opportunity opened up: Greece. Not wasting time, Chona left and flew to Greece with a tourist visa.
By 1996, Chona had gained enough experience in terms of work and assimilated herself to Greek way of life in Greece. She also moved a lot and became active in the Filipino community. Being involved in so many activities of the Filipino community, Chona said, she was able to develop her character and skills especially in organizing different activities or events for her kababayans. She has mastered hosting children’s activity/parlor games, which she has done every year for Philippine Independence Day celebrations.
When the Greek government offered to give an amnesty to the illegal immigrants in 1998, Chona did not waste time. She immediately filed her application. The Greek government approved her paper and this made her stay in Greece legalized. Chona now travels whenever she wishes. She went home in 2002 to be with her ailing mother. Her mother was suffering from diabetes and not long enough, she died in 2003. Despite the expenses, Chona went home again to be with her grieving father and to bid farewell to her mother for one last time.
Meanwhile, Chona’s life in Greece is going well. She was able to save and has invested in a four door apartment at Muntinlupa. The monthly rent goes to her father for his expenses, though it’s not much, she said, this is to augment the remittances she sends home regularly which are also for the support of her two nieces. She has been providing for them since they were born.
And more than generous she is. Last May, she went home to the Philippines and brought the entire family to Subic and even went to Hong Kong Disneyland with her sister. She said from time to time she spoils herself into various kinds of treats and believes that working should not only be for family but also for one’s self.
Certainly, preparing for the future has not escaped Chona’s plans. She’s paying for the monthly amortization of the house she recently purchased, and life insurance she got for herself in preparation for her retirement. She’s happy about the Philippine and Greek governments ongoing negotiations on a Social Security Agreement that covers old age or pension benefits, survivorship/death benefits and disability benefits for the Filipinos who are members of Greece’s social security system (Social Security Foundation). If signed, Filipino pensioners can receive their money even in the Philippines when they decide to go home for good.
Work and the FilCom activities occupy Chona’s time. And when she is at home, she tinkers with her laptop, where she maintains a Facebook account to search for old friends and classmates. She has also subscribed to TFC that keeps her updated about the latest news in the Philippines. Chona has no regrets, she says. Life is good in Greece.
By: Yoko Ramos-Vingno
Arriving in Greece when she was only in her early twenties, life for this perky Filipina took a different route as she put aside her personal plans to enjoy the pleasures that greeted her as she landed on Greek soil. Known for its grandeur and antiquity, Greece, indeed, has a lot to offer in terms of its history and people – not to mention its healthy Mediterranean cuisine and islands surrounded by pristine waters. Indeed, these first pleasant impressions stuck with this young Filipina! With plenty of friends around and some money to spend in this bucolic place, she has been living a happy and independent life. For some, living in a foreign land alone poses problems, but not for Chona Narvaez Pamintuan who left the Philippines for Greece when she was only in her 20s.
Chona has spent her prime years in Athens, all 23 years, working and living -- with two other Filipinas -- in a decent apartment located at Ambelokipi, an area near central Athens where a lot of Filipinos live. She lives alone and actually liking it --- which is quite uncommon for a lot of Filipino families living in Athens who have relatives either living with them or also working in Greece. Chona fondly describes Athens as a nice and relatively peaceful place. She vividly remembers how she and her new found friends visited as many places in the 80s up to early 90s to discover the country which they have adopted as home.
Chona arrived in Athens in April 1986 -- her first time to be away from the Philippines. She, along with a friend found jobs immediately to work with families by doing house chores. She lived with her first employer for a while and after only one year left and went on her own; found an apartment and a new job which at that time was aplenty since there were not many Filipinos and foreigners in Greece then.
Chona is the second child of Avelino Pamintuan and Encarnacion Narvaez. Her father, who hails from Pampanga, and her mother, a native of Marinduque, met in Manila. They were blessed with four children. The Pamintuan family settled in Muntinlupa in 1963 at Katihan Street where Chona and her siblings grew up. Her father, as Chona recalls, in their childhood peddled dirty ice cream and was well liked by their neighbors and friends. The father did odd jobs to supplement the family income which was always never enough to support an expanding and growing family. He also put up his buy and sell business. Her mother sold ‘merienda’ food to help daddy and, young Chona in her own little way helped her mom from time to time. This proved to be Chona’s training ground that prepared her later on for life and survival in the adult world.
Fast forward to her teenage years, Chona finished her secondary education at the Muntinlupa National High School in 1979 then went to study at Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and took up Accountancy. She was politically active during her student days, which was not a surprise at all, as Chona is an outgoing person who could articulate her opinions quite well. Thereafter, she became a member of the Kabataang Baranggay, a youth aggrupation of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos and led by the former president’s daughter, Imee. She ran in the election as vice-chairperson of the Kabataang Baranggay in their place and won. Her built-in charisma and desire to serve her constituents helped her win the election.
After finishing college, her interests changed and found herself mulling about experiencing a life outside the Philippines. Her dream then was to travel to the United States of America and live the American dream. Just like other Filipinos who left the country for greener pastures, Chona started looking for job opportunities abroad. Not long after, a job offer in Hong Kong came her way and she applied for it. Hongkong, however, was not meant to be --- for after completing all her papers and her passport ready, she withdrew her application when another opportunity opened up: Greece. Not wasting time, Chona left and flew to Greece with a tourist visa.
By 1996, Chona had gained enough experience in terms of work and assimilated herself to Greek way of life in Greece. She also moved a lot and became active in the Filipino community. Being involved in so many activities of the Filipino community, Chona said, she was able to develop her character and skills especially in organizing different activities or events for her kababayans. She has mastered hosting children’s activity/parlor games, which she has done every year for Philippine Independence Day celebrations.
When the Greek government offered to give an amnesty to the illegal immigrants in 1998, Chona did not waste time. She immediately filed her application. The Greek government approved her paper and this made her stay in Greece legalized. Chona now travels whenever she wishes. She went home in 2002 to be with her ailing mother. Her mother was suffering from diabetes and not long enough, she died in 2003. Despite the expenses, Chona went home again to be with her grieving father and to bid farewell to her mother for one last time.
Meanwhile, Chona’s life in Greece is going well. She was able to save and has invested in a four door apartment at Muntinlupa. The monthly rent goes to her father for his expenses, though it’s not much, she said, this is to augment the remittances she sends home regularly which are also for the support of her two nieces. She has been providing for them since they were born.
And more than generous she is. Last May, she went home to the Philippines and brought the entire family to Subic and even went to Hong Kong Disneyland with her sister. She said from time to time she spoils herself into various kinds of treats and believes that working should not only be for family but also for one’s self.
Certainly, preparing for the future has not escaped Chona’s plans. She’s paying for the monthly amortization of the house she recently purchased, and life insurance she got for herself in preparation for her retirement. She’s happy about the Philippine and Greek governments ongoing negotiations on a Social Security Agreement that covers old age or pension benefits, survivorship/death benefits and disability benefits for the Filipinos who are members of Greece’s social security system (Social Security Foundation). If signed, Filipino pensioners can receive their money even in the Philippines when they decide to go home for good.
Work and the FilCom activities occupy Chona’s time. And when she is at home, she tinkers with her laptop, where she maintains a Facebook account to search for old friends and classmates. She has also subscribed to TFC that keeps her updated about the latest news in the Philippines. Chona has no regrets, she says. Life is good in Greece.
posted by Yoko Ramos @ 5:43 AM
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