ABOUT ME
My name is Christine Mae Indig. I am 21 years old and a proud working student currently taking up a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Major in Marketing Management. I was born in our wonderful province of Dalaguete. I have my siblings. I have one half-sister; purely, we are six, and I am the only girl. Being the second oldest, I have to take responsibility for taking care of and supporting my younger brothers. My father works as a farmer, while my mother works as a temporary babysitter for my niece. Our family is not rich in terms of material possessions but we are wealthy of priceless lessons learned from meeting obstacles head-on and overcoming them with grace and determination.
Almost all my life, I have had to show up brave and strong since I did not grow up together with my family. Due to financial difficulties, after I graduated from elementary school, I had to take control of seeking opportunities to work so that I could attend high school. I worked as a helper in our province while studying. After one year, my aunt asked me to move here to the city to be her helper as well, offering to fund my education. My aunt was strict, so my life focused around home and school at the time. I do not have time to hang out with my friends. I sometimes have to lie in order to attend school-related rehearsals. With my aunt’s treatment of me, I learned a lot, especially about properly doing household chores and disciplining myself. Despite the circumstances surrounding me, I have never neglected my studies. I have been a consistent honor student since then, and my grades have become my bridge to studying for free in college.
Being optimistic is one of my strengths. Even though a situation could be negative, I will try to make it positive. I am also the kind of person who is good at hiding emotions. I prefer to show the happy side of me so that people will not worry about me going through something. I am my own comforter whenever I face a personal battle. I usually do not seek comfort from other people. But sometimes, I will spend time playing with my nieces and nephews to cheer myself up. Although I am not so expressive in terms of my feelings, I am a very emotional person, especially about family matters. I can still remember how down I was when my father got imprisoned due to drug case involvement. He stayed for years in jail. Luckily, he was released through parole during the year 2019.
During the time my father was in prison, I had to fill his position. So I have saved and worked hard. I want part of the savings to be given to my mother for their living expenses each day. To earn the money to support my studies and to feed my family, I even sold other products. Honestly, instead of asking God why our family is like this, I thank Him rather, because perhaps it is to teach me to be strong and not to give up.
After the pandemic, I attempted to get another job. Fortunately, my sister, who works at a student visa agency in Cebu, offered me a part-time job. I was accepted, and to this day I have been working on that company. Others say that it's not easy to work while studying. Yes it is, but of course, I don't want to demand anything from my parents, that's why I'm doing my best to stand on my own. Actually, I used my own money to buy a phone. I'm happy and proud at the same time, since it came from my own sweat and tears. Although, it really does tire me out. I've got to control myself and my time so that nothing's sacrificed. I mean health is wealth, I have to take some rest. Thus, I usually compromise my personal time. But as for me, everything is a blessing in disguise, because if I had not been in all those hardships in life, I wouldn't be the same as I am today. Even this time, I still cannot believe how I managed everything. The only thing I can say for certain is that the challenges of life only spurred my ambition to live a life to the fullest.
PASSION
Since an early age, I have been passionate about doing business. I began my first business when I was in elementary school, where I sold varieties of candies for 1 peso each. Following high school, I sold munchkin balls for 3 pesos. During senior high school up to college, when I had more capital, I started by reselling businesses, which I purchased from my supplier and resold at my own price. These have helped me in terms of my finances to support my studies. My entrepreneurial mindset grows each day. With that, I envision myself as the manager of my own business in the future.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS
Here are the things I love to do during my free time.
I completely agree with the statement "take pictures so you can remember." As someone who suffers from short-term memory loss, taking images is really beneficial to me. I particularly enjoy photographing sunsets. The way the hue of the sky changes amazed me. I also want to record every experience and save it as a memory so that when time passes, I will have something to look back on.
I love going on adventures but my situation back then prevented me from wandering. However, the situation has changed at this time, I want to go after my passion. I found immense happiness in going into places especially with the beauty of nature. Nature gives peace in my heart and mind. My love for travel adventure goes beyond my love for food trips. I also always love to explore different kinds of foods.
HOW DID I GET HERE?
I'd like to thank my classmate, @jeannmazing, for encouraging me to be part of this wonderful online community. I've heard her speak of the goodness that lies within this platform. I was oriented at Workplace Cafe in Banawa, Cebu City, on December 17, 2023, by sir @intoy.bugoy sharing with us full details about Hive. I am so overwhelmed by knowing how amazing this platform is. It's very user-friendly, and I love the opportunity to read stories from other people around the world.
PURPOSE OF JOINING HIVE
As someone who is always looking for opportunities to develop and given the fact that this is a platform of people coming together to try and discuss various topics, it's really an honor. I can truly become a better writer, and in many other things as well. In addition, I hope to make connections with such inspiring writers here in Hive and learn from each other. I'm looking forward to posting some interesting blogs regarding my experiences, adventures and discoveries in life, that you might love.
Thank you so much for reading my intro blog. I'll look forward to seeing you around. God bless y'all. ❤️❤️❤️