Ethel Kim Honorio – HR Recruiter, Administrative Assistant, CSR, and ESL Teacher

Hi, my real name is Ethel Honorio but I’d be more comfortable if you call me Kim. Most people wonder why, so I’m just going to tell you…

Around the time that I was born, a Filipina named Lea Salonga made it to Broadway in a musical entitled “Miss Saigon”. Filipinos were very proud of her; one of them was my mom. Lea’s character was Kim, hence my nickname.

Growing up, I was a shy girl. I was content to sit back and watch everybody run around and play. It was probably because I was too scared of tripping over and falling or losing the game. I also felt that I was different. I grew up without my mom present to raise me and my sister who was just 6 months old when she left. My mom started working abroad when I was 6 years old, looking for greener pastures so my father raised us with our extended family. By ‘extended’ I meant living with my grandmother, cousins, and all my aunts under one roof.

My mother and father broke up when I was 7 years old. In primary school, I hated every parent meeting because it meant that my classmate’s mothers were going to ask me where my mother was – even though they already knew! Without fail, I would hear them say in front of me, “Oh poor child. She doesn’t have a mom.” I don’t resent the fact that my mom left – she did what she needed to do. She was dirt poor growing up but could attend school through scholarships, surviving on an empty stomach and hand-me-down school uniforms. My father was also from a poor family. His father left them when they were young with his four other siblings, so at the tender age of 13, he became the breadwinner of his family.

In high school, I changed. I started to explore and speak my mind. I admit, I wasn’t the ideal student (or daughter) even up to college. Sometimes, I would even surprise myself now whenever I remember lessons from school when I thought I was just daydreaming through most of my classes!

A year into college, my parents decided I should live with my mother in Saipan. Saipan is a progressive island in the Marianas, about 45 minutes away from Guam. It is one of the U.S. territories. I loved that island – and still do! It’s gorgeous! It has the most beautiful beaches and the clearest waters I have ever seen. The people love and respect their island and it loves them back. I learned so much while I was there. I learned to live in harmony with different races, enjoy nature, and have a laid-back lifestyle. But best of all, I got to know my mother and spend time with her.

In January 2009, we had to move to Laos – a country next to Thailand. It’s the most rural of all the rural areas I ever lived in. To give you a concept, I lived in a town that only had about three Western-style restaurants, one single bar, and zero mall. It was tough for a 19-year-old. But the people were warm and friendly and they introduced me to their friends and family, and their way of life. At first, it was indeed a struggle. I had experiences wherein people would talk right in front of me in their own language whilst looking at me like a zoo animal and I wouldn’t really know if they spoke badly about me. So, I learned their language and their culture. Now, I am adept at understanding how to be sensitive and respectful of other people’s cultures and adjust to different lifestyles. Nine months passed and I made the decision to move back to the Philippines and finish my degree in Psychology.

2013 was THE year for me. I graduated from college in March, married in May, and gave birth in August. Who said the number 13 is an unlucky number? All the significant days of one’s life fell within the same year for me. 🙂

Now, I am happily living with my beautiful family, the people I chose to be with, and the people I would do anything for. Having a family at such a young age taught me how to be resilient, resourceful, and have unwavering grit. My mother taught me to never look back and regret because that’s pointless. Instead, always do something to get yourself out of tricky situations. It doesn’t have to be the right solution, but at least you are not stagnant and just digging yourself a hole you’ll have an even harder time getting out of.

I also learned to never stop dreaming and that, it is never too late to go after what you want, as cliche as that may sound. Having married at a young age, I never thought I would still be able to find a job in line with my degree because I thought, one must start gaining experience as soon as we graduate but at 30 years old, I learned that it’s all about your mindset. I then started giving myself time to know what I really want, envision the future I want to have and love myself more because I kind of lost that when I was busy taking care of my family. Surprisingly, I was given a chance, and two years later, I was promoted to Recruitment Supervisor. With hard work, sacrifice, and love for one’s job, anyone can move mountains. I also learned from my father to always be kind and show gratefulness to the people who contributed to my growth.

I wake up every day with a grateful heart, continuously working on improving my mindset and doing things every day that will lead me to my highest self.

The Kim that you will know now is no longer afraid of tripping and falling like she did when she was young because she knows to just dust the dirt off and still push through because it will only get better through time and experience. Life is not meant to be perfect, as they say, it’s meant to be lived.

For a copy of Kim’s resume please click here.