Hong Kong holds a special place in my heart. Not for its skyline or its food (though both are magnificent), but for the people who waited for me there — people who remind me that family is not always about blood, but about love that persists through distance and time.
Reuniting with Ate Jiejie
There are some people who shape your life so profoundly that they become family, regardless of blood. For me, that person is Ate Jiejie — my cousin who has been like an older sister to me my whole life.
Ate Jiejie and I grew up close despite the distance that eventually came between us. She was always the one I looked up to, the one who understood me, the one who made me feel seen. When she moved to Hong Kong to work, as so many Filipinas do, it felt like a piece of my heart went with her.
She sends money home to support her family. She sacrifices her presence for their future. It is a story repeated millions of times across our nation — the quiet heroism of OFWs who love from afar. But knowing the reason does not make the distance any easier.
With Ate Jiejie at Hong Kong Disneyland — after years apart, finally together again
The Happiest Place on Earth
When I finally had the chance to visit Hong Kong, seeing Ate Jiejie was my priority. It had been years since we had been in the same room. Years of video calls and messages, but nothing compares to presence.
I wanted to take her somewhere special, somewhere she could be a guest instead of a caretaker for once. Hong Kong Disneyland felt right. Walking through those gates with her, watching her face light up at the castle, it felt like I was finally able to give back — even if only a little — for all the years she gave to me.
We rode the rides together, took photos with characters, and for a few hours, we were just two people enjoying the magic. Not helper and child. Not separated by circumstance. Just family, reunited and grateful.
A Different Kind of Adventure with Steve
On another trip to Hong Kong, this time with my husband Steve, we discovered a different kind of magic — the kind that comes from sailing the harbor on a Dukling.
Steve and I aboard the Dukling, sailing through Victoria Harbour
What is a Dukling?
A Duklingis a traditional Chinese junk boat — one of the last authentic wooden sailing junks still operating in Hong Kong waters. These red-sailed vessels have been sailing these waters for over 60 years and represent a living piece of Hong Kong's maritime heritage.
Unlike the modern tour boats, the Dukling offers an intimate experience. The boat is small enough that you can feel the wind, hear the water, and truly appreciate the contrast between the ancient vessel and the ultra-modern skyline surrounding it.
Steve and I took the afternoon sailing, just the two of us on this heritage boat surrounded by the towering buildings of Hong Kong Island. As the red sails caught the wind and we glided past the Star Ferry terminal, I remember thinking how lucky we were — two people from opposite sides of the world, sailing together in a place neither of us called home, yet feeling completely at home with each other.
The Reversal of Roles
What struck me most during my time with Ate Jiejie was the reversal of roles. She used to care for me; now I was treating her to dinner, insisting she order whatever she wanted, refusing to let her pay for anything. She kept saying it was too much. I kept saying it would never be enough.
Because how do you repay someone who helped raise you? How do you quantify the value of a childhood made gentler by their presence? You cannot. You can only try to show them that their love mattered, that you remember, that you are grateful.
What Hong Kong Taught Me
Hong Kong taught me that home is not always a place — sometimes it is a person, or a moment of connection, or the feeling of being exactly where you are supposed to be.
It taught me about gratitude that cannot be contained in words. About love that survives distance. About the beauty of reunions that prove some bonds only strengthen with time apart.
And it taught me about the unexpected gifts of travel — that sometimes the best experiences are not the famous landmarks or the must-see attractions, but the quiet moments of connection with the people who matter most.
Ate Jiejie, if you ever read this: thank you. Thank you for staying when you could have left. Thank you for loving me when you did not have to. Thank you for being family in the truest sense of the word. I will always find my way back to you.