ABOUT ME
“If you feel that you don’t fit into your country or culture, it’s probably because you don’t! It’s probably because you don’t, so go see somewhere else.”
Hi! I’m Cate, a storyteller and marketing analyst from Manila. I moved to Madrid, Spain in September 2020 to fulfill my need for lateral growth.
I was born and raised in the Philippines, but over the years I started to feel more and more like a misfit in my home. And so, in the middle of the pandemic, I moved to Europe. This is a personal blog about that move.
Cate in Madrid is nothing like Emily in Paris—which I love and watch religiously. But in my own storytelling, I am not a fan of painting big and glamorous pictures. I like the details—the little, pivotal moments that may not be Netflix material, but they infuse the life I am building here with warmth, meaning, and sometimes the necessary heartbreak. I’m sure you have them, too—the small things that mean everything.
Below are my stories as a Madrileña from Manila
LATEST STORIES
Coming home to Manila, remembering what it’s like to be cared for
A friend told me that one of the signs of a Filipino having worked abroad is how impatient we get with the pace of housework back home. I had been venting about how slowly our maid was getting through my…
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Verano te amo
Summer is over. It always surprises me how the transition between seasons never fails to arrive on time. We’d be in the middle of a 40-degree heatwave, in an empty Madrid as locals have completely given themselves over to their vacaciones.…
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In Dubrovnik, I thought of Cersei Lannister and let my anger light me up
“I want you to know I understand. Even though we’re enemies, you and I, I understand the fury that drives you.” This is my favorite Cersei Lannister scene in Game of Thrones. Next is the one where she gets her…
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The scariest part of moving abroad
One month after I moved to Madrid from Manila, I got a text from Mom. “Dad is gone.” I was at an evening Spanish class when I found out. The teacher was asking me in front of the whole class…
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2023: Taking a stab at depth
I moved from Manila to Madrid in 2020 to fulfill my need for lateral growth. I was tired of the narrow and upward title-centric trajectory in Asia that didn’t offer much else in other directions. On the ride to the…
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The French Woman Who Taught Me All My Chores
“Would you like to get something to eat?” Yerit, my French Airbnb host asked after I had settled into her apartment in Madrid. I had just arrived after more than 20 hours of travel from Manila, including a layover at…
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Madrileña from Manila 