“Leche, Palibhasa May Pera Kayo”: What One Comment Revealed About Our Journey

Then Came the Comment

The other day, someone commented on our YouTube video:

“Leche, palibhasa may pera kayo.”
(“***, just because you have money.”)
(In Spanish, leche means milk. But in the Philippines, in this context, it's used more as a curse word.)

We won’t lie, it stung a little.
Not because of the words themselves, but because of what they represented.

It’s a familiar mindset many Filipinos quietly battle with:
crab mentality.

When someone tries something new,
when someone steps outside the box,
when someone escapes a situation others feel trapped in…

…the instinct is to pull them down.

But here’s the truth people rarely say out loud:

Leaving the Philippines wasn’t about having money.
(And just to set the record straight, again, we're not rich. I can say confidently that we're the poorest among the people who was approved for the Spain DNV.)
It wasn’t about escaping responsibilities.
And it definitely wasn’t about showing off.

It was about trying.

Trying to change our environment.
Trying to build something different.
Trying to live a life we didn’t think was possible.

We didn’t come here rich.
We came here unprepared, scared, hopeful and willing to work incredibly hard for a dream.

That doesn’t make us “mayabang.” (boastful)
That makes us human.

When Comfort Turns Into Complacency

No one tells you that comfort can become a trap.
It feels warm, safe, reassuring… until it slowly limits you.

At some point, we started asking ourselves questions we never asked before:

Is this the life we want ten years from now?
Are we growing or just surviving?
Are we living… or simply staying alive?

Little by little, that quiet itch to try something new became louder.
Not because we hated the Philippines.
Not because our life was terrible.
But because we realized:
We wanted to challenge ourselves. We wanted to grow. We wanted a better environment for our future.

So we took a risk.
We left.

And honestly? We’re still in the middle of figuring everything out.
We are far from “made.”
We don’t have everything we want yet.
We’re still learning the language, adjusting to the culture, rebuilding our careers, and navigating unfamiliar systems in a new country.

We’re not there yet, but we’re trying.

We’re Sharing Our Story Not to Flex But to Tell You It’s Possible

We create content because we know how it feels to be stuck.
We know how it feels to want more but not know where to start.
We know how it feels to be scared of the unknown — and still choose it.

We share not to brag, not to make anyone feel “less than”, not to pretend our life is perfect.
We share because someone once shared their story and inspired us, too.
And maybe someone out there sitting in their room in Manila, or Cebu, or Davao is quietly wondering:

“Pwede kaya ako?” (Am I qualified?)
“Possible kaya sa amin?” (Is it possible for us?)
“May chance kaya ako magbago ng buhay?” (Is there a chance to improve my life for the better?)

We hope our story gives them a small spark of courage.

Crab Mentality Has Never Built a Future for Anyone

We say this with love:
You don’t rise by pulling others down.
You rise by believing that their success doesn’t take anything away from yours.

Someone else’s courage isn’t an insult.
Someone else’s progress isn’t a personal attack.
Someone else’s dream doesn’t cancel yours.

If anything, it should remind you of what’s possible.

The Journey Continues

We’re still adjusting.
We’re still learning Spanish slowly.
We’re still figuring out our careers.
We’re still building a life that feels right for us.

But despite the struggles, we’re grateful not because things are perfect, but because we dared to try.

Leaving the Philippines was one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made.
But growth isn’t supposed to be comfortable.
And life isn’t supposed to stay still.

To everyone who supports us, thank you.
To everyone who dreams of leaving or changing their life someday, don’t let anyone dim that desire.
And to anyone who feels stuck — you don’t need to be rich to start. You just need to be willing to try.

We’re not “there” yet.
But we’re on our way.

(cue music: Walking Distance by Smugglaz ft. Ashley Gosiengfiao)

We’re a Filipino couple who turned our love for travel into a lifestyle.

In 2024, we took a bold step: becoming digital nomads in Spain.

Join us in our journey to living our dream!