Lhen: The journey of a Filipino woman from a breadwinner to mother and entrepreneur

In this episode, Lhen, a Filipino woman who arrived in Buckshaw Village in 2021, shares her story as the main breadwinner of a big family with 12 siblings. Lhen moved from a small town in Mindoro to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, where she worked in the fashion industry and, eventually, met the man she fell in love with and married. After many years in Dubai, the couple decided to relocate to the UK where they developed their own kitchen design business, Eden Kitchen Design. New to this part of the world and without any friends, Lhen used social media to get in touch with other Filipino mums who live in the local area and created a growing network, the Filipino Community in Lancashire.

Interview content:

[00:02]: Buckshaw Village VS Manila

[00:05]: Life in the province of Mindoro: simplicity and family life

[00:06]: Moving to the city to study and work

[00:08]: The power of the family

[10:00]: Being the breadwinner of a big family

[12:00]: Professional ambitions and pathways

[14:00]: The plus of being the boss of yourself

[15:00]: Life in Dubai from the eyes of a Filipino woman

[19:00]: The most unbelievable things of Dubai

[21:00]: Feeling homesick and dealing with it

[24:00]: Integration and adaptation process as a single woman and as a member of a family

[25:00]: The importance of a network and how to create it when you don’t know anyone

[27:00]: The decision to come to the UK

[29:00]: Learning about British society: navigating NHS and different accents

[31:00]: Understanding or not understanding, is this a problem?

[32:00]: Feelings of belonging

[33:00]: Returning to the Philippines?