“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they are yours, if they don’t, they never were,”. Her mom believes in this popular saying by Richard Bach, that is why she allowed her only girl, Queenie Notario to fly from her nest and seek for her fortune abroad.
Mom’s Dream
Still, she called their farm Queensland, a testament of her love and hope that Queenie would one day find her way back home to manage their farm.
Queenie has two brothers who are already married and settled with their families far from home. Her mom, Ellen, is the original “plantita” who surrounded their house with flowers growing up. Her mom is known to be very generous and would give her plants for free to other “plantitas” who express the desire to acquire a certain variety that they have. It was her mom’s joy and Queenie saw how her mom would buy again new plants to supplement her collection.
Her Dream
Like most young ladies, Queenie wanted to explore the world. Growing up as an only girl, she felt stifled and has longed for the freedom to do as she wish. She took up BS in Office Management Major in Airline Management. She believes that working in an airline would open opportunities for her to go to different places. However, after graduation, an opportunity to work in Taiwan opened. She grabbed it, believing that it would be a means to spread her wings, away from the protectiveness of her family. It is also an opportunity to earn lots of money. The fact that they are considered modern day heroes is just a bonus. She wants to feel that she is doing a service to her country.
Wake-up Call
She arrived in Taiwan with the optimism of the youth. True enough, she felt free and positive. The first few months were both a combination of happiness and sadness. For the very first time, the freedom she has was tempered by her loneliness. She missed her family. She missed having a mom cook her favorite foods. She missed her mom’s care and her brother’s constant ribbing. She realized that abroad, she is on her own. If she wants to eat what she likes, she has to cook it. If she is feeling lazy, then she has to adjust to Taiwanese food. Oftentimes, she just eat noodles, the easiest food to prepare, though she knew that it is not the healthiest.
At the time she was in Taiwan, communication facilities are not as advanced as it is today. She cannot call as often since it is still very expensive. If she had her way, her wages wouldn’t be enough to cover her calls and food trips. So she just have to content herself with once a month calls.
After the bloom has brushed off, living so far from home has become a toll. She has toured Taiwan and there is nothing new to look forward to. The loneliness was the worst. To ease her feelings, she needs to work and work. Working abroad is not easy. She has to earn her keep. Basically, it is a no work, no pay scheme. And she needs to work because she has to pay rentals and she needs to eat.
Still, it was not easy to give up and go home. Her pride won’t allow her to accept defeat easily. She then transferred to Malaysia to seek greener pastures. Alas, the cycle began. The initial excitement eventually fades and she found out that it was not what she envisioned her future to be.
Discovering her Calling
In one of her vacation trips back home, Queenie’s mom tried again convincing her to stay home permanently. She says there are lots of opportunities in developing their farm. Her mom has attended Trainings conducted by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) which opened her eyes to possibilities in farming. In fact, she said that she will file for retirement from the Department of Education to focus on the development of the farm. However, she made it clear to Queenie that she needs her as she can’t do it all alone.
To make her mom happy, Queenie attended a Training on Herb Production and Processing. After which, she attended more trainings of ATI including Farm Business School. After attending a series of trainings, Queenie decided to give farming a try. She said that she was surprised by her decision since she believed that farming is hard work with less benefits. However, from the training exposures she gained, her perspective changed.
Queenie applied her work ethics abroad to their farm. She worked hard to learn her new craft. Eventually, she became a Resource Person on Herb Production and Processing and Farm Business School of ATI. She is always open to new ideas and learnings. She networked with other farmers and applied her learnings. When she gets a little suffocated, she goes on travel to various farms even outside the Region. She buys new varieties, soak up on new farming techniques and go home refreshed and full of ideas.
Eventually, their farm Queensland was turned into a family corporation and branched out to giving lectures to TESDA scholars. Queensland became a Farm School. In this new endeavor, Queenie discovered her passion to teach. She is not afraid to train in far-flung and war-torn areas. Together with her mother and father, they train active rebels, former rebels, drug rehab residents, PWDs and many more. She finds fulfillment in serving the underserved in Lanao del Norte and Lanao Sur. Since 2020, she has trained more than a thousand.
Queenie has come full circle. She never dreamed that she would find contentment and even prosperity back home.
To learn more about Queensland Herbs and Tourism Farm, visit their Facebook account here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080980290226
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