Walang plano noon si Liza na umalis ng Pilipinas.
2014 noon. Maganda ang trabaho ni Liza bilang isang English. Grammar at Literature titser sa high school. Nabigyan pa siya ng promotion sa trabaho. "Okay" naman ang buhay noon; pero ang "okay" ay unti-unting naging "di sapat" na isipin niya ang ninanais niya para sa kanyang sarili at para sa kinabukasan ng kanyang magiging pamilya.
Noong sinabihan siya ng kanyang kapatid at pinsan, na parehong migration agent na nakatira sa Australya, na may oportunidad para sa mga guro na lumipat sa bansa, tiningnan ni Liza ang mga kinakailangan niyang gawin para mag-migrate.
Liza Abad as a secondary school teacher in the Philippines. Source: Liza Abad
"They told me that there was an opportunity to migrate to Australia. They said that the lifestyle here was better, so I considered it - especially since Lloyd [my now-husband] and I were planning to get married and start a family," saad niya.
Walang isyu si Liza bilang isang qualified na guro. Nagtatrabaho na siya noon ng anim na taon bilang secondary teacher noong nag-skills assessment siya. Wala rin siyang problema pagdating sa 45 na araw na supervised training.
Nahirapan ang English, Grammar and Literature na guro na ito sa International English Language Testing System () na examen na kinakailangan para sa kanyang visa.
"I had a problem with the writing and speaking parts of the exam. Actually, even after taking the test four times, I still wasn't able to reach the required scores. I spent a lot of money - P10,000 [approximately $270] per test. My sister suggested I have my scores reassessed by IDP in Australia, the group giving the test in the Philippines. After reassessment, I got an extra 0.5 so I was able to meet the required band score," saad niya.
Tumagal ng dalawang taon at dalawang buwan bago naka-migrate si Liza sa Australya gamit ang skilled visa - dalawang buwang paghihintay para sa visa at, dalawang taon para maipasa ang IELTS.
Noong 2016, ang bagong kasal na sina Liza at Lloyd ay umalis patungong Melbourne.
It took two years and two months for Liza to migrate to Australia. Source: Liza Abad
"Leaving my family - that was the hard bit. We left the Philippines a week after the visa was released, just in case anything changed in the country," aniya.
Ang nagbago ay ang career path ni Liza.
Bilang bagong salta sa Melbourne, nagtrabaho muna si Liza sa migration agency ng kanyang pinsan bilang office assistant. Habang nagtatrabaho siya, inaayos din niya ang registration niya sa Victorian Institute for Teaching (VIT).
Nahirapan si Liza mag-apply sa mga secondary schools sa Victoria. Nabigyan lang siya ng provisional registration ng VIT at, nag-aalangan siyang magturo ng Ingles sa mga native speakers.
"The culture here is different. The students here are more straightforward. The accent is different. The language became a hindrance for me. Maybe if English wasn't the subject I was teaching, I'd be more confident teaching in secondary school," aniya.
Dahil dito, napaisip si Liza ukol sa tatahakin niyang landas. Inisip niyang mag-enroll sa Certificate IV in TESOL.
"I realised that I am better off teaching English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). After I finished my course, I applied to RTOs offering ELICOS," saad niya. 
Ayon sa kanya, nahirapan siyang maghanap ng trabaho sa mga secondary schools dahil wala siyang karanasan sa mga eskwelahan sa Australya. Ngunit, madali siyang nakahanap ng trabaho sa industriya ng ELICOS.
Liza with her students. Source: Liza Abad
Saad ni Liza na minsan "naliliit" pa rin siya sa bansa kung saan karamihan ng tao ay native English speakers.
"It's been a big adjustment. In the Philippines, I was comfortable with the language and the culture. When I came here, I felt so small - not just in height - but maybe because of colonial mentality or thinking that other cultures are better than mine," aniya.
Ngunit kahit kailangan pa rin niyang labanan ang ganitong pakiramdam, saad ni Liza na, "Here in Australia, that's generally not how people think [of others]. Things have changed for me - both personally and professionally. I'm happy about that."
BASAHIN DIN
Liza with her husband Lloyd and daughter Ashley: "Things have changed for me - both personally and professionally. I'm happy about that." Source: Liza Abad
