Lina Gabbaoan

When Public Messaging Doesn’t Match Migrant Experience

When I look back at how Kubjertos, a Filipino restaurant, began, it never feels like “just” a business story. It’s woven with migration, motherhood, healing from abuse, rebuilding my confidence, and trying to dream again after five years of simply surviving. In 2018 and early 2019, I finally reached a point where I could breathe again. After years of domestic violence, after becoming a full-time mother who had no space for herself, I slowly started imagining a future that belonged to me  as...

There was a time in my life when I kept asking myself, Is it me? Am I overreacting? Why do I feel smaller and more exhausted every day, even when I’m doing my best? What I didn’t know then, but deeply understand now, is that not all harm leaves bruises. Some forms of harm hide behind charm, control disguised as care, and criticism passed off as concern. This is a piece of my story and the patterns I’ve come to recognize through my own journey and the stories of others I now support. If you’ve...