This episode aired on ALLTV last December 6, 2022.

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Masayang gabi, Pilipinas!

Kapag natagpuan na natin ang taong mamahalin,

ay hindi na importante kung ano man ang kulay niya.

Itsura, kultura o kung saan man siya nagmula.

Wala namang visa requirement kapag nagmahal.

Kaya naman pupunuin namin ang kilig at pagmamahalan

ang usapan natin sa mga storya na ating makakasama ngayon.

Hello!

15 years.

So what was that like being married for 15 years?

That was perfect!

Pigan Gooey

Magkakasalamat sa akin sa Lushmila一下.

Yung bullying ng partezan yang noong dekade.

15 years.

So what was that like being married for 15 years?

Well, for me, it doesn't really, like, feels too long.

I feel like 15 years was just a moment ago.

Kung baka we just celebrated just one year anniversary, tapos ngayon 15 na.

Paano kayo nag-meet?

Nasa USA kami, then I'm working in a Japanese restaurant, and there we go.

Sabi ng manager ko, there's a new pretty girl na, mahinar siya.

And it's her.

Then, on the first day, I'm the one who first introduced myself.

Like, hello, I'm Eric.

And the history.

Hindi siya shy.

Hindi siya shy.

We become friends in the restaurant, so that's how relationships started, and then.

I was in America only for three months.

So I didn't have long time to really...

Kasi exchange student lang siya noon.

I was exchange student from Russia.

So I was in my last year of college, and I decided to learn English.

So I went to America, and I met Eric there in my job.

After a few weeks, I asked her, like, oh, do you wanna go out or, like, go bowling?

At first, parang, no, parang siguro alam niyo na yung aking agenda, pero siya kasi

may boyfriend.

So after a few weeks of pursuing her, so, nag-friend, we become good friends, and it

clicks.

Yon na, nagtuloy-tuloy na.

Yes.

So kailan mo na inamin, na parang, from dating, na you like her, attracted, na parang,

oh, I love you, I have feelings for you.

Siguro yung ano na, yung pabalik na siya ng Russia.

Yeah, I had to come back.

So doon ko na nafeel, at first akala ko, it will not last, because alam kong babalik

na rin siya after a month, pabalik na siya ng Russia, and we might not see each other

again, diba?

So doon ko na feel na parang, I think this is the right girl for me.

So, yun na, I say I love you to her before pumunta niya siya ng Russia, then after that

sabi ko, I will commit that I will give all the time, like, call her every single day.

Twice a day.

Twice a day.

For seven months.

Constant communication.

Constant communication talaga.

So what was that like when he finally admitted na mahal ka niya?

Actually all the way in the airplane, I was crying, kasi doon ako naramdaman talaga

ng, wow, I will miss talaga this guy, and I was torn.

What I'm actually feeling and what I was, I didn't understand how can I act about it.

Kasi first time naramdaman ko talaga, like, wow, it was not just a regular vacation, you

know, you have fun, and it's gone.

Yeah, you can just forget about it, it was fun.

Sinabi mo na yun sa family mo and friends mo that you're in love with this person, a

Filipino.

It was hard to tell my mom, of course, I'm very close to my family, to my mom, and to

tell her, like, I'm in love with a Filipino guy, it was very, very hard.

Bakit?

Hard kasi.

For Russian, Filipino is like Chinese, okay?

They don't know what's Filipino.

Parang isa lang ang Asian.

Asian, yes.

So then, I gradually tell them, oh, he's calling me every day.

So of course, my parents, they didn't force, like, oh no, stop calling or something.

But they want to see, like, how serious we are.

And yun, after seven months, he invited me to visit here in the Philippines.

Anong feeling nung una kayo nagkita?

Yes, of course, diba?

After seven months, so talagang yung parang naiyak ka, nakikita mo na ulit siya, na hindi

mo akalain kasing magkikita ulit kayo.

Kasi totoon eh, pumunta siya sa'yo eh.

Saan ka nag-propose dito?

Sa Boracay, yes.

Nag-underwater, ano kami.

So I think of something na hindi siya...

Pangkaraniwal.

Underwater.

Pero sinabi ko condition, like, I cannot say yes unless he will propose to my parents.

Kasi sa Russia, we have also the same tradition as Philippines.

Pamamanhikan.

Yes, you need to go to the parents and you need to ask the hand of the girl, and you

need to get their blessing first.

Ginawa mo?

Yes, oo.

Kumunta kayo Russia?

After pa.

Three months.

Kamusta yung na-meet mo yung parents niya?

Actually, very quiet yung mama and dad niya.

Hindi nila ako masyadong...

Pinahirapan.

Pinahirapan.

Parang very welcome.

Very welcome na nila ako.

In terms of what my parents did, I think it's heroic.

Kasi you don't know what's gonna happen in the other country with your kid.

Paano mo yung itrust to a guy who just show up.

Total stranger to them, oo.

Doon ako nag...

I was very...

It was a happy moment he came.

It was a very happy moment.

But the same time, it was very sad for me kasi I had to choose between my family, my

culture, and siyempre man, the guy that I love.

So naramdaman ko yung kahit ngayon, I was leaving kasi we were getting a visa.

Actually, you're getting emotional just thinking about it.

I think it's pregnancy, sorry.

No, it's because the sacrifice you made.

Yeah, but until now, I remember how I felt like I love my mom, and then it's not easy

task to do for any...

I was only 21.

21 when you got married?

I was very young.

22 na.

22 na.

To make that decision was not easy for me kasi I knew that I will not have the back

of my parents.

I cannot just, okay, if you get married and it didn't work out, you can just run to your

parents' house, complain, or you can do something.

I did not have that luxury.

So for anyone who will think that interracial couples are fun and it's something you can

just do.

It's like a fairy tale?

Yes, or like, oh, you can marry a foreigner.

It's not that easy.

You have to consider the things that you will miss or you will not have those luxury of

your family.

There's something you have to give up for this love.

Oh, so for me, what I felt that time, it's either leap of faith, I have to jump to that,

or I have to just back out and forget about it.

Pero alam mo yun, what she was willing to give up for you.

Yes, of course.

Nakita mo yun?

Nakita ko naman na talagang family and me.

It's the family, my culture, my country, or this guy?

Yes.

This guy!

Yes.

So yun, nakita ko, ano talaga ako nun, wow, this girl gave up a lot of things for me.

So I need to back it up.

I need to prove that her decision is the right decision.

Parang it's a leap of faith na gagawin niya sa'yo.

Yung buong trust niya, yung buong future niya, ibibigay niya sa'yo.

Kamusta nun nagsama kayo sa bahay?

Hindi ganun kahirap.

Ah, talaga?

Kahit raising interracial kids, yun, yun ang may challenge na siguro.

Kasi iba yung ways mo in Russia, iba yung ways ng Filipinos in raising their kids.

As we said before, all our differences, we're trying to convert it into positive things.

So basically, kung ano meron siya sa culture that I don't have, like he's trying to teach.

So meron siya ng points that I'm not good at.

So he's the one who's gonna teach.

Meron ako something from Russian culture that I bring to the table for the kids.

And I'm the one who teaches them.

When it comes to the kids, anong Filipino values ang gusto mong makuha ng mga anak mo?

Well, siguro yung nagpapuha kasi sila, so very respectful naman sila.

Sa Russia naman, from your culture, what do you want your kids to adapt or to get?

I want them always to feel that they're always welcome in the house.

We're always gonna support their dreams.

So yun ang gusto ko talaga nakuha sila from my personality to them.

So I want them to feel that I love them no matter what's gonna happen.

For you, what's the best decision you ever made in your life, Eric?

Of course, marrying her.

Really?

That's one of them, of course.

I think I will not be the same person if it's a different girl.

I will not be on what I have right now.

Talagang ayaw eh.

I push myself to be worth that guy.

And what makes your relationship work?

My faith.

Sorry.

Totoo yan.

Kasi there was so many cases in both our lives in these 15 years.

If I don't have the faith in God that I have, it will be too hard for me to get through.

If I will just rely on who I am and who Eric is or whatever it is.

Circumstances sometimes, it's hard to believe you can go through further.

We had times we don't know how to pay for things.

We had times…

Struggles.

Struggles, yes.

A lot of people, they see right now success, what we have right now.

But what we go through before, nobody can see.

Nobody can see how many failures I had.

And those failures, they just made us so much stronger.

Thank you very much, Eric and Anna, for sharing your journey and your story with us.

And another lovely couple ang ating makakasama ngayong gabi.

Let us all welcome Kyra and Chris Wagstaff.

Hello!

Hi!

You speak Tagalog, no?

Konti.

Konti lang.

But how long have you been together?

Almost 10 years now.

Uy!

10 years!

Paano ba nagsimula yan?

Nako, Kyra, ikuwento mo naman sa amin.

We met sa US.

Nag-OGT ako doon and he was there for placement as well for university.

What were you doing in the US?

I was basically a chef intern.

It's really for work.

Yeah.

But si Chris is really from?

England.

From England.

Okay, so how did you meet?

Dinala siya sa party ng birthday ng Mexican friend namin.

But I didn't talk to him.

Because I was shy.

So what was your first impression with Kyra?

To be honest, I had my eyes on her from walking in.

Tulog ko nga naman itong si Kyra.

Naispatan ka na niya.

I like her already.

Why?

What made you fall in love with her, Chris?

I don't know.

Just the way we communicated.

Connection?

Yeah.

Spark?

Yeah.

I don't know.

Her making me chase her probably made me want to pursue her even more.

When did it become official?

Your boyfriend and girlfriend, did he ask you?

Or you just talked about it?

I think it was a couple of weeks before I left.

Yeah, it was just a couple of weeks before you leave.

Together lang kami.

Not official lang couple.

Like two weeks, three weeks.

Super short lang.

So nung aalis na siya, paano nang naging pag-uusap?

So ayun, LDR kami.

Long distance for how long?

Five years.

Five years?

And then once a year lang kami magkita for one month.

What was the most challenging part for you during that five years of being LDR?

I think mainly time difference.

Especially when I was working and studying and Kyra was studying as well.

It's finding that gap of time where we can kind of like talk to each other.

The connection was very constant during those five years.

Yeah, it was naman.

Tapos kasi like during some time around that five years,

nagde-juggle pa siya ng three jobs while in university para makasave to fly.

So like grabe talaga yung effort niya and I appreciate it naman talaga.

This guy can give me everything.

Yun ang priceless.

Kasi yun ang hindi kaya bayaran ng kahit anong amount ng pera.

It's the effort that he showed you that he's willing to fight for the relationship.

Where did you get married?

In Alfonso.

Cavite?

How is the wedding for you here in the Philippines?

It's really nice that we had a lot of people there.

The thing that I didn't get though was like in England you have like a big after party for the wedding.

As soon as the food had finished, everyone's gone.

So when did you have a baby?

2020.

2021? Oh, bago lang.

So how is it? How was the relationship when you finally had a baby?

He became a lot more patient.

You have to have patience.

Yeah, in a good way.

He's super hands-on. Kasi kami lang eh. Kaming dalawa lang. Wala kami.

No yaya? Wow.

Ang galing no? So he really adjusted his whole life.

To be with you, to build a family with you, to have kids with you.

What do you appreciate the most about having a Filipina wife?

She looks after me well, like really well.

When I wake up, there's a coffee there ready for me.

You know, it's just simple things like that, small things.

She's got a lot of patience with me.

The small things or the big things?

She's got a lot of patience with me.

What are you most grateful for in your life right now?

Maxwell. Definitely Maxwell.

Ikaw naman, after everything that you guys have been through?

I'm just grateful that he stuck with me through everything.

As in literally everything.

He didn't leave, he didn't give up.

Hindi na ako makakahanap ng katulad niya.

Hindi na talaga.

Someone who would love me like how he does.

How he loves me.

At saka may dawan talaga na talagang ipaparamdam sa'yo yung

who would love you the way you're supposed to be loved.

Yes.

Thank you so much, Kyra and Chris, for sharing your love story

from different countries to different cultures,

pero bounded by love.