Geewel Cabungcal-Fuster: New Perspectives
Architect and designer, Geewel Cabungcal-Fuster, has redesigned her work and family life to welcome a new sense of optimism and openness to change.
With a seemingly never-ending list required to adapt to the new normal, accommodating the needs of everyone at home can be overwhelming. Geewel Cabungcal-Fuster looks back at the year that passed with a sense of pride, saying, “It has been both a challenge and an accomplishment for me and my husband. Challenging, since we both started working from home, and an accomplishment because we managed to do great so far.” Constantly learning, Geewel is looking at life with a newfound perspective.
Building a new structure in a structureless world
“My husband and I learned to rotate tasks to keep up with our growing boys,” shares the mom of two. She continues, “We take turns in helping my six-year-old with homeschooling. It depends on our individual workload from day to day. We learned the hard way and readjusted to a more flexible schedule, but I am amazed at how resilient my husband and I have both become in executing our errands.”
Like many parents, they were initially put-off with transitioning their son out of physical school. “At first, we were very reluctant to do homeschooling,” says Geewel. She expresses gratitude for the support found within their school community. “But with the help of my son’s adviser and the other parents, we were able to successfully complete the year with so much enthusiasm. It was a blessing because everyone was extra helpful.”
A changing experience
Navigating work and family life at home, amidst a global pandemic, has been an eye-opening experience for many families. It has also shed light on the realization that our needs are much simpler than we thought. As Geewel puts it, “Overall, the pandemic has really been a blessing in disguise. We are making the most out of our situation. We savor every day with our kids. We learned to slow down and just enjoy each other’s company, which is something we took for granted pre-pandemic.”
Evolution is concept that this young mother embraces more fully, following a year like 2020. She welcomes and celebrates it with a keen sense of clarity and openness. “The biggest gift that change can give us is the opportunity to carry on,” says Geewel. “We are seldom the same person our entire lives, and it’s never too late to change your course once you’ve acknowledged this.”
As seen on Modern Parenting: The 100 List Anniversary Print Issue available on OMG Newsstands on Lazada and Shopee. Digital copies are also available through Magzter, PressReader, Readly, and Zinio.
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