Happy Philippine Independence Day! I haven't yet shared about an initiative we started on Instagram on the blog yet and today seems fitting. In January of last year I got seriously burnt out with social media and deleted everything for a few weeks to give myself a mental break. I have lots to say about this however, not today. I want to focus on what helped me feel confidence in my online presence, it was actually a simple hashtag, #PerksOfPinas. I'll invite you in by sharing my sentiments below that I have expressed on Instagram over the last few months and hope you feel inspired and included.

What is #PerksOfPinas?

I want A Momma Abroad to be more than me showing my perspective, I’d like to include yours as well, I want us to create a collective. A collective of posts that share hidden gems or simple tips and tricks to see Manila and the Philippines more positively. I’m not asking anyone to ignore the negative but more so to seek out the positive. This can be as simple as sharing about your recent visit to the new Washington SyCip Park, your favorite museum, the sweetest mango or a warm smile from your favorite Tindera and her story. The best way to do this right now is through a collective hashtag. I’d like to post at least weekly on my main feed from the collective. I envision the collective or posts to be a place where people can go to find a pick-me-up, to learn something new or even add an item to their bucket list. I want the collective to be a variety. Not just for those who have kids, who have money, who live in Makati, who can go on regular vacations - I want it to be that and more! What I don’t want this collective to become: only pristine beach photos, only well curated product photos, too many hipster food joints. While I welcome ALL OF THEM and am a sucker for these kinds of photos (and of course share posts like this) I don’t want this collective to be diluted to only those types of posts. What I do want this collective to be: a place where we share simple perks, hidden gems and uplifting stories. So, will you help me po? 🙏

The Votes Are In

Screen Shot 2018-06-12 at 3.36.15 PM.png — The Votes Are In

I needed help coming up with a collective hashtag and actually put a vote on instagram so that it was a community effort. after all, it would be everyones contributions. I am not fluent in tagalog and needed help with grammar talaga!

Follow Along

After a few weeks in the making the first collective went up into IG stories end of January 2018. Every week I find 10-12 posts that have used the hashtag #PerksOfPinas and then feature them in stories for all to see. You can see them all in my 'Highlights'. Each week features different posts from different members using the hashtag. I am proud to say we now have over 1,200 photos as part of the collective (with the numbers growing daily) and 13 weeks worth of Highlights. It has been cathartic to see so much positivity from so many people. By focusing on finding the good, it actually becomes easier and more abundant.

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Join us!

This time of my life being spent here in the Philippines is a gift. I am better because of the experiences and perspective I have gained from living here. Social media and A Momma Abroad are so much bigger than Amber. Filipinos don't need me or anyone else to tell them to love their country, they are Pinoy and live it. It is my fortunate experience to share my perspective and my love of the Philippines and for that I am forever grateful. To those of you who read, I appreciate your readership and encouragement. To those who contribute on Instagram, I send you a sincere maraming salamat! Now that you know about #PerksOfPinas please feel free to share the daily magic you find!