Neema Ejercito (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer
A couple of years, even before the pandemic, I was already doing remote work. When my husband finally convinced me to take my MFA online, I embarked on a commitment to be professional about my homework and discussion forum submissions, and to only miss deadlines when I was sick. And even then, only to be excused for a day or two. I learned to plan an entire year, prioritizing the program, making sure that my husband supported my diminished commitments at home, but at the same time, finding myself questioning the very resolve I initially had.
I remember travelling through Iceland with my in-laws, tablet in tow, writing on the tour bus, just to make the right-before-midnight cut and sending the three replies required per weekly forum topic. I didn’t think I was doing anything particularly different; I just needed to get stuff done because that was what I signed up for when I applied for the program. When an enthusiastic professor offered extra work or meetings to hone our craft, I accepted them even if they took extra effort on my part. I remember one of the meetings even happening at 4 a.m. Philippine time!
After I completed my program, I had no issues with taking online writing jobs to which I was referred by a professor, learning to use whatever computer applications I needed and adjusting to clients’ different time zones. My work at our animation and game design studio also introduced me to clients abroad, and I had no issues with meeting them online and meeting their deadlines. In spite of all of that though, when the pandemic hit, I was still very hesitant to move my creative writing workshops I had previously done in person to an online setup. I suppose this was because I was already heavily relying on the internet to supplement my children’s studies, and taking on other students online felt like an impossible task. My sister, already a full-time teacher then, kept encouraging me to hold my workshops online, but it was upon the request of a former student’s parent that I finally decided to give it a shot. Still rather begrudgingly, I embarked on learning Google Classroom, as it was free and it was what was popularly used at the time. I then fixed my schedule, determined my age range offerings, and made online flyers to sell my workshops. I scheduled one workshop at a time, depending on demand.
When my family and I moved to Canada, it took me a while to return to remote work as I became busy with ensuring my husband and kids were adjusting to their new lives here. I took on a writing mentee in the Philippines who later on moved to Spain. I also needed to help my husband with our EdTech startup, as it was our pathway here. Since I had an open work permit, I also applied for jobs around the city. As we eased out of the pandemic, I found myself in an office job that required me to be at the site four out of the five weekdays.
I found the commute and the work a challenge, especially as I faced mental health issues. When I left the company after six months, dealing with my mental health issues further slowed my return to remote work. But if it weren’t for remote work, I do not think I would have healed as much as I continue to do. I love the marketing that I do for our startup and enjoy working on my writing projects and with my mentees. I also love that I can work on my phone when I am on my commute to errands I need to get done as a mother. I also have self-diagnosed ADHD, and I feel remote work really fits with my very scattered work ethic.
When I went back to the Philippines, I kept hearing how much people still reflected on how much the pandemic made them discover more of themselves and become more comfortable with their skin. I believe that even if I did start remote work previous to the pandemic, I really felt its rewards during the pandemic and right up to now.
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Before returning from her summer vacation in the Philippines with her partner and three offspring this year, Neema Ejercito did not realize she still had so much to write about, such as the boredom she felt raising her eldest at her in-laws’ place when she and her husband hadn’t moved out yet, or how surreal it was to watch her youngest learn to swim at the country club where she learned as well. She currently wonders if she will ever write about being a mother to a bunch of plants, all of whom she adores and loves watching grow as much as her kin.
