THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DREAM

Everyone saw the dream. No one saw the cost.

This is not just a story about working abroad.
It's about what happens after the plane lands.
About the aching silence of hospital shifts,
the goodbyes said through video calls,
and the grief that doesn't wait for permission to arrive.

Told through the eyes of a Filipino nurse in the UK, The Other Side of the Dream is a raw, intimate journey of love, loss, burnout, faith, and healing.
From the heartbreak of watching her father's last breath through a screen
to the quiet breakdowns between promotions,
AJ Gabriel writes with the kind of honesty that doesn't scream-but stays.

Each chapter is a letter.
A prayer.
A confession.
And woven through every page is music-songs that carried her when words failed.

This book is for every OFW who smiled while silently falling apart.
For every daughter who left to build a future and lost parts of herself along the way.
For every nurse who gave everything and finally learned to choose herself, too.

This is the story of the strength no one sees.
The silent faith that held her together.
And the quiet voice that finally said,
"This is my truth."

© 2025 AJ Gabriel. All rights reserved.
No part of this story may be copied, reproduced, distributed, or translated in any form without written permission from me. This is a work of nonfiction and personal experience. Sharing with credit is appreciated. Stealing is not. Thank you for respecting my heart and words.