"I think passion outweighs talent; so if you really like baking, then it’s not difficult for you to do it everyday. It doesn't feel like work."
Bago siya bumalik muli sa baking, naka-pokus si Maria sa kanyang pag-aaral at trabaho bilang part-time café manager bago nangyari ang pandemic.
"There were no people coming into the café, so we were just doing takeaways. From 10-12 staff members, the number was whittled down to four - just those working in the kitchen. Even the owners are now just working for the business to survive."
Maria's [second from the left] pre-pandemic efforts were focused on finishing her business degree and working part-time as a manager in a café. Source: Maria Getueza
Upang kumita
Kinailangan ni Maria maghanap ng ibang paraan upang kumita ng pera.
"I applied online for jobs in grocery stores, but I think they've been prioritising locals; so what I did was I tried to be active again with the Nameless Baker PH - an Instagram account I started in Manila where I would post breads and cakes I would bake. I thought I could start baking again to earn extra income for now."
Sa ngayon, naka-pokus si Maria sa paggawa ng bakes good upang kumita ng pera, ngunit aminado siya na maswerte pa rin siya na tinutulungan siya ng kanyang pamilya sa kanyang tuition fees.
"I thought I could start baking again to earn extra income for now." Source: Maria Getueza
"My parents have helped me with my tuition fees, but their business has also been affected by the pandemic. I wanted to do something [to alleviate the financial burden]."
Kahulugan ng bulaklak
"My classmates would ask me to do the cakes and breads I used to do, so I started to do that. I jumped right back to baking. I was baking for quite a while back home so it was easy to get back to it."
Sa kanyang pagbabalik sa baking, ang unang ginawa ni Maria ay ang kanyang signature flower cake.
Maria has found meaning in making flower cakes. Source: Maria Getueza
"When I was in Manila, I had clients who would order flower cakes for their boyfriends or girlfriends. Eventually, those couples would get married and I would make their wedding cakes. When they had children, I would make their kids' birthday cakes. I was a part of their celebrations. I had a close connection to them somehow through it."
Sa kanyang cakes, nakahanap ng paraan si Maria na maging positibo.
Maria Getueza Source: Maria Getueza
"There are days when it is hard go stay positive. As an international student here who lost her job, it's been difficult. On the flipside, we can go back to those things we didn"t have time for before because we were too busy."
BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN
