Kim Molina was two years old when her father Ronnie Molina, a dentist, started working in Saudi Arabia.
The 28-year-old singer-actress said she and her her mom Myra, also a dentist, followed him two years later.
Kim wrote to PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in an email interview, "Nandun na rin po kasi family ko sa mother side, nagwo-work as engineers since the late 80s, my Grandpa and Uncles.
“Si Grandpa tumulong kay Daddy makahanap ng work there. Initially my parents were eyeing on Canada since most of my dad's relatives live there pero nauna yung offer sa Saudi kaya doon na lang.”
Over the years, the family of three expanded to five with the birth of Kim’s brothers Adam and Gero, who are now 20 and 15 years old, respectively.
Kim talked about her experiences studying in Saudi Arabia, where kids attend preschool, lower elementary, higher elementary, and high school.
She went to The Playroom Preschool, a daycare that follows an American curriculum.
In lower elementary, she was first enrolled at the International Philippine School and later at the Al Andalus International School.
Both schools are located in Al Khobar, a city in the eastern part of the oil-rich kingdom.
The two schools follow the Philippine curriculum and offer additional lessons in Arabic, Saudi Arabia’s official language, and other languages as well.
Kim completed her higher elementary and high school studies at the Al Jazeera International School, which is based in another city, Dammam.
Kim described the student population in her last school as “halo-halo” encompassing many nationalities.
She explained, “That's why my Dad was very particular with the languages I speak.
“Like when I speak in Tagalog, straight dapat. Hehe. Ayaw nun ng Taglish.
“Pati sa English and Arabic, he made me speak fluently and not mix up the words para maintindihan. Para raw hindi mahalo ang accent.”
But these days, “Medyo di ko na lang nagagawa na ngayon, hehehe!,” she admitted,
KIM ON LIVING INDEPENDENTLY
While living in Saudi Arabia, Kim and her family would visit the Philippines every two years.
This opened her eyes to the “big difference between the life there and here in Manila.”
Kim expounded, “Doon po kasi because of the benefits of my dad sa work niya—hindi po kami mayaman, but I guess I can say that we had a very privileged life—nakatipid sa maraming bagay like kuryente, tubig.
“And even my tuition fee sa my school was all under my dad's company benefits.
“Compared po dito sa Pinas, sariling sikap. Sariling ipon at kulang na lang sariling igib na rin ng tubig, hahaha!
“Nanibago po ako nung una, pero masaya rin na nakaranas ako ng ganun.
“It made me realize that not everything can be handed to you easily. That it's all hard work and we should not be dependent and learn to stand on our own feet.”
When she turned 16, Kim moved back to the Philippines for her college education. Her parents fully supported this decision.
“That's also one of the things that I admire about my parents,” she pointed out. “They did not hold me back, and was open to the idea of me exploring.
“You see, hindi lang po kasi ako dito sa Pinas pinagbigyan ng parents ko mag-decide na matuto mag-isa.
“I also stayed in the States for more than a year when I was 19. I lived in L.A. and New York for some time alone and that experience helped mold who I am now, what I wanted in life and who I wanna be.”
Back in Manila, Kim was later joined by her brothers and their mother, as their father continued working in Saudi Arabia.
“It's just my dad in Saudi now (with our two dogs hehe),” the versatile actress said.
Kim admitted that “relocating back here was a big adjustment" for her.
“Well, honestly, there are times when I want to go back because I feel like I'm safer when I'm there,” she said.
“Maybe because my dad still lives there, and that's where I've been used to my whole childhood.
"But of course it's always better to be independent, living in a place you already molded to be your own as an adult.”
Kim now lives separately from her mother Myra and brothers Gero and Adam.
She said, “We see each other from time to time naman. Thanks to social media, it really helps in regards to families living away from each other.”