Carolina Esguerra-Colborn has a sterling record as a top-level executive in the local technology and corporate sector. She was the former president and CEO of BayanTrade, an e-procurement hub of the Philippines; managing director of SAP Philippines; Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue; general manager of Megalink, the automated teller machine switch of Philippine banks; and vice president of the Development Academy of the Philippines.
In 2004, she decided to fade away from the limelight. She packed her bags and went to the United States. Little did she know that her decision would lead to her next adventure that is full of excitement, love and fun.
Before migrating to the US, Esguerra-Colborn also worked with Andersen Consulting, IBM and NCR. She was a two-time recipient of the Most Powerful Women in IT Award. She also represented the private sector in the National Information Technology Council.
She admitted that the corporate world’s grueling pace has been taking its toll, and she planned in 2002 to slow down. “I had been leading an impossible life as a driven corporate executive, as a single parent raising three children, and as a UP doctoral student,” she said.
Her plan to retire at 50 took a backseat when the BayanTrade opportunity came. After working full time, however, she decided to change the pace of her BayanTrade career by working as vice chairman, then as consultant, working fewer hours each year, in preparation for her retirement.
Life in the US
Esguerra-Colborn settled in Seattle, Washington where her eldest daughter lived. Her initial work was babysitting a grandson. Then she decided to join the academe as an adjunct professor in business at the Seattle Central Community College, Central Washington University, and Renton Technical College. She even volunteered at the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) as a small business counselor and marketing lecturer. SCORE is an organization of about 13,000 volunteers across the US counseling small businesses.
Later, Esguerra-Colborn was hired to teach at Renton Technical College and Central Washington University. She worked as an adjunct professor for “Project Management in Business” and “Diversity Issues in Business.”
Comparing her Filipino students at UP-Diliman and her American students, Esguerra-Colborn said there’s a big difference because her UP students were younger and fulltime in their studies, while the American students were older and are already working. She found it more enjoyable teaching those wide-eyed undergraduates in Manila.
Romance and adventure
Esguerra-Colborn found love for the third time when she met Bill Colborn online in 2007. The virtual romance ended in marriage in 2008. Mr. Colborn sold his business, and they went around North America in an RV. To keep in touch with her friends and followers, Esguerra-Colborn maintains a blog about their journeys, five posts of which have been published elsewhere. From their base in Phoenix, Arizona, the couple plans their itineraries.
She has written three books about their travels. The first, Carolina: Cruising to an American Dream, was a travelogue of their first five years of RVing across 49 American states, nine Canadian provinces, and six Mexican states. The second one is a handy booklet, Cruising in an RV: The basics you need to know. It is a primer for those who want to start RVing.
The third book, Cruising Past Seventy. It’s Not Only about Outer Journeys. It’s Also about Inner Ones, is now on preorder at Amazon and to be released on November 28. “It focuses on the inner journeys when we are not able to travel much, just like today, or when we may increasingly not be able to, when we get older.”
“Those journeys have three great themes: lessons learned, changes made, and insights gained. They are the deep and long-lasting benefits of travel,” she added.
Memorable experiences
Esguerra-Colborn had a lovely time visiting 38 countries during her retirement. And the Colborn couple had unforgettable RV trips to the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Yukon, eastern and western Canada and its islands, the Last Frontier of Alaska, along Big Sur in California, 39 US national parks and 114 other parks, through the Florida Keys, and the car trips around Mexico. “But we also will always remember the months’ cruise we took around Scandinavia, Iceland, and the British Isles and the months of train rides across continental Europe,” she said.
Esguerra-Colborn said she definitely misses the barkadahan. She said friendships are not as intimate and warm in the US and it’s only the family that has become her main support system. Since her children live in three different countries, it is just her and Mr. Colborn who are there to enjoy each other’s company. “But I love the efficient systems, the open roads, and the libraries. And life spans are more than a decade longer in the US because of great health care [free when you reach 65],” she said.
Aging gracefully
Esguerra-Colborn believes in aging gracefully. Although she is starting to encounter health issues, she now has smaller goals, simpler and healthier relationships, and more fulfilling passions. “And it was all those inner journeys that have led me to this. That’s the essence of my third book,” she said.
She said traveling is no longer about more new places “but how to travel as we grow older in more comfortable but not extravagant ways” because there will be less time, energy and perhaps even money.
Grandparenting style
She also enjoys being a grandmother as she has more time doing it now. “It is a second chance at motherhood because I was more a father to my daughters. But they are so far away since my daughters chose to be Canadian, Australian and American,” she said.
Esguerra-Colborn makes sure that her grandchildren get important lessons from her during this pandemic. She conducts Zoom classes in science, writing, and reading for the 5 to 6-year-olds. For the 13-year-olds, Esguerra-Colborn teaches them science and engineering such as how airplanes fly, etc. “And for the 20-year-olds, we vacationed [safely] in a mountain resort,” she said.
The ever-supportive Mr. Colborn
Adjusting to the Filipino culture was not a problem for Mr. Colborn, according to his better half.
That’s because he immersed himself in the family culture in Seattle, Calgary, and Melbourne. As a matter of fact, the older grandchildren told her that they would not talk to her if she didn’t choose him from among those she was dating then. In their 12 years of marriage, Mr. Colborn has visited the Philippines three times.
Esguerra-Colborn’s friends also established good rapport with Mr. Colborn and even asked him to introduce them to his brother, if he has one (he only has a sister). “He loves our country, especially the Visayas islands and the Mountain Province. But he tried driving in Metro Manila and he does not want to go through all that traffic,” she said.
Esguerra-Colborn said she receives a lot of positive feedback regarding her husband, because of his warm personality. “People say he understands a lot about the Filipino culture. And he eats all the Filipino food I cook for us,” she said.
As she continues experiencing new adventures with her husband, she said her life now has “more ups than downs, more laughs than tears, more usefulness than wastefulness.”
2 comments
Yes, we love Bill alright!!
Hi Charo, Everybody does!!!