Photo by Maya Butalid
Chasing Windmills is a collection of stories from a migrant in the Netherlands. Through a series of deeply personal narratives, the book shows readers what it’s like to build a new life in another country.
These are stories that are about standing back up, finding your place in the world, and understanding more of yourself. Chasing Windmills is, at first, the journey of a Filipino woman who was assigned to the Netherlands to gather political support for the Philippines. Then, it becomes a narrative of how she made the country her own home. Butalid’s tales invite us on a personal adventure that explores belonging, change, purpose, and the future.
Beginning a Journey, Finding a New Start
Butalid’s journey didn’t begin with a choice, but with a mission. As an activist, she went to the Netherlands in 1983 to continue the fight against her government back home in the Philippines. Her early chapters share her stories as a migrant who had to quickly adjust, from learning Dutch, understanding new customs, and finding her way in a different culture. She describes the initial confusion that she overcame to become who she is now. These early stumbles were key steps in her experience as a migrant. Each one of them was a moment that taught her to adapt and discover more of herself.
The stories in Chasing Windmills capture the weight of leaving everything for a cause, and the tremendous effort of building a normal life in a foreign land, all while keeping her beliefs and faith that her homeland may change.
Photo from freepik
Building Your Own Way and Your True Self
There are other stories, too, about navigating life abroad. In the middle parts of the collection, Butalid recounts how she settled into Dutch society. She talks about earning a master’s degree in psychology. Even more, she talks about how she became a city councilor in Tilburg, a big accomplishment that showed her commitment to her new community. These achievements are stories from a migrant who contributed to her adopted home without forgetting her origin.
The balance between her Filipino roots and her newfound Dutch identity is central to the book.
The book shows how you can still be part of a new society without losing who you are. Butalid explores living in two worlds, keeping old connections while building new ones in the present. A good part of the book is about balancing traditions from the Philippines—the food, the language, the customs—with new customs, social rules, and opportunities in the Netherlands.
Butalid’s life within Dutch society didn’t make her “less Filipino,” but rather made her a more complete person.
Personal Stories from a Migrant
Butalid is quite honest about the personal costs and gains of being a migrant in Chasing Windmills. She shares her stories as a migrant, going beyond politics and work and touching upon her private life.
Without pretense, she talks about her marriage and her raising of her Filipino daughters in a home where two cultures blend, encouraging them to value both their heritage and Dutch upbringing. She also talks about her battle with cancer, all the while without holding back on the struggle and the vulnerability she went through. These personal tales show the human side of moving to a new country, revealing the sacrifices and the joys that one has to make when creating a new life far from where you started.
Butalid’s willingness to share these details makes her story more real and more resonant. These really help readers connect with her experiences.
Why Is She Chasing Windmills?
Butalid’s work extends beyond her own story to include helping others and understanding the world. She details her humanitarian efforts, especially her involvement in the refugee crisis. She also includes her experience helping her home country, the Philippines, despite not living there anymore.
These actions highlight the global view that is omnipresent in most stories from a migrant, where personal displacement can lead to empathy for others facing similar challenges.
The title Chasing Windmills symbolizes her life’s pursuits—the ongoing “conversations with her soul” that define her journey and her commitment to making a difference.
Photo from freepik
Experience these stories for yourself. Maya Butalid’s Chasing Windmills offers a unique and inspiring view of life as a migrant.
Dive into her journey of resilience, identity, and human connection. Get your copy today on this website!
