In a country celebrated for making dreams come true, Maria Dela Cruz’s story rises above the noise. Once a quiet nanny caring for children in a bustling Abu Dhabi home, Maria today is a bestselling author whose words have touched the hearts of thousands across the UAE and beyond. Her journey is a powerful reminder that resilience, hope, and creativity can flourish even in the most unlikely circumstances.
From Manila to the Emirates
Maria Dela Cruz grew up in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of Manila, Philippines. Life wasn’t easy, and opportunities were scarce. Like many young Filipinos, she dreamed of working abroad to help support her family. In 2011, she packed her bags and boarded a plane to the UAE, with a work contract as a nanny and the determination to change her life.
Her early days in Abu Dhabi were challenging. Navigating a new language, a new culture, and the homesickness that gnawed at her heart was overwhelming. Yet Maria found solace in a simple habit she had nurtured since childhood: writing. In the quiet moments after a long day of caring for her employer’s children, she would open a battered notebook and let her thoughts flow.
“I would write about everything,” Maria shares warmly. “The loneliness, the beauty of the desert sunsets, the laughter of the children I cared for. Writing was my therapy.”
Finding Her Story
What began as personal journal entries soon evolved into something more profound. Maria realized that her experiences — the struggles, the small victories, the invisible emotional labor of migrant workers — were stories worth telling. She started writing short pieces, blending fact and fiction, and eventually shared a few with friends.
The feedback was immediate and encouraging. Her friends, many of whom were fellow overseas workers, found their own feelings reflected in her words. They encouraged her to keep writing, and for the first time, Maria started to believe that her voice mattered beyond her private notebooks.
Still, the path to publishing felt impossible. Maria had no background in publishing, no financial resources to spare, and no idea where to begin. But one thing she had learned from her years as a nanny was persistence.
“If I could learn to raise children who weren’t my own with love and patience, surely I could nurture my dream too,” she says.
The Leap of Faith
After several years of writing in secret, Maria decided it was time to share her work with the world. She compiled a collection of short stories under the title Under the Same Stars, a nod to the common humanity that connects people across different lands and cultures.
Maria saved up portions of her modest salary for nearly a year to cover the costs of self-publishing. She learned everything she could about the process, from editing to cover design, often staying up late into the night after finishing her day’s work.
In early 2023, Maria held a modest book launch at a community center in Dubai. She expected a handful of friends to show up. Instead, the room overflowed with people — fellow domestic workers, curious readers, even a few local writers who had heard about the launch through word of mouth.
“It was the first time I felt seen,” Maria says, her voice cracking with emotion. “All those years of feeling invisible, and suddenly people wanted to hear my story.”
A Bestseller is Born
Within weeks, Under the Same Stars began to gain traction. Readers were drawn to the raw honesty and emotional depth of her writing. Maria’s stories shed light on the unseen lives of the UAE’s vast migrant workforce — not as statistics, but as human beings full of dreams, pain, love, and humor.
Word spread quickly through expatriate communities, book clubs, and social media groups. Filipino expatriates embraced Maria as a symbol of hope, but her appeal went far beyond the Filipino community. Emiratis, other expats, and even visitors to the UAE found something universal in her tales of resilience and longing.
Soon, Maria’s book climbed the bestseller charts on local bookstores, a rare feat for a self-published author without a traditional marketing machine behind her. Media outlets began to take notice, and invitations to literary events, book signings, and cultural festivals started pouring in.
Stories That Heal
Maria believes that her success comes from tapping into something deeply human. Her stories are simple but profound, capturing the small, often unnoticed moments that define a migrant’s life: the tearful goodbyes at airports, the lonely birthdays, the pride of sending a child to school back home, the bittersweet decision to stay for just “one more year.”
One recurring theme in her writing is the idea of finding home within oneself.
“For a long time, I thought home was a place I had lost,” Maria says thoughtfully. “But writing taught me that home can also be a feeling you carry with you, wherever you go.”
Her readers often reach out to her with their own stories, sometimes thanking her for putting into words what they had always felt but never expressed.
“It’s not just about me anymore,” she says. “It’s about all of us who have left parts of ourselves behind to build a better future.”
Giving Back to the Community
Even as her star rises, Maria has remained deeply connected to the community that supported her. She donates a portion of her book sales to educational initiatives for children of migrant workers, both in the UAE and back in the Philippines.
She also leads free writing workshops for domestic workers and other low-income expatriates across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. These workshops offer a rare space for people to express themselves, share their experiences, and heal through storytelling.
“When you give someone a voice, you give them dignity,” Maria says. “And sometimes, that’s all it takes to change a life.”
Looking to the Future
Maria is currently working on her second book, a novel based on the intertwined lives of three women from different corners of the world who meet in the UAE. She hopes to delve deeper into the complexities of identity, belonging, and friendship in a rapidly changing society.
Beyond writing, Maria dreams of establishing a small foundation to support aspiring writers among migrant communities, offering mentorship, resources, and, most importantly, encouragement.
“My story is just one thread in a much larger tapestry,” she says. “If my journey can inspire even one person to believe in themselves, then everything I went through will have been worth it.”
A Story That Inspires
Maria Dela Cruz’s rise from nanny to bestselling author is not just a personal triumph. It is a beacon of hope for countless others who dream quietly while working tirelessly behind the scenes. Her story reminds us all that talent knows no boundaries, that dreams are valid no matter where you come from, and that sometimes, the quietest voices carry the most powerful messages.
In a land built by dreamers from every corner of the world, Maria’s journey stands tall — a testament to what is possible when courage meets opportunity, and when a simple notebook becomes the bridge between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
