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Ok. This topic goes back to the laziness that has been going on in my life.

Monday, April 24, 2017

My Fair Share of Sacrifice as an Overseas Filipino Worker

I am kinda hesitant sharing this one to you, because who in the world would like to discuss your failure to people? But I am guessing, sharing it to you might give a bit of information and somehow could give you a lesson that will help you in one way or another.   

Just a bit of background I work in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I am not alone in that country,
my sister works there as well but in different company. At some point we live together but eventually I separated from her at most time. I was there for around three years in total.

Let's begin, shall we?

Finding Work is like Finding Nemo

As a first timer in a different country things are a bit hazy and unclear. To where I start is really hard as you take advice from different folks or Kabayans (as we fondly call our fellow Filipino), you are being given a lot of website to start from or referrals from company they used to worked with. I even sent out my CV to stalls inside the malls just to try my luck.

Precautions Given as Advice is Starting to get into my Nerves as Negativity

A lot of Kabayans will tell you to be careful with the company who uses your extra days in your visit visa just to find out in the end they will not hire you. This is so nerve wracking for me. Why? If I didn’t get a work before my visa expires I will have two options; raise money for the renewal of my visa which is unlikely because we are not that rich, second is go home and go back to my job (with feeling of failure, remember I take a high regard of what others think about me? read my article Reasons Why You are not Satisfied with Your Job.)

Another similar incident is when I went to Kish Island (Territory of Iran), as I wait there for my employment visa to be processed (Just a bit of info: you need to exit UAE in able to processed your visa and Kish Island is one popular destination to go to, however rules are not like this anymore this was my time way back 2013), a lot of Kabayans there are distressed waiting as well like me. They started to tell stories some employer let you exit then leave you hanging there, like nothing you are stuck in that island, where you cant work, no family and you can think for the worse. It makes me think, people from immigration back in the Philippines is right all along for being strick because if the worse things happen, hopefully no, they can prevent it from the start.

Thankfully, all my roommates are so kind. They are prayerful as well, when we have this negativity at the back of our minds we hold on to our faith. Thanks God we are safe and we happen to enjoy Kish Island in a way, strolling malls and going by the beach and their kebab makes me drool everytime I remember it. That is a good experience.


Living Like a Prisoners (Bunk Bed Life)

I really like to stress this one out. I know this will not make much of an issue if you have a clear goal to yourself to just earn and send money back home. However, for me I find it so degrading. Living in a room with five double decks and putting curtains around it for your privacy. No room for you to sit and relax. Basically you are living in an overcrowded place and if you are less lucky like I am you can get a room full of bed bugs and infested with roaches.

Well that is what you get after all for renting a cheap bed space. But it got me thinking; do you really have to live that way? You paid a small amount just to live in an overcrowded and infested place? Isn’t it living abroad means somehow to improve your way of life. Back home in the Philippines, yes we don’t have much luxury for eating on a fancy restaurant, expensive clothes, or have a car, but at least we live in a descent manner. A house without much of furniture but for sure is pretty clean compare to where I’ve been to.

Basically in Dubai a portion of people is earning money not enough to get a descent place to live.

This is a horror for me.


Salary Bargain

I don’t how this came to be, but this is the culture already happening when I came. They tend to bargain with your salary rather than pay you as to what you are capable of. Crazy right?



A lot of people including me try to fool our family and friends back home by posting happy pictures. Well it is not that bad; we hide it for the right reasons (to protect our family). This article is not to discourage you to go abroad, but to give you an idea what other people might be experiencing. Just to balance it out, there are Kabayans who are fairly successful living abroad; I have seen it and that could be you too!

Hope this helps.

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