To be an OFW -- What are the Tradeoffs?

[giddyboy]

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i dunno if this speech has already been posted before...though dugay na ni, it is a really nice read for this topic.

Pinay wins it big in London

By Alfred Yuson
The Philippine Star 05/16/2004

Patricia Evangelista, a 19-year- old, Mass Communications sophomore of University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman, did the country proud Friday night by besting 59 other student contestants from 37 countries in the 2004 International Public Speaking competition conducted by the English Speaking Union (ESU) in London.

She triumphed over a field of exactly 60 speakers from all over the English-speaking world, including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, reported Maranan.

The board of judges' decision was unanimous, according to contest chairman Brian Hanharan of the British broadcasting Corp. (BBC).

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BLONDE AND BLUE EYES


"When I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I wanted to be blond, blue-eyed, and white.

I thought -- if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, I'd wake upon Christmas morning with snow outside my window and freckles across my nose!

More than four centuries under western domination does that to you. I have sixteen cousins. In a couple of years, there will just be five of us left in the Philippines, the rest will have gone abroad in search of "greener pastures." It's not just an anomaly; it's a trend; the Filipino diaspora. Today, about eight million Filipinos are scattered around the world.

There are those who disapprove of Filipinos who choose to leave. I used to. Maybe this is a natural reaction of someone who was left behind, smiling for family pictures that get emptier with each succeeding year. Desertion, I called it. My country is a land that has perpetually fought for the freedom to be itself. Our heroes offered their lives in the struggle against the Spanish, the Japanese, the Americans. To pack up and deny that identity is tantamount to spitting on that sacrifice.

Or is it? I don't think so, not anymore. True, there is no denying this phenomenon, aided by the fact that what was once the other side of the world is now a twelve-hour plane ride away. But this is a borderless world, where no individual can claim to be purely from where he is now. My mother is of Chinese descent, my father is a quarter Spanish, and I call myself a pure Filipino-a hybrid of sorts resulting from a combination of cultures.

Each square mile anywhere in the world is made up of people of different ethnicities, with national identities and individual personalities. because of this, each square mile is already a microcosm of the world. In as much as this blessed spot that is England is the world, so is my neighborhood back home.

Seen this way! , the Filipino Diaspora, or any sort of dispersal of populations, is not as ominous as so many claim. It must be understood. I come from a Third World country, one that is still trying mightily to get back on its feet after many years of dictatorship. But we shall make it, given more time. Especially now, when we have thousands of eager young minds who graduate from college every year. They have skills. They need jobs. We cannot absorb them all.

A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much abandonment but an extension of identity . Even as we take, we give back We are the 40,000 skilled nurses who support the UK's National Health Service. We are the quarter-of-a-million seafarers manning most of the world's commercial ships. We are your software engineers in Ireland, your construction workers in the Middle East, your doctors and caregivers in North America, and, your musical artists in London's West End.

Nationalism isn't bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to create new nations, yet still remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an example of a multi-cultural nation, a melting pot of races, religions, arts and cultures. We are, indeed, in a borderless world!

Leaving sometimes isn't a matter of choice. It's coming back that is. The Hobbits of the shire travelled all over Middle-Earth, but they chose to come home, richer in every sense of the word. We call people like these balikbayans or the 'returnees' -- those who followed their dream, yet choose to return and share their mature talents and good fortune.

In a few years, I may take advantage of whatever opportunities come my way. But I will come home. A borderless world doesn't preclude the idea of a home. I'm a Filipino, and I'll always be one. It isn't about just geography; it isn't about boundaries. It's about giving back to the country that shaped me.

And that's going to be more important to me than seeing snow outside my windows on a bright Christmas morning.

Mabuhay and Thank you."

[rishee]

congrats to her.. but isnt it taboo to say thank you in a speech?

[giddyboy]

congrats to her.. but isnt it taboo to say thank you in a speech?

it was a speech competition...she bested them all unanimously.

[rishee]

yeah but still... thats what my teacher taught me anyway... we should kill my teacher... she definitely said to not say thank you in a speech...

[David Dennis]

I hope nobody minds me butting in as an American who plans to move to the Philippines in November. I will probably wind up spending about nine months a year in the Philippines and three months in the USA. Perhaps I can offer this review of various aspects of life in the USA, and I'd be happy to answer any questions people have, to the best of my ability.

First, some suggestions on where to move. The USA is an extraordinarily diverse place. Some areas are clannish and very hard for strangers to get attention. Other places are cosmopolitan and more welcoming to strangers. Some places have weather that is very cold and depressing, which adds to the misery of anyone used to sunshine. There are also places with substantial Filipino communities, where you would be more likely to find friendly faces and possibly a wife or mate.

As a result, I would recommend places like Southern Florida, Southern California and Hawaii. I would not recommend ANYWHERE in the Northeastern or Midwestern United States because the weather is very cold and depressing and generally everything is old and gloomy.

Southern Florida and Hawaii have the country's best weather from a Filipino perspective. Southern California is dry, not humid, and it can get a little chilly during the winter. Southern California very rarely gets as cold as your refrigerator; it never gets as cold as your freezer. Areas in the Northeast and Midwest get as cold as your freezer, in fact, colder, for months at a time. In addition, all the leaves fall off the trees, and the plants all die. Winter is extremely depressing even for me, and would be far worse for you.

California in general is an extraordinarily wealthy region. This means that prices and salaries are sky-high. A $90,000 salary in Silicon Valley or Los Angeles is barely enough for half-decent housing. I believe Hawaii is even worse. So South Florida, almost by default, seems like the best place for a Filipino. Housing is not ultra-expensive everywhere, and the weather is very similar to the Philippines.

If you're used to having easy access to beaches and the water in the Philippines, you will hate the USA. Beach areas in urbanized areas are bone-crunchingly expensive. Newport Beach, California, for example, has very little housing under $1,000,000 (P40,000,000). Even humble Venice, a slum 10 years ago, starts at $795,000. In both cases these are for homes fairly far from the beach. A house right on the water in Newport Beach costs from $3,500,000 to $15,000,000!

Even in ordinary places, you should be aware that the cost of living in the US is huge. US$50,000!, you may say. That's two million pesos a month, even at current exchange rates! A fortune!

But ... you pay high taxes on that amount, so you might have only about $35,000 left after that. In Southern California or Florida, rent is often in the $800-1,000 a month range. Think of that, 40,000 pesos for rent alone! Fast food meals that cost P50 in the Philippines cost US$5 (P200) in the USA. You get a bit more for it - the food is higher quality. But you spend a lot more.

So the problem is that the places that are more desirable to live in are the most expensive places. But the cheaper places to life have cold weather and require that you pay heat, which can average $200 a month all year long. (You pay $0 a month during the summer and $400 during the winter; they bill you for the average).

If you want to get a feel for the cost of housing in urbanized areas, Craigslist is a Godsend. Visit http://www.craigslist.org and pick your city. Then look at apartments/housing and real estate to get a feel for costs. If you want to buy a house, realtor.com shows virtually every house for sale in the nation.

Generally, the warmer the weather, the more cosmopolitan the place, because mixtures of people from all over the nation are attracted to warmth. Very few people (except skiiers on holiday) are attracted to cold. So you will find people friendlier, and be more likely to find your fellow Pinoys, in warm climates.

In short, it's not that cheap to live here, and to do something more than barely survive you need a boatload of money.

Generally, men are worse off than women. Women can advertise on Craigslist and find a boyfriend or husband, which will make their life enormously easier. Despite feminism, men are still expected to be breadwinners and so a man who sends most of his income back to his relatives is not a very attractive catch. American women also tend to be more oriented towards career than family and so they will not give you the pampering a Filipina wife does. (Why do you think we American men want Filipina wives so much? There are good reasons!)

In short, if you do decide to go to America, I suspect you will find expenses far higher than you'd anticipate, and the pressure from your family to contribute money will likewise be immense. To them you will metamorphasize into the "rich American".

Looking at it from the other perspective, many Americans who decide to come to the Philippines find that the atttiude of relatives who are constantly spoon-fed money from their richer brothers in the USA grow lazy and fat off the land. Don't think of this as someting against Filipinos as a class;I think this is generally true, not just of Filipinos who are given money, but Americans and people of other nationalities as well. People get fat and lazy if they are given money with little to do. So be sure to understand that money is unlikely to fix your family; buying someone a Jeepney does not make him into an enterpreneur; and any money should be given with careful consideration. Most people who have gone through this process like giving money away for a set purpose like education, instead of providing it for living expenses.

What you will appreciate in the USA is mainly the material things. The big, fast cars, the massive road networks that take you anywhere you want to go; the massive traffic that makes it tough to get there. The gleaming stores filled with everything imaginable. And the economic/social system, with its own deep pressures and problems, that makes it possible.

What you would appreciate in the Philipines are the warm relationships, the friendly atttiudes, and the sense that people and their relationships are more important than earning money.

If you could combine the two ... you might find the ideal place!

I hope this has helped and been of interest.

A favor to ask you all: If you write a response to this, please bear in mind that English is my first and only language. I accept that I should learn some Filipino/Cebuano/Boholian but alas, I am a horrible linguist. So if you can, please write any responses in English.

D

[giddyboy]

welcome to the forum Mr. David. I hope u will choose Cebu as your Phil. destination...all u have said is true.

[brownprose]

@ David Dennis

Thank you for the information...I have good reasons to add that women here are more desirable other than being naturally caring for their husbands or their kids. They are also naturally intelligent and detailed when it comes to work and even work ethics.

Disappointingly, and of course for economic reasons...a lot of Filipinas go out to assume the role of being breadwinners not only to their own families but to their extended families as well.

If you've gone to Hong Kong, It is not uncommon to find on Sundays (at the Central Post Office) heartbreaking scenes of mothers having not been able to see their kids graduate or visit a dead parent...and all these for a measly sum of 500$ or P20,000 per month!

The choice to go out is not really something most Filipinos want (I think). The lack of opportunities here cloud the hope of a good future for most of us.

[David Dennis]

Brownprose, I agree with you. Most Filipinas I got to know while in the country are intelligent. They sometimes have problems communicating this, but I noticed it from the start.

However, the sweetness is what makes them unique. There are plenty of smart American girls who are at the same time totally jaded and mean. I have met very few truly sweet American girls and most of them turn into sour cynics as they grow older. This is the bitter side of the American system that's worth understanding whenever you consider joining it.

In short I seek a Filipina wife for her sweetness and will warmly appreciate her intelligence as well. But her sweetness is what makes her unique compared to Americans.

If I had a Filipina wife, I would fear that she would find the bitter side of American culture if I took her from the Philippines and sent her to the US to live with me. Thus my preference for going to the Philippines to be with her, instead.

Giddyboy, at this time I am probably going to settle in Bohol, at least at first. However, I understand Cebu is a quick ferry ride and I would love to come visit.

D

[David Dennis]

You know, I think almost everyone, at least in America, says thank you in a speech. Our Presidential candidates, for example, always thank the people in the venue, the person who introduced them, and so on.

Come to think of it, I attended a Rotary Club meeting while in the Philippines and I remember everyone thanked everyone and it bored me 3/4 to death.

But I think your teacher is actually right. Those thank yous, however important as a social courtesy, are very boring. If you go to a lot of events, I'm sure they can really bore you to tears.

But I wonder if you were attending an event acknowledging that teacher, would you say thank you to her, or risk her wrath?

Trick question!

D

[rishee]

nahhh... she probably forgot about me now... hahaha!