To be an OFW -- What are the Tradeoffs?

[yokam]

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Being an OFW is a gamble in someways. Most people go outside the Philippines for the very reason of earning more or to at least give their selves and families a better life. The exchange rate is fluctuating and sometimes it really goes down. That's a big hit on the OFWs part since aside from being so far from their families and loved ones, they're not earning as what they expect (the least).

Foreign companies are also abound in the Philippines and they offer very good pays. Sometimes most people just don't see the opportunity or miss out some pieces in weighing out things. Sometimes working here in the Philippines is just as good or even better than working abroad salary-wise.

[biik]

Basta naa na ka'y mga anak? You'd do everything to give them a comfortable life. Basta just make sure you communicate with them, usa na sa pagkuwang ang presence nimo but as long as maayo ang gibinlan nila, you'll get by. Just make sure you go home pud. Ingna nuon, what about those filipinos let's say who come to the US then mag illegal? Goodness, abtan ug 8, 10 years before makauli makakita sa lang mga anak. Kana pud, di na pud ko uyon ana. Daku na na nga butang nga wala ka sa imong mga anak and they deserve your presence at least bisa'g kausa sa duha ka tuig pero ug abtan pud ug napu ka tuig, abandonment naman na. Doesn't matter pila pa nang kwarta imong pada.

[biik]

yokam, there is no place like home. Us here, we work, go home, eat, watch some TV, mag internet, then sleep. Wake up in the morning and work again. Life is more relaxed back home, it always feel like you have so much time for relaxation than going to work.

We work hard here to send good money back home, make family's life there much better, better than ours surprisingly. We are the one's doing the sacrifice here. Life abroad is not paradise, unless you are wealthy enough. Myself, I'd rather have a hard life than knowing my family especially my kids are having a hard time. I'd rather ride the bus in very cold weather than knowing they ride the jeepney back home instead of a car. In short, I'd rather them have a car than myself. It's self-sacrifice, it's love.

I see a lot of filipinos here in the US who are sacrificing so much for their family in PI. We know a couple who don't have kids but they work more than 8 hours, almost 7 days a week, for whom? Not for themselves but for their family in the Philippines. They send their brothers and sisters to school, nieces and nephews, send balikbayan boxes full of toothpastes, towels, pastas, they buy it on sale here and send them in bulk, and they feel like it is unending. Constantly, family members ask them for help because they thought they are very okay here but they're not. They come home tired, the wife even works live in and gets to be with her husband only Sunday mornings. It is truly amazing how filipinos abroad forget about their own comfort because they make most of the opportunity of making more money and feel like it is their responsibility, because they are in the US and have more means to make more money, to help family left back home.

Simply, when you work abroad you take care of everybodyelse right? Compared to you work in the Philippines you only take care of yourself or immediate family if you have one. Nobody will ask you for gifts, pasalubongs, etc. People don't expect you to give.

I am lucky, my stepmom who is handling finances at home understands and tells the family to be thrifty. She never fails to ask how I'm doing, not to work too hard and take time. Achieve dreams slowly but surely. Myself, I don't mind supporting them til the rest of my life or theirs, it's already a lifetime commitment. I'm just glad she's taking good care of my girls. We're all good.

[chad_tukes]

when they got married, my American step father here in the US has a hard time accepting the fact that my mom had to go abroad about 16 years ago when me and my brother were very young. what he don't realize is that LIFE in the Philippines is hard... we're talking middle-class families in the Philippines that take home a decent salary every month; since we lived in Manila and my mom had to feed two boys, she always felt she wasn't making enough. my mom used to be a chief company nurse in a big company in Manila but ended up leaving for the U.S anyway.

here's my step dad's argument, why leave very young kids (like us) in exchange for MONEY? my argument is... to have a "BETTER" life. but no, it doesn't always turn up that way. while me and my brother were still in CEBU away from my mom, we had a life that i consider "better" than everyone else in our neighborhood. we don't get hungry, we can buy everything we want, i went to good schools since elementary until college, and most importantly...we lived in a decent home. the only problem is, WE NEVER had a MOTHER. we lived with our Aunt, which pretty much takes care of us for the most part (she's financially secure) but the natural care a biological mother can give is just not present.

i agree with David, in the Philippines we appreciate warm relationship which is near impossible in the US, since most people only care about their jobs. most people work 9-5, go home, relax for about 3-4 hours, sleep, and go to work the next day. that is pretty much the American lifestyle we live with everyday.

[biik]

here's my step dad's argument, why leave very young kids (like us) in exchange for MONEY?

American culture is different. Commonly, there is lesser empathy for children, yes only when they're young, when they reach the legal age they're on their own. I said commonly because there are a few families that still do, but to a certain extent we are on the extremes :mrgreen:

Empathy in a long term sense. We Filipinos are more closed-family tied. We nurture our children from birth to who knows how long, til they are alive. Parents worry for them constantly, and we as parents do everything we can while they're young to invest in good schools, give them a better life. Because of that great empathy, we parents don't want our kids to go through life as hard as we did. Filipinos generally are compassionate people, we feel for our family greatly. Leaving children behind for money? At least we know they're with lolos and lolas and aunties. Americans, whom can they leave their children? Parents? Huh, only for a while. That's why they feel bad about us pinoys leaving our children back home, I tell you, they're way better there than forcing them to come with us and then what? Who's gonna take care of them if their parent/parents work? OTHERS. That is unacceptable. I don't ever want strangers to take care of my kids.

Look at americans, they leave their babies as young as what? 6 months old in daycare? Us Filipinos? It wounds us to know babies as young as that aren't taken cared of 100%. Tell me, who can take care of 4 babies 100% at one time? No one, it is hard enough to take care of just one child, that is, if you give it your best attention. Because life is hard here, children are taught tough love. We don't even let our babies cry long enough without tending to them right away! That itself tells us that we are truly a compassionate people. Same goes with other family members.

I think we show our love more to our family than they do. Leaving children to work abroad is okay as long as they are taken cared of by other close family members, not with strangers. And that, is one thing, common americans don't have. Family sticking together, helping each other, not as much as we do.

[rey04]

@David Dennis - very well said bro. Thanks for the insight.

[isang]

working hard abroad and sending money back home can really changed the lifestyle of your family but it doesnt always mean that your life becomes much better then. because all the years have gone by and you just spend your days working, working and working hard. you cannot even embrace your love ones after work, you cannot see your kids growing up. your time has just wasted, and when 'time' is lost, it's gone. you cant get it back.
thats the sad truth of being an OFW.

[Godfather]

Not too many people would leave their love ones just for the sake of adventure or purely just for the heck of it all. Our countrymen leave because our inutile government cannot provide for its people. It is unfortunate that even teachers would rather work as maids in other countries because the rewards are much better than what they can find here. Thus the alteration of the word filipina to mean as a servant or maid.

While I think it beneficial to provide hints to would-be OFW's on how to succeed in far away lands, I deem it better to preach about changing the status quo in our country so that parents no longer have to leave their children. Instead of planning to move to Hongkong to become servants, wouldn't it be best for our generation and that of our children's children if we were to boot our corrupt officials and replace them with competent and honest ones who will lead our country to true economic growth?

For too long our people have obssesed themselves with politics. Each person has an opinion about political leaders, often disregarding performance or lack thereof. We are consumed with politics to the point that one would even kill in defense of a favorite politician. We have to stop this obssesion that is based on a personality and focus on performance instead. We should dismiss the attitude of being pro or opposed to a leader. There should only be pro our country and and oppositionist to bad leaders.

Once we have cleaned the ranks of our political leaders, the original post will not even be a subject needed to be discussed.

[rishee]

then how is it that you can explain... a very wealthy doctor or surgeon here decides to become a nurse to be able to go abroad.. why is that?

[biik]

then how is it that you can explain... a very wealthy doctor or surgeon here decides to become a nurse to be able to go abroad.. why is that?

Greater opportunities. It's easier for them to go abroad and work as a nurse, become immigrants, then when they get here they work on practicing medicine, take essential steps, school and exams. It's a means to a greater end. You have to work your plan to reach a better goal, you have no idea how much doctors are making abroad. Education and experience they learn here can be taken home to PI too. Depende unsa'y plano nila.