Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who choose to live and work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may find it challenging to find true love. However, some have found theirs in their flats.
Jaja shared with The Filipino Times her love story, which blossomed from a co-living space in Abu Dhabi.
One day, she heard her neighbor, Tameng, talking about her with the others: “Akala ko babae yung bagong roommate, mukhang boksingerong bading yung dumating?”
Little did she know that Tameng would be her future husband someday. “He was not really into me,” Jaja said. “Pero alam ko nagbibiro lang sila noon, harsh lang talaga,” she added, laughing.
One morning, Jaja was enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend when Tameng found them. “Nakikape siya. Tapos naglakad kaming tatlo sa Corniche para manood ng sunrise kaso sunset pala ang kita doon!”
Although they missed the sunrise, the two got close after the incident. Since she was still looking for a job at that time, Tameng would treat her and she would do his laundry in return.
Jaja said: “I asked him ano ba ako sa kanya? Bakit mabait siya sa akin? Baka naaabuso ko na yung pagtulong niya.”
His response to her, however, was a joke, as if he was not serious and not ready to commit to a relationship. “Nagalit ako. Di ko na siya kinausap,” Jaja said.
After a few days, Tameng randomly talked to her again, asking her to be her girlfriend on the spot, to which she said “yes.”
She said that things were a bit fast for them. “At this point, 6 weeks ko pa lang siyang kilala. Sabi ng isang kakilala ko, baka mamaya may asawa naman ‘yan sa Pinas. Kaya two days after officially being ‘kami,’ tinanong ko siya na baka puro lang siya landi at di naman niya ako kayang pakasalan.”
To her surprise, Tameng introduced her to his mom the next day. “Kausap na niya yung nanay niya. Kinausap na rin niya yung mama ko. Sinabi niya magpapakasal na kami,” she shared.
“Nauna pa nilang malaman na magpapakasal ako kesa sa start sa bago kong trabaho,” she said.
The two met in March 2008 and became an official couple in mid-April. The next month in May, they started gathering their documents for their wedding.
They applied for a marriage certificate in the Embassy in June and were wedded in September. Tameng and Jaja have been together for 16 years.
