It is easy to feel trapped in a place where you can’t find the comfort of home. Most overseas Filipino workers who put their nose to the grindstone know this too well.
At first, the thought of working abroad can be a picture-perfect scenario. Beyond this dreamy aspiration are distressing troubles no one warned you about.
This is the biggest takeaway of a Dubai-based OFW who shared on Reddit his experiences of moving to Dubai.
“If you’re planning to become an OFW or at least work abroad, my biggest advice is to pay yourself first. Ipon before iPhone. ‘Wag masyado YOLO (You Only Live Once) and pasikat. Learn how to cook and iron your clothes,” the OFW said on his post.
He shared his struggles and triumphs when to move to the UAE in 2016 that most OFWs would surely find relatable, to say the least.
He said that his career as a migrant worker in Dubai was something that came unexpectedly when followed his girlfriend to Dubai. His initial intention was just to visit her on her birthday.
All these changed after a company offered him a job, two weeks after his arrival.
“I don’t know anyone other than some few friends and some relatives who I haven’t seen in 20 years. My first job was to sell credit cards to people. Working for almost 9 to 10 hours a day, six times a week is not normal,” he said.
Aside from his new work, he had to adjust with his a lot of things being away from home.
“Accommodation is also a life-changing experience. Back home, I have my own room, a car, and we have a swimming pool from where I stay since I live in a condo. In Dubai, I had to share the room with strangers and in the small villa where I stay with my relatives, there’s only one bathroom to share with 14 people,” he added.
Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, his second company did not process his visa which complicated his residency status. “I had to exit and fly immediately to another country and return back to Dubai with a visit visa,” he said, adding that, “I was ready to give up and I told my girlfriend that I want to go home already. Expenses are mounting up and all the money that I saved were wiped out. I had nothing.”
But his girlfriend convinced him not to give up just yet as good things are bound to happen. “My girlfriend told me to try one more time and got me a 3-month visit visa. Few months after, I landed a job with a really good pay,” he narrated.
After that, he began to see the brighter side of living in Dubai. He said: “If I went home and gave up on my dream, I wouldn’t be where I am. Life is a rollercoaster ride. Bilog ang mundo at hindi palagi na nasa ilalim ka lang. I had failed a lot of times in the past and sabi ko, hindi ako mag-fail dito. I used my past ‘failures’ as my gasoline to continue with life,” he said.
His piece of advice for aspiring OFWs: “Choose your circle well and personal tip: Improve your communication. If you can speak English really well, you will gain the respect of your employers,” he concludes.
