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QATAR -- Since I arrived here in Doha, Qatar I had been looking forward for the time that I will step back to my home town. May mahambal gid guro dason nga 'wala pa gani mag anu-ano, mapuli ka na ya'. But it really is a different feeling to be at the comfort of our families and within the safety of our own territory. Kung baga, siling gani nila 'theres no place like home'.
I counted my stay here and I am about six months remaining in my contract. Six months nga agwanta. 6 months without authentic Filpino dishes (kapin pa wala di pork). Six months na lang kag makatilaw naman ta sang Ilonggo nga luto parehas sang KBL (Kadios-Baboy-Langka), daw sa Ilonggo man lang ni, di bala?
It's a mixed feeling actually to be working abroad. There is always a 'contrary reason' and sometimes an irony to be working in a foreign land.
I can hear voices saying 'sige bi… sampol da bi…' read on...
Mostly it is every 'Juans' dream to step outside 'Pinas. When I was in college, and when I was working back in Negros, my friends and I would say 'ma abroad gid ta ya a!' and having received a job offer here abroad is like an answered prayer. Daw ginsabat ka na sang gina pangaluyagan mo. On the contrary you will leave the 'good life'.
Syempre may ma-react e… nga-a bayaan mo ang goodlife kay maabroad ka gani… Well, it is not always a 'good life' even though we're here abroad. There are cases where employers are hurting their workers and it won't happen if you are in your territory. Some of us become slaves here, even if they are bosses back there. We leave a piece of our freedom by following what we have dreamed of.
Here's one story. Once I was assigned in one of our projects. It was a road construction in the middle of the desert. All sand and rocks under the scorching heat of the sun which is enough to heat water for you to have a coffee break. Temperature so hot that you can't touch a steel bar left out in the open because you'll get burned. So hot that when you pour water into the ground it evaporates right before your eyes. May kahoy man pero puno sang tunok. There's no place to hide from the sun's heat but a concrete wall that has a shadow with a width less than one foot. I guess I might have a little of a contortionists blood 'coz I got my self under that small space. While I was sitting down, sweat and tears started to fall from my eyes, I remembered what I left. I started to question if I am receiving the right salary for this kind of work. Having this thought, I saw the laborers working under this condition. Eight to ten hours under the sun working with shovels and picks. All these hardships for less than one-fourth of what I receive for a salary. With this view you'll feel that you're still lucky because you still have time to find a place to relax and they can't.
Each person working abroad has a sad story to tell. Each leaves something good when venturing into something new. We sacrifice almost everything. We place on the chopping board our own happiness, our own selves and our relationship with our family and loved ones to work here. But with those sad stories there is hope that there is a greener and brighter future later. There is trust that all the hardships will give us something good in return.
I think it's the way nature works. There is always balance. No one and nothing is perfect. Each has flaws in itself. But the only thing that is sure… no matter where we will be, no matter how far we are… we know only one way back… we will always walk the road back to where we came from… back to a place we call home.
Hidlaw pa ko gyapon sa inasal kag lechon!
(Write ups can also be read at: http://raleigh_rombines.blogs.friendster.com/raleigh)
* Raleigh B. Rombines is from Bacolod City and currently works as a Civil Engineer in Qatar.