Being an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) is a tough situation. Even if you earn more than your local counterparts, not all OFWs can be classified as rich. In fact, most are really just hanging in there and trying their best to survive and send money to their families back home.
Sadly, many Filipinos have wrong notions about OFWs. Here are 8 things that OFWs wish their relatives back home will know.
We Didn’t Hit the Jackpot
While there are a number of OFWs who did hit the jackpot and enjoyed far better lives abroad than they did in the Philippines, many aren’t as lucky. A lot have actually been duped by their agencies or were even ‘sold’ by their employers.
Many are not paid their wages as promised and a lot end up with much worse fate.
We’re Not Rich
The figures might be higher than what local workers receive but we also spend higher in the countries that we work in – you just can begin to imagine the cost of living here!
Sadly, we can’t afford to send money to everyone who tries to ‘borrow’ or ask for it.
We are Actors
Those big smiles on our faces in our Facebook posts? While those are for real at the time the photo was taken, we’re actually hiding our pain and loneliness from you. We don’t want our families to worry; thus, we plaster these huge smiles on our faces to hide what we are really feeling inside.
We are Not Tourists
See those pretty photos we share of local tourists spots? While we did enjoy visiting those spots to take a break from the many hours of gruelling work, we’re not really tourists on a holiday. We just don’t want our families to see the drab living quarters we live in or the extreme condition we are forced to accept, whether intense cold or intense heat.
We are Not Robots
We are humans who get tired and sick, too; but for the sake of our families, we are willing to work hard and overcome these challenges.
We Want to Stay Connected with You
Living far away from family and friends is a very difficult thing; many of us suffer from loneliness, even depression. But when you stay connected with us, we continually find the strength to go on.
We Want to Hear Good News from You
Sadly, many of our family members only contact us to ask for money. We also want to just chat with you and hear good news about what’s happening back home. That’s one of the ways to help us forget about the tired bodies and lonely souls we have while abroad.
We Look Forward to Coming Home for Good
An OFW’s life is difficult and full of challenges; though the higher salary is a huge plus. But we hope to build that dream house, buy that dream car, and open that planned business so we could finally come home for good.
While life abroad could sometimes be fun and the money we receive is good, nothing comes close to finally coming home for good and spending our time with our family!
Source: Juan in Oman
