Kwentong Kapuso: For this OFW, money isn't everything

GMA News Online readers are welcome to send their contributions to "Kwentong Kapuso." The views expressed by our readers do not necessarily reflect the views of GMA News Online. We reserve the right to reject or delete contributions that are deemed to be abusive, threatening or unfair. I have been a witness to a lot of dramas that usually take place at the NAIA airport -- families hugging at the parking area, husbands, wives and children crying, and well-wishers who incessantly give requests and final instructions to their overseas-bound family member. Yes … overrated as it may sound, but for us OFWs, leaving is like a yearly trip to the lethal injection chamber. That’s why, teary-eyed, highly emotional and hyper-sensitive passengers normally roam around our busy airport every day, and that includes me.  So to keep myself busy while waiting for my flight, I normally observe my fellow OFWs and most of the times have small chats with them especially with the first timers. Then, after the small talks, I would usually sit back and stare at the airplanes outside the departure gate thinking about the life I am about to embrace again going back to Saudi Arabia. Honestly, the feeling is unbearable even though I’ve been doing this for only about three times now since I started working abroad only last 2007. That’s why, I cannot help but wonder how could someone who stayed for 25 years or more in Saudi Arabia bear to go through the same feeling (technically) for 25 times. This makes me ask myself. If they are willing to do this masochistic act on a regular basis, is it really worth embracing life abroad? I know I would get a mixed answer to this question but one thing is for sure. At the end of the day, all of us OFWs would all yearn to come home or retire for good in our homeland. I know a lot of friends who are working here abroad for 20 years or so. They have different status here. Some are lucky to go on vacation two times a year. Others are luckier to bring their families here on a family status. But most of them are just like me, working for one whole year and earn a 1 month yearly vacation. So for a span of 25 years, they only get to actually feel being a husband, father, son or brother for only 25 months! It is a depressing, yet accurate depiction of their lives as OFWs. The next thing they know, they are already in the late years of their lives. Their youthful years have long been gone along with their tenure of service and are now planning to come home for good to try and learn again how to live in the Philippines. They always say it’s all worth it. Their kids all went to prestigious universities and got their degrees. Many of them were able to purchase acres of lands, built their own homes, bought cars and investments and saved some money for their retirement - all at the expense of not being with their loved ones. But the others are not as lucky as them. Their kids opted not to finish college. They have neither hefty bank accounts nor any existing investment funds. And worse, they don’t even own their homes and have neck-deep debts. While both these groups chose to embrace life abroad, a few other OFWs perceive working abroad differently. They see it as a stepping stone into something bigger, a new career perhaps back home. And by saving more than what they spend, being an entrepreneur in the Philippines is not a far fetched idea for them. Instead of buying their wants aside from their needs, they opt to maintain a frugal lifestyle to save their income and wisely use it once they decide to go home for good. I chose to belong to this group. We see life abroad in a more temporary sense or in a much shorter horizon just to be with our families much longer than others can. And in order to do so, we are willing to take the risk to either look for a new job or start our new business back home with our hard-earned dollar savings on hand. In the end, thinking about embracing like abroad seems to be more complex than it appears to be. It can also open the door to a wide and endless debate. But the truth about all these things shall always remain the same. If we would only know how to handle our money well, spend wisely, save more, and live below our means, we would be able to shorten our stint here abroad. And when that happens, I guess we would all agree that embracing life abroad is all worth it, as long as we’d embrace it only for a shorter period of time. Just remember, money isn’t everything. And our family should always come first. - Desertman Cost Engineer, Saudi Arabia