“Only my pillow knows my pain”
By Frances Marella O. Cristobal (ABM12-02)
Overseas Filipino Workers or simply termed as OFWs - what exactly are they?
The so-called "heroes" of today's generation, you say? Yeah indeed, "bagong bayani"
as we call it here in our country. But what exactly are their experiences abroad? How do
they feel about working in such a place that is utterly foreign to them? Why would they
prefer to work there instead of just staying here in a place that they know so well? How
are they able to survive, and endure all the hardships and as well as being away from
their loved ones? Just exactly... how difficult it is to be an OFW?”
I have learned that an OFW's life is never easy (of course). It is because based
on what I came to know, OFWs are just the same as with an army. Yup, an OFW is very
much comparable to a soldier of an army who can sacrifice his own comfort and life just
for the sake of making a living for his/her beloved family. A soldier who's brave enough
to go to a distant place where there is no assurance if there will be a job waiting for him
or her. A soldier who's capable of risking his safety in a foreign land just so he/she could
provide for their family’s needs sufficiently. A soldier who can fight against the
homesickness, possible abuse of the inhumane "amos", and discrimination of the
racists on the non native domain. And a very very sad reality, a soldier who come to a
battlefield alive and might return dead already. Coz who knows? Life outside the country
could really be so dangerous and cruel.
I remembered what my aunt, Nita told me last time. By the way, she's a domestic
helper abroad too. So these are her words, "Akala ng iba porke nasa ibang bansa ka,
marami kang pera. Akala nila masarap ang buhay sa ibang bansa. Hindi porke
nagpopost ka sa Facebook ng mga pictures mong nakangiti at nasa magandang lugar e
ibig sabihin masaya ka talaga." She even added, "ang hirap kaya para sakin na
inaalagaan ang ibang tao pero sa sariling pamilya hindi magawa." Woah... I think that
line almost broke my heart for I could sincerely feel the pain of a mother longing to
spend time nursing her own children. She said sometimes when she misses her
children, she'll just cry out on her pillow at night since she has nobody to tell her
sentiments to. So yes, she has three children left here, and their house is actually just
few steps away from ours. Life there is hard, but then it's much harder for her to see her
family suffering because of financial incapability so she must bear every hardships there
so as to achieve her goals not only for herself but also to her children. That's so selfless
of her.
"How can I be so lonely, surrounded by so many." That's the matter when it
comes to this cousin of mine (Kuya Alvin) who works as a nurse now in Saudi. I could
still remember playing badminton with him when I was still a child. Anyways, I know for
a fact that he's not used to be away from his family for a long time, but look at where he
is now, working and trying to make a living on his own. However, when I asked him
about his experience there, he said that he misses everything about Philippines. He
misses celebrating special occasions with his relatives like birthdays, Christmas, new
year, wedding, and the likes. He also still feels homesickness every now and then and
when he do, he'll video chat his parents and siblings here in Pangasinan. And after
doing so, he will lay down on his bed, cover his face with a pillow, and silently cry out
his agony. But what can he do? His salary there is far better than the roughly small
salary here in our country, so he must endure everything and be firm in mind and heart.
OFWs' money are "madulas" - that's what I learned from my father's younger
sister who also works as a nurse in Ireland. Yes "madulas" in the sense that the money
they earned will just slide past on the palm of their hands. She even told me, "kung
makakapagsalita lang ang pera baka sabihin na, 'huwag mo muna ako ipamigay,
magbonding muna tayo'." I find that quite funny, however that's the sad truth. Just to
suffice her family’s financial and material needs, she's always ready to give the money
she earned to them and satisfied with just the little amount left in her. But then, she has
no choice, that's the very reason why she's there abroad. And when she felt how
sorrowful it is to be there, she'll just hug her pillow so tight and then fall asleep later on.
By the way she left me with this reminder, "Bayani nga kaming maituturing pero hindi
kami superman/superwoman. May kapaguran din kami. Kaya sana naman, yung mga
naiwan sa Pinas, hinay hinay lang din sa paghingi ano? Hindi rin kasi kami ATM (Any
Time Money) na pwede niyong pagwithdrawhan tuwing kayo'y nangangailangan."
There, she says it all so there's nothing to be explained further.
So obviously, it is really hard to be an OFW. I salute them for they are trying to
provide for their families, though knowing how difficult it is to go overseas. Thus, they
deserve to be respected especially by their family members. Lastly, instead of pushing
for the idea of “Bagong bayani”, I think the government must just focus on making
economic reforms so that our OFWs would not need to leave the country, because the
chance of being able to stay with their families would be a far better compensation for
their sacrifices rather than a title.
