OFW Life

Riding a bicycle is one of the achievements i can be proud of! Because i did it on my own!

When I got hired to work in Taiwan as Factory Worker, they never orient us here in the philippines agency the means of transportation going to work, jusy basic orientation about salaries, benefits, uniforms, dormitory,food and do's and dont's of the company we will be working of.

So the time came, we landed on Taiwan a filipino-taiwanese picked us up and instructed to ride the bus with our belongings, at first of course I was amazed the bus is double decker(i dont know if my term was correct) its a big bus with like 2 floors but 1 driver and no assistant or the ticket/money collector like what we have here in the philippines.

And after picking us the bus drop us in a house, like an abandoned house because we still need to undergo medical laboratories if we are really fit to work and not pregnant, and after that we finally sends to our dormitory, and so they are the one who will organize who stays with you in one room, we are 6 in one room, we have a 3 double deck bed in one room, but the shower rooms and comfort rooms are common for everyone then after that fwe fixed our things and they us rest because the next day we will report to work.

So the day came that we will be reporting to work, the bus picked us again, and drop us at the company, then instructed us to go to the one room for orientation, so the orientation was again about the benefits and everything, but the last thing was really surprised me, because they say that the means of transportation going to the company is using the bicycle, and i was really surprised because i don't know how to ride/drive a bicycle, and we ask the Taiwanese HR, how about those who don't know how to ride a bicycle, but they answer us that we should learn driving it because they will never give us the shuttle service. We have a whole day orientation, then when the timw for us to go home they already told us that the bicycle are ready at the side of the company we just have to choose which one we like to drive, so im so sad, and thinking that how can i go home if i dont know how to ride a bicycle, so upon going home I was walking with my bicycle and thanks God because im not alone i think we are almost 20persons walking with bicycle. So everyday we go to the company walking its about a 30-40minutes of walk and its really an exercise because everytime we reach yhe company we are drenching of our own sweats, imagine if i will not learn how to drive my bicycle i will be walking for 3years and thats too much.

So what I did, every morning i wake up so early to learn how to drive my bicycle on my own since we need to be independent and we still on the stage of getting to know each others, so every morning im practicing and whenever I had a chance and time i always practice., Im so eager to learn because i dont want to walk for 3years and i dont want to start my work drenching with my own sweats because of walking, then after work, im so tired because we are in standing position for 8hours then we will walk going to dormitory so when i got home I want to collapse because of tiredness.

Until one day, out of my persistent to learn, Im starting to drive my bicycle little by little but sometimes still losing my balance so i ended up on the floor, with wounds here and there on my legs, but still I decided to use my bicycle going to work, so while on the lane I got out of balance and I fell on the ground and my co-workers are shouting Annie theres a car on your back so get up immediately, so with a hurry I get up and I was save but i have wounds and its bleeding but still need to report for work so what I did i walk again with my bicycle going to company and dormitory, i think it took a month before i really learn riding the bicycle and that one month of walking evening in morning, graveyard and evening shifts, its really a big sacrifice for me, and i experience so much pain and so much sweats with that riding bicycle experience, now i know how to ride my bicycle but still im not an expert bicycle rider, theres still a little fear when Im riding a bicycle., It was a great experience and at the same time a big lesson for me that perseverance and patience is the key for every success, I know its a simple success but still i made it on my own.

LESSON: Being an OFW is not an easy job,it requires great sacrifices, effort,so we really need to salute every OFW for thier hardwork, as i can based on my experience, and never questioned them if sometimes you see thier post that they eating an expensive restaurant or buy something expensive because they just giving a little reward of thier self.

🌼🥀THANKS FOR READING🥀🌼