How it all Started:
During the year 2005 I was accepted as a machine operator for plastic bag factory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after working only three months in a plastic factory somewhere in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
I started my journey as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) at a very young age. Unlike most OFWs, we were part of a direct hire company, so the placement fees, medical and other relevant fees were all shouldered by the company and it will be deducted once we started working in the City of Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
I was so excited right after a few weeks of processing all the documents needed for us to fly internationally, and mind you folks, it was my very first flying experience since childhood.
Image Source: Carlos Pernalete Tua at Pexels.com
Flying for the Very First Time:
Right after we were able to process all the documents, I felt so excited and at the same time a little bit afraid of what my future holds in country which is miles away from the Philippines. I felt anxious during the time when the Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Cebu flew because it's my first ever flying experience.
The reason why we flew to Mactan-Cebu first was because of the fact that the main aircraft that will flew us to the Middle East will embarked from Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA). From MCIA on board Qatar Airways we made a stop-over to Singapore for at least one hour and mind you I reached Singapore for free for the very first time.
From the rich island-nation of Singapore we flew directly to one of the world's richest country, another island-nation of Qatar. From Qatar we flew to another Middle-Eastern country of the Kingdom of Bahrain and from Bahrain we rode by bus on our way to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the Eastern Province.
Flying for the very first time as an OFW brought excitement to me because I was able to visit at least four countries, from Singapore to Qatar and Bahrain, then to my destination, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Image Source: Anthony Beck at Pexels.com
Entering Saudi Arabia, OFWs are Prioritized:
An Overseas Filipino Workers working in a foreign country is one of the hardest things to do because you're unsure of what will happen to you at the workplace or with the people whom you worked with from day to day.
My flight to Saudi Arabia from the Philippines is a little bit challenging because I don't have any companion, I was flying solo although the company told me at first that they already have some Filipinos working with the company.
From the island of Bahrain, we encountered some problems with the immigration officers at the King Fahad Causeway because some of our fellow travelers from Nepal don't have the necessary papers to enter the Kingdom, our bus was stopped at first for inspection and I felt nervous because, I am the only Filipino inside but due to the completeness of my papers, everything runs smoothly for me.
At the immigration station entering Saudi Arabia, I was so thankful to the authorities because they gave priorities to Filipinos, maybe because of the long standing relationship between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia or maybe because Filipinos could communicate easily compared to our neighbors.
Arrival at Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia:
Upon arrival at Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, a fellow Filipino approached me who knew the details of my travels and was sent by the company to guide me on my way to our company barracks located at the neighboring city of Dammam.
The City of Al Khobar in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia is considered as a Filipino City because of the huge numbers of OFWs living and working in that particular City. Almost 70% of those roaming around knew Tagalog and it really add comfort and excitement to a newcomer like me.
From the City of Al-Khobar we rode a bus, together with my guide and fellow worker of the company whom I will be working with. He is Mang Robert, a veteran OFW who have been working in KSA for the past fifteen years as a machine operator in the plastic factory.
Image Source: Rizwan Shaikh at Pexels.com
Life as an OFW in Saudi Arabia:
Although my travel took some time from the Philippines, passing through three countries before arriving at my destination, I felt glad and honored to be considered as an official Overseas Filipino Worker at a very young age.
As a single guy with no responsibilities left behind in the Philippines except my father, mother and siblings, I thought it could be easy for me or I will never felt those "longing" to my families but my thoughts were contrary to my experience.
I started working as a machine operator after two days rest upon arrival. At first I felt glad because I am not the only Filipino worker inside that plastic factory. I was assigned as a helper first of the machine operator handling the Stack Press Printing Machine.
Longing to See My Family Back Home:
During the first week of my work as an OFW, everything went smoothly as I enjoy the company of my co-workers and made some friends with other localities but I didn't realize that after two to three weeks of working, I started to remember the days when I saw my parents, siblings and relatives.
Working abroad is indeed a real challenge among Filipinos because at first I felt really strong that I could combat the yearning or longing for my family because I am still single but in reality, once you are working abroad there will come a time that you will surely missed the families you left behind in the Philippines.
During the first three weeks of my work, I never found it difficult to adjust with any machines or any kind of work assigned to me by my supervisor but the hardest things to cope up is the longing and your desire to see your family in person.
For the past five years I never been with my families because I already worked in the city, away from my family in the Province so I already thought, I am strong enough to combat the longing but it was a challenge indeed when you're in a far away country.
Conclusion:
As a former Overseas Filipino Worker, I therefore concluded that working away from home and away from your family is really a challenging tasks, that's the reasons why if you have a family member abroad, try to communicate with them more often, and with the advent of social media which was nowhere to be found during the year 2005, it is your responsibility to say "Hi" to your family and friends abroad.
If a single guy like me felt anxiety, longing and yearning for my family, how much more the feelings of those who have left their wives and children at home while they are working day and night in a far away land to provide for them.
This is my story, see you next on my journey of being an OFW and from being an Overseas Filipino Workers, I will share to you why I left my OFW job to focused into blogging but that could be another part of my story.
At your service,
Phil Newsome aka IslaBantayan
