September 11, 2021
Unexpected things happen when you least expect them. I thought I'll be going back home very soon but ended up extending my stay abroad. Living abroad is not that easy. You'll face many challenges, especially at the beginning. The homesickness, communication gap, maltreatment, and other risks. For my entire stay abroad, it's the homesickness that I've been battling for a long time. I am used to being away from home even in the Philippines, but four years is too long.
Just like many other OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), I conquered the foreign land for my dreams and to help my family as well. I faced many challenges and experienced happiness as well. I thought it will end soon and I'll be seeing my beloved country and family already. I have plans in mind about things that I will do once I get home. A getaway for my family, I want to build my workplace, I want a long rest to recuperate my exhausted body.
Three months ago, I interviewed the Filipino who will replace my position. I thought three months is enough to process her papers and visa. And I was confident that I'll be going back home this September 21, which is supposed to be the end of my contract. I packed my stuff and sent it to the Philippines last August 1 and it arrived at home last Wednesday.
But last Tuesday I asked my boss about my contract and she told me that my replacement can't come this month and she might come at the end of the month. A few week's extension was fine for me, so I agreed to extend my visa. So last Wednesday we went to my agency to sign another contract and papers for my visa extension.
Since they were talking in Cantonese, I didn't understand their conversation. But I have signed the contract and other papers. At the end of the process, the staff mentioned that, if the new one can not come after three months due to more strict protocols, I might extend my visa again. I was shocked and even raised my voice when I asked her about the three months extension. She then explained the situation in the Philippines as well as the more complicated processing.
I felt down in the mouth after hearing the news, which means that my stay will last until the winter season. And what made me more sad and annoyed was the fact that I already sent my winter stuff to the Philippines. The visa extension might be another opportunity, but it carries along with the cons.
CONS
The main reason why I want to end my contract is that I want a long rest. This pain and discomforts are calling my attention and wanting to be prioritized more. And three months seems to be so long again to wait for that to happen.
Another cons is about my winter clothes and other stuff. Since I already sent them all to the Philippines, that means I need to buy new ones again. That requires another sum of money and HK$ 500 is not enough to buy them all. Instead of saving money, I'll be spending more on winter clothes and other stuff. Things that I need to buy include winter jackets, indoor and outdoor clothes, pajamas, and winter shoes. As I said above, HK$500 is not enough to buy them all. And I am certain that I'll be spending a few thousand on that, tsk!
PROS
I believe there is a reason for this. Although it's negative, I'll look at it positively. Maybe this is another chance to complete my goals, and an opportunity to look for another job or pursue my plan to apply for work in Canada or Japan while I am here in HK. Three months might be short for that, but that's enough to look for job opportunities. I also remembered the Caregiving agency that offered me a job before but I rejected their offer since I extended my contract here last 2019. Why not apply again?
To be honest, I wanted to rest but I don't want to be jobless for long. And news says that OFWs in the Philippines are having difficulty finding new employers again due to the Covid regulations and new virus strains in the country. And based on my experience in looking for a job here, I found out that most employers do not allow their new employees to go back to the Philippines because they are afraid of the Covid situation in my country and they are worried as well about the expenses in quarantine protocols since hotels are expensive. So they prefer to find Filipinos that are about to finish their contract here in HK but won't allow them to go back to the Philippines.
And if I will look for a job in the Philippines, I might end up working in a hospital that is riskier.
Don't be worry, just keep going
My boss noticed that I looked sad after hearing the three months extension, so she brought me to Genki Sushi restaurant together with her daughter to make my mood better. Indeed, foods can make your mood brighter, lol.
I'm not a fan of sushi and eating raw foods, but I am a fan of Japanese udon. And this set only costs HK$50 which is affordable for me, but it was all for free since my boss paid for it.
So instead of worrying about the three months extension, I'll just focus more on achieving my plans for Augustus since I have not fulfilled them all yet and I guess it is much better to resume my travel goals in the winter season.
Meanwhile, my family at home is excited to open the 'balikbayan box' but I told them not to because I thought I'll be going back home this September 21.
I did not inform them yet about my contract extension, maybe I'll do it this Sunday and I'll tell them to open the box and get the presents for them.
Moreover, these SEP20 tokens are making me crazy and active on both Telegram and Twitter which I never did before. That is because of different drops, lol. This is actually diverting my negative thoughts and it's fun joining different airdrops. I was happy to see 50M $ARG in my wallet yesterday morning which I got from the Twitter airdrop. More drops were posted on TG by different groups.
Maybe I'll just enjoy this three months extension through fulfilling my travel goals and joining different smartBCH tokens airdrops 😅. BenSwap is giving me passive income so I should not be sad instead be blessed with what I gain every day.
And by December, I am expecting Bitcoin Cash to reach 4 digits on its price. And while waiting for that to happen, I'll just have fun and accumulate more crypto. Because for sure, I'll be needing them once I get home, lol.
Thanks again for reading this nonsense article 😅.
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