MY OFW STORY | When REALITY never meets your EXPECTATIONS

Ang mga BAGONG BAYANI is what OFWs are being dubbed in the Philippines. The thought lingers on my mind every time it was being mentioned in any platform back then, since I used to have sort of reluctancy to accept it fully as a lot of WHYS were there? What’s heroic by going abroad after all? They even do that for a better future and left Philippines to serve other countries!

I am a nurse by profession and even I had thoughts of going abroad after passing the board and gaining 2 years of clinical experience. Things were completely changed in 2008 when opportunities came one by one, all were not of my calling, so I went out from the mainstream of my chosen profession. While waiting for the board results, I was hired by a third party company of Abbott Nutrition International to work as a clinician. Favorably things were turning out so good thus I stayed in the company for almost 5 years (4 years as Medical Representative under the principal company, ABBOTT). Staying in Abbott was the 1st MAJOR DECISION I’ve ever made.

December of 2012, my dad and brother decided to bring my mom and sister to UAE as my dad’s company sponsored everything. Since then, I was left alone in the Philippines, undecided to follow them because my career has been doing great and advancement was on its way, I’ve started conducting training to new hires as part of our training for the speakership roles in the company. I’ve envisioned my self being a trainer in any field I may be and during that moment I felt like the dream was unfolding right before my eyes.

My attachment to my family made me think otherwise. The decision to suddenly lose grip of that dream was never easy, I was asked to stay by a few managers, where my heart and mind were completely disturbed and my whole being was shaken, thus the 2nd MAJOR DECISION in my life. I have left the company broken and shattered but looking on a brighter side of being with my family again and chasing a new journey of success in a foreign land where UNCERTAINTIES are yet to be seen.

April 18, 2013 was the day when I left Philippines for UAE. Like many Filipinos leaving Pinas, I took the Phil-HK-Dubai route others would take the Phil-SG-Dubai route.

My decision of leaving our country was primarily to give our family a chance to be complete after almost 32 years of not living as one, since my father have been working abroad for more than 30 years and we seldom see him, only during his annual vacations. I am carrying with me loads and loads of positivity and confidence to immerse on a new market for career growth!

My sister will be mad at me if she happens to see this photo 😉😉😉

Set foot in UAE on a tourist visa, I never wasted any single moment and right away went out to apply. I initially targeted pharma companies but being not an arab speaker my chances were so slim. I attended walk in interviews, job fairs, referrals and did hundreds till thousands of online applications. I was able to get 2 job offers completely, new ventures (office and sales job) for me with lesser salary than what I have expected. Prior getting those offers, I’m already feeling the tension, stress and disappointments for receiving less interview schedules and none from pharma companies. That feeling when you know of having such qualities to add valuable contributions to a company yet NO ONE is giving you the chance to at least assess it even on an interview.

With my resources wearing off I was stucked with the dilemma of either accepting existing offers (2 years contract 😱) or finish the validity of my tourist visa and re-apply for a new one. I didn’t expect that applying for job here would be veeeeeeeeery hard considering my educational background and work experience, I was literally gambling for my future on a pure luck game. My parents’ words suddenly re-surfaced and made sense “KUNG YUNG MGA NAKATAPOS SA PAG-AARAL NAHIHIRAPAN MAKAHANAP NG MAAYOS NA TRABAHO ABROAD, KAMI PA KAYANG HINDI NAKAPAGTAPOS, KAYA PAGSIKAPAN NIYONG MAKATAPOS DAHIL MAS NAKAKALAMANG PARIN KAYO NA MAKAPASOK SA MAGAGANDA AT MALALAKING KUMPANYA” (If those who are has there degree are having hard time getting hired, what more people like us, who barely finish high school, so take courage and strive to attain your bachelor’s degree for you still have better opportunities to be hired by big and stable companies.)

That made me realized how fortunate are we to have such parents who hurdled almost everything just to send us to school regardless if they got indebted in huge amount without a clear picture of how to settle them. Like most parents, they haven’t oblige us to pay for those debts but of course we all shared our money and efforts to clear out everything, thanks be to God!

May of 2013 I started my journey with Nexus Insurance Brokers. Training was so tough considering my profession and pharmaceutical experience, then suddenly was introduced to insurance and investment.

New learnings are always fun and exciting, but only time can tell when things aren’t working out for good despite efforts to push further and keep moving forward. In this job was I able to build a stronger foundation of self-trust, self-worth and self-reliance. The exposure I had to varied nationalities and personalities gave me a clearer picture of what the real world is and how to cope up with it effectively. Throughout my stay I have experienced the worst, my lowest and most devastating emotional and financial struggles in my life. I’ve heard and witnessed how other OFWs were in dire situations than mine, truly heart breaking, so yeah I still have a lot to be thankful for, but managing myself on that particular circumstance in my life, shattered me completely. I LOSE HOPE, I’M ABOUT TO GIVE UP, I’M DOUBTING MY CAPABILITIES and QUESTIONING ALL THE DECISIONS I HAVE MADE.

“LIFE ALWAYS WAITS FOR SOME CRISIS TO OCCUR BEFORE REVEALING ITSELF AT ITS MOST BRILLIANT” by PAULO COEHLO

Worth mentioning on my Nexus stint is the opportunity to have worked with people beaming with so much pride on what they do and sharing a part of me in their everyday routine was such an honor. I am truly happy to have met and built strong connections beyond friendship to some of them. Nexus also uncovered an improved, bolder and wiser version of myself.

The biggest challenge to all OFWs is to establish a name and good reputation in a highly diversified country with a very tight & tough market competition. IT IS A NIGHTMARE and a STRUGGLE barely known by our relatives and friends in the Philippines, because we often share to them only our joys and successes, making them see and feel that it’s really pgreener on this side of the world.

With all the emotional and financial turmoils I’ve been through, my FAITH in God and DETERMINATION to reach my dreams for my FAMILY more than MYSELF made me and makes me hold on to new beginnings in every waking hour of a brand new day. While working in Nexus I never failed to chase my goal of going back to Abbott Laboratories UAE. 4 straight years of tireless, undaunted and relentless will to be one with my dearly and well loved company.

Turning point: After spending 4 years in UAE it felt like I haven’t accomplish a thing and just wasted that part of my life. So I decided to just go back to the Philippines come May of 2017. God is indeed a MIRACLE worker, just TRUST and have FAITH, strong faith! Feb 2017 with my mom’s persuasion for me to call Abbott and follow up for the last time my application with them, surprisingly led me to my ultimate goal. I was able to get an interview schedule February 28, 2017 and on that same day I GOT HIRED and was asked to submit all my documents needed for visa application.

Napoleon Hill once quoted a famous line “Two feet from Gold” ... Never ever QUIT! Whatever we wanted in life starts with a DREAM ought to be realized and materialized. In reaching that dream, we’ll definitely be facing and overcoming STRUGGLES, only a brave heart, strong will power and unwavered determination can reveal and lead you to VICTORY!

March 2017 I have tendered my resignation and 30 days noticed period with Nexus. May 1, 2017 (LABOR DAY wooohooooo) I officially on-boarded ABBOTT NUTRITION INTERNATIONAL Gulf Region as an RTF SPECIALIST, The 2nd Filipino to be amongst the current sales team!

It was a very rough and tough start, far from my expectations, but I am still very thankful and will never ever quit! Currently things are going smoothly, I got transferred to such amazing team and manager who drives nothing but MOTIVATION!

Now I can proudly say that OFWs are one of the modern version of National Heroes, in their own BRAVE ways and learn to manage expectations, don’t let them define you rather allow your expectations to let you see clearly what is REALITY.