"Leavin'" La Vida Loca

I am a Filipino and have been living in the Philippines all the 26 years of my life. But I should tell that a total of 7 years of it, our family had to live without our father at home. He used to be an OCW (Overseas Contract Worker, as what they termed before) in a construction company in Japan. Mama and Papa decided that way to give us, their 2 children, a better life. I can not deny the fact that their decision was a good one as far as giving us the life they wanted us to have. I remember, all my school stuffs are Sanrio items, Disney items, and I can still remember how some of my classmates envy and some of them even stole my tiniest pink eraser just because it had a Hello Kitty stamp on it. We went to good schools during our formative years. I just remembered that my first school, when I was 3, is a public day-care center that's just a few blocks away from our house. After that, Mama and Papa made sure that we get to good, private schools. Since Mama is a full-time housewife eversince, Papa's remittances provided and supported all our finances. We even bought our own house, also considering that at that time, hindi naman masyadong malaki ang kita abroad.. But we still managed to live somehow, a comfortable life.

When I was still single, I have never considered or even imagined working abroad. This is for the reason that my family is here, my friends are here, and I have my career here. But now that I am having my own family, I begin to realize that leaving the country for a greener pasture is a decision that I can and may consider. I am beginning to truly appreciate what Mama and Papa decided 20 years ago. It is sad, having heard the news, that the politics here in the Philippines is not doing any good to Filipinos at all. And I, as an expectant parent, could not imagine what kind of life my children would have 20 to 30 years from now should we still stay here. I still have a childhood memory when I was about 4 or 5 years old, where my cousins and I would play jeep-jeep-an and we just have to pay our "manong jeepney driver" 75 cents for the fare. Just imagine how much would be the jeepney fare 20 or 30 years from now.

Just today, I know two people who had their flights for a greener pasture overseas. One is a cousin, and the other one, a highschool classmate. They are both heading to the Middle East to be an Accountant and a Flight Attendant. Some of my grade school friends who finished nursing were already in the US practicing.

Reality begins to set in. More and more Filipinos are ever taking the risk of leaving the Philippines. Sad, but true.