Saturday, August 8, 2009

Never Say No

My sister texted me yesterday. How sweet noh?! But wait, she didn’t text to say hi or how I am, or to thank me for my last padala. Text from the Philippines is quite expensive so she cut it off, she needed three thousand pesos for a project she's doing in school. "Fine" I said, I'd send right away. So I did. After, I called her to give the reference number and she thanked me. I smiled and I said to myself, I don’t need to be thanked. As an OFW, I am believed to have lots of money, though the inside of my wallet, the place where I live, the roads that I walk, the food that I eat and the way I spend my weekend would say something else.

Never say no. that’s probably the motto OFWs like me have come to breathe and live in as far as family back home is concerned. Whatever they need, whenever they ask, however they want, we try hard to provide and fulfill every promises and every hope in as much as we can. When sometimes it requires going beyond our capacities, we still make up ways not to frustrate and upset our beloved. Though it means we need to swipe that card, borrow from friends, avail of company loans, sell personal properties or engage in extra sidelines, we are more willing to do that so we could be that ever dependable anak, kuya, tito, kaibigan at kapitbahay.

It hurts sometimes when we are too misconceived. They think that when someone left the country to work abroad, success is a guarantee. It may or may not be, but whatever happens, we cling on to our missions and sanguine that the next time will be better. Yeah, we are heroes, but not super ones. Hence, we have limitations and inabilities that oftentimes we conceal beneath our tears and under the pillows when we sleep at night.

I counted the change in my wallet when I arrived home, it's enough to last till the next payday, only I just have to take meals twice a day and spend nothing else for other things, not even for a piece of toblerone that I terribly love to grind. But I am not saying these to make someone feel guilty or to solicit any form of pity. I love to be of help to my family, and that’s basically the reason why I am here working far from them, away from friends and bare of a comfortable life that I want my loved ones to have.

Actually I can say no. But I have chosen never to say it. More than a motto, I have come to love and live with it, like a destiny, a bitter sweet destiny.

6 comments:

  1. hi there dessert dude, hindi ba nababasa ng kapatid mo ang blog mo, hindi ba nila alam ang mga sentimyento mo? Ganon talaga hindi maiintindihan ng mga mahal ntin sa buhay ang condition natin dito unless they come here and see it with their own eyes or should i say experience it. At sa tuwing hihingi sila halos wla tayong karapatan tumangi at parang dahil nasa abroad tayo muka tayong bangko sentral ng ating pamilya na pag may crisis lalabas at lalabas ang pondo. Tama nman ang ginawa mo pero mas mabuti kung maiintindihan nila ang mga paghihirap mo. add kita sa blogroll ko. congratz dalawa from UAE and kasama sa magic three ng PEBA.

    Yellow Bells

    ReplyDelete
  2. pare-pareho talaga halos ang kwento ng bawat OFW. Yung mga kasama ko sa work text ng text kapatid nila dahil nga sa tuition, projects,etc. Maswerte na lamang ako at hindi ako obligado na magpadala kina mama and never din sila talagang nagtext out of the blue to ask financially and mabuti na lang wala akong bunsong kapatid na kelangang pag-aralin. Pero despite that, i never fail to send them my financial support monthly. Mas masarap ang nagbibigay. add kila sa blogroll ko ha?...thanks.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. hehehe, na add na rin kta, online ka siguro ngayun? im sure.bagong bihis ang blog mo wla pang pwede basahin, siempre ang masasabi ko lang eh welcome back!

    oo nga, yun ang dahilan kung nakit tayo nandito. para makapagpadala. masarap talaga ang feeling pag nagpadla kahit gano kalaki o kaliit, kahit minsan utang pa nga.

    ako yun ang obligasyon ko sa buhay ang suportahan ang pamilya ko, buti ka pa walang dapat karirin. pero its nice to know na nagbibigay ka pa rin kahit di nila hinihingi. iba ang feeling pag you share talaga. nawawala lahat ang inis at pagod.

    ReplyDelete
  4. hehehe actually yes nakaonline ako.. wala kasing pasok today wala na ring mga pera kaya di makagala..kaya ayan basa-basa muna rito sa space mo sa blogosphere.. ay thanks hehe inadd mo pala ako..you're the first person to add me.. :P

    thank you for the welcome..oo nga bagong bihis pa kasi blog ko may flaws pa, di bale next time baka ok na :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. napadaan dito parekoy!

    di naman talaga natin maiisantabi ang pangangailangan ng pamilya natin. minsan kahit kulang din ang budget natin, tiis na lang... para pa rin sa kanila.. anyway, para sa kanila naman talaga lahat ng to di ba?

    add kita...

    ReplyDelete
  6. that's the reality of being an OFW.... Di mo rin naman matitiis ang mga mahal mo sa buhay eh....

    ReplyDelete