Melissa of My Baket List guests posts today on OFWAbroad. Her entry is an open letter for her kababayans (fellow Filipinos) in Dubai, UAE.

Dear Kabayan

“Kabayan!” Yan ang madalas na tawagan ng mga Pinoy dito sa Dubai/UAE, lalo na yung di mo kakilala pero sigurado kang pinoy ang kaharap mo.

Minsan nakiki kabayan din ang ibang lahi, madalas mga Indiano. Kasi nga yun ang lagi nilang naririnig kahit di naman nila talagang alam kung ano ibig sabihin.

Minsan natawag na rin akong: “ Mare, Please look at the camera.” ng isang arabo habang kinikuhaan ng picture para sa Emirates ID. At madalas “ate pasaload” ng mga Indianong nag sa side line ng pagpa pasa ng load sa ibaba ng building namin.

Narito ang aking “open letter” para sa ating mga kabayan.

Ronald of OFW Chronicles guests posts today on OFWAbroad. His entry talks about something that all OFWs should ponder on — when is the right time to go back home?

“There is no place like home, there is no place like home”. Oops!! I forgot I’m not Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz and I don’t have the ruby slippers. She could go to Kansas as long as she can rub the slippers and wish for home but for us OFWs it’s not just rubbing shoes and voila! “Home” we will be, no it doesn’t work that way as there lots of things to consider. One way or the other, every Filipino outside the country has felt the same way. When the going gets tough, home is where we want to be. To be with the family that will comfort, understand and would try to appease our emotional turmoil.

When is the right time to go home for good? What does it take to be able to have a decent means of living back in the Philippines? How many more years an OFW must bear to realize what he/she has dreamed of achieving in deciding to go abroad? These are the questions which aren’t that easy to answer. It really depends on the individual concern.
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