1. Hi, I’m Darrel. I’m an OFW here in Singapore. I’ve been working here since 2017.

I’m
working as a civil engineer with one of the leading construction company here in Singapore. I
started looking for a job online and luckily, I’m hired for the position of Quantity Surveyor. Just
give you a little background about this position. Quantity Surveyor is a construction industry
professional with expert knowledge on construction costs and contracts, they’re the one who
manages all aspects of the contractual and financial side of construction projects. For my field
since I’m a Civil Engineer Quantity Surveyor, my workload during my first year until now are: I’m
the one who prepared cost analysis based on the architectural drawings, engineering estimates,
materials required and labour involved.; Prepare cost plans to enable design teams to produce
practical designs for construction projects, which involves liaising with architects, engineers and
subcontractors.; Prepare tender and contract documents, including bills of quantities.; Evaluate
tenders from contractors and subcontractors and, where appropriate, negotiate with the
contractors.; Control all stages of projects within predetermined budget and expenditure.;
Monitor and keep track of project progress and are responsible for the measurement and
valuation of variations in the work during the contract, for agreement of interim payments and
the final account.; Work as part of a team to ensure that the requirements of the client are
delivered. During that period of time doing cycle of work activities like that, even its hard for me
since its a bit different from work in our own country, I learnt how to adjust which is every OFW
like me must do for the sake of our loved ones.

2. Before I decided to work abroad, I think of things that may happen to me and expecting
a big difference from working on our country with your family always there by your side if you
need them comparing on working abroad given the fact that your family are thousand miles
away from you which is impossible for them to help you instantly if you need them. You have no
choice but to accept the fact that you’re by yourself, when the time comes that you’re already
working as an OFW. Besides all social media posts of gifts and balikbayan boxes, photos of
travels and dining adventures - these make up less than a tenth of my real life. Away from
camera phones and the tags of my Filipino friends here on Facebook, it is far from being all
glitter. Nobody ever takes pictures of hard and menial work, long hours, or getting scolded by
my employer. Nobody talks about the constant immigration struggle, or the fear to involved in
the life of an undocumented immigrant. Cramped quarters and poor living conditions rarely
make it to Facebook posts. I don’t talk about bad bosses, or the complete physical or emotional
exhaustion on my job. I do things as much as I can to keep the drama away from home, even if
my life here aren't exactly what other actually think. It’s a lonely life especially in countries where
a worker doesn't speak the language, our interactions where we can really be ourselves are
limited to meetings with fellow Filipinos, most of whom are also busy with their own lives.
Moving to a new place always comes with displacement. And believe me, that good English that
you boast about is no match to a particular region's version of English, especially when spoken
fast. No matter how Americanized or how independent you feel you are, you'll always feel like
you’ve been dropped overboard in cold water without a life jacket. It takes a while before you
adjust and tread water on your own. There will be a point where you'll want at least one person
to know you well; you'll want someone to recognize you on the street or look for you if you
haven't passed by in a while. You'll wish someone would visit you just because they were in the
neighborhood. But nobody really does that, nor has the time. One has to make time to bump
into someone they know, or simply get used to being invisible. I manage to cope being away
from my family by focusing on my job and career rather than worrying about what is going on
over that thousand miles away has really helped. Obviously, I still like to feel connected to my
family back home, but ultimately that can't be my day-to-day focus. Not having the pressure to
keep up relationship around everyone else's schedule allows me to put most of my energy into
my career. I have a job that excites, and that helps too. It's easier to focus when you really enjoy
what you're doing. Aside from focusing on my career, one of the best things I did that really
helps me was exploring the new city and the states that surround it. I traveled to different towns
during my day-off trying out the food. There's no doubt that moving away from the people and
place I've known my whole life is hard. It might even be the hardest thing I've ever done. But in
reality, I realized that it's really a great time to focus on myself and build a strong foundation for
my career, interest, and the rest of my life.

3. For 2 years of working as an OFW in Singapore, this is the first time I’m going back to
Philippines. Although my first contract was good for 2 years only and need to be renewed by my
employer or otherwise need to look for other opportunity with other construction company. I
manage to found new Job on the same country for another 2 years of contract. But before I start
my new journey again, I just want to go home and spend all my time with my family and friends
even for a limited period of time. Luckily, I headed home for good, just in time to be with my
family to celebrate the Christmas season and the upcoming New year. For every OFW, either
your married or single, there is no better time to come home than special times like the yearend
holidays. Hearing loved one's voices and seeing them on our computer screen simply cannot fill
the void in our hearts, the emptiness in our lives. That’s empty space gets bigger when one
realizes that one can't be with them in some of their trying moments. Unseen behind our loved
one's big smiles every time they receive money and balikbayan boxes are our great sacrifices,
our sleepless nights, and our being deprived of the true essence of life. Who doesn't want to be
with their family during the best and worst of times? No one would be content seeing loved ones
only on Skype or Facebook, and no responsible man of the family would want to be away from
home when dreadful calamities like Super typhoon strike our country. Truly, no amount of
money and nothing one can do will bring back the lost times and missed occasions in my life.
My return will surely bring happiness to my family. Just a piece of short message to all OFW like
me. Let us not be afraid of taking bolder steps and making changes, especially if these are a
means to attain our goals. But it is also important not to lose sight of what is right, or our lives
will be meaningless, and we will never enjoy the fruits of what we have worked for abroad.