Oversees Filipino Worker - My Own Story

There are many stories about Filipinos working abroad, there are sad stories and there are happy stories of each workers experiences. I will tell you my own stories back in the day I worked as an OFW.

"OFW and mga bagong bayani ng bayan" " or "OFW are heroes of today"

WORKING IN TAIWAN
It was December of 2003 to 2005 when I worked in Taiwan as a factory worker. It was a 2 years contract that I signed and with an option of 1 week vacation at your own expense. My earnings plus overtime.

• One month salary NTS15,840 or PHP 26,769 its peso equivalent)
• 1.00 USD = 51.824799
• 9 hours per day work plus 3 hours Overtime
• 6 days a week working schedule

I'm a factory worker in Optodisc located in Shinchu Taiwan where we make blank DVD blank disc.

I was assigned in Dye Room and our job is to mix the chemicals that will be put in the disc and transfer to production machine.In the disc, you will see color blue in one of its side where the data is stored, thats the chemicals we are mixing and its made up of hazardous elements thats why the place is secured and we are all wearing our suit and gloves everytime we enter the room.

It was a 12 hours work every day

8am till 8 in the pm and vice versa

and a monthly shifting schedule and we have 1 Taiwanese Supervisor and Engineer every shift. There are 8 Filipinos all in all in our department and 4 are scheduled every shift.

Some photos in our department with my co workers.

OUR DORMITORY
Our dormitory is a 5 floor building where all workers of the company stays. The first 3 floors are for the boys while the last 2 are for ladies.

Our room has 3 double deck bed and each room has 6 occupants. I like the upper deck and design it to have my own curtain to secure my privacy. I also put up a wall in my bed where I can post my family picture and serve as my inspiration. There are about 100 workers in that dormitory.

HOW TO COPE UP WITH HOMESICKNESS?
Working far away or oversees is really hard especially without vacation on going home nor close family on your side. I saw many different issues and problems that we face every single day. The first 3 months is the most difficult for me because aside from adjusting to the environment and adapting to culture, It is so hard especially when you missed your children and family.

The time to think that it was December and Holiday season and your alone make it more difficult. I saw some of my new friends crying all the time, relationship being broken and the worst is one suicidal. The means of communication back then is through SMS and yahoo chat (there's no smart phone yet back then).

I focus myself at my work and even rendering Overtime even during my rest days so I wont feel sadness. I dedicated my sparetime to do household chores like washing my clothes, chatting with my family for 2 hours during my 1 day OFF and watching movies and fall asleep.
We also went on visiting many beautiful places in Taiwan like amusement parks, Taipei 101 (tallest building in the world with 101 floors). This help us all in defeating homesickness.

TAIPEI 101

AMUSEMENT PARKS

WHAT I LEARNED IN TAIWAN

• First thing I learned is how to use chopstick
  
  you see we Filipinos use spoon and forks in eating. I remember the first time I used chopstick and it was so hard, I cant even pick up the food.

  • I've also learned that Chinese belief that number 4 is unlucky number that is why the building are numbered as 3rd and 5th floor right away. There's not 4th floor , this is similar belief to 13th floor. My Taiwanese friend told me that the reason number 4 is unlucky is because of its stroke which is going down.

  • Of couse Im glad to say that I learned how to speak Mandarin, the worlds most spoken language. My Taiwanese friend taught me how to speak mandarin and we have a tool in our department that translates English to Mandarin and vice versa. After our work everyday,we have a teaching session where I taught them english and its pronunciation while they taught me mandarin and how to say it.

  "My experienced being an OFW has taught me a lot in dealing with my life now. It makes me stronger in dealing with my problems, it helps me become a better person and understand the value of Family. It also helps me financially in settling my debts and save some money that I used to start over again here in the Phillipines. Not everyone is lucky in working abroad and mine is not unlucky neither. I would say its Just Fine."

  Credits to:
  Google images for the first image
  All other photos are my original image