Monday, April 28, 2014

"Kaya Mo Ba?"


Living and actually working abroad is not easy. But we are here accepting the challenge and improving our lives. We are here because we have accepted the question "kaya mo ba" especially in the Middle East country where some of the luxury and comfort of our home in the Philippines are somehow missing. We have accepted the fact that living and working here is no big joke and we have to persevere and adjust to every possible situations around.

One is the "water situation". Yes we are living in the desert, actually in the middle of a very big mass of land with almost you can see are sands. And sands and sand all over. No water. Thanks to technology of desalination that we have those bottled water in every store and many drops to our faucet. Ok that right side of the equation has been solved. But the more difficult part is when summer really heats up we have to really drink a lot of water and sweat it out because of humidity. Such a "saudi trademark" as I called it when July and August come. And that's my water problem.


Another is the space problem: in our new house this is our third place of abode eversince we relocated here in Saudi Arabia. First we were in the Dammam Palace Hotel  as the company provides us for two weeks. Then we got into the furnished apartment for three months. And now hopefully our last transfer here in our new flat. So far so good. The aircon is doing so well even though it is purchased in Haraj ( a place where all second-hand items are sold). We have a brand new ref and washing machine. And I have my cabinet too. Unfortunately my room-mate does not have one as of the moment so he better hang them in our wall just like that in the photo. I have remembered my Nanay Lucia and Inay telling me before ( a long time ago) that I cannot make it abroad because I am used to living in such a "luxury" and "tamad-mode" way of life in the Philippines. In here I have to re-start everything from washing my clothes to budgeting my food and even planning and scheduling my visits to a mall or restaurant. Unlike before. So that's the life-changing experience I have to pass in here. And I am glad I am doing so fine that now I can recall I am doing these stuff when I was still in high school - be independent partially - and now in that whole piece of freedom is upon me. I am learning a lot. I am inch by inch is getting to know the fact that I have all the ability to survive. And I am surviving right now. And actually enjoying it at some time. Not all the time though.



Well when it comes to food I can say that I am learning to value  those vegetable - bulalanglang and actually craves for it everytime I am about to eat. We have these reserves of food in our ref and somehow I feel hungry and have no choice but to eat those instant foods. Sometimes my room-mates cook and yes we have those "partially copied food stuff" of a Filipino dish sometimes.


Living abroad can be an insanity to us if we do not have a very powerful communication tools. Thanks to Zain with its high speed 4G internet and to my laptop and to FB and Skype and everything else that made it possible to talk and have a sense of "being there" with my family.




 And lastly sometimes I cannot hold my thoughts of counting days and actually coming home. But it will happen only in December. That's too long but somehow the days here are moving fast just like the desert wind but somehow getting too slow sometime when the heat sweeps our skin!

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