Living and working Abroad

    Born being in a middle class family means you have had just enough for your needs and not enough for your wants of luxury of things. More to it the miserable living below middle class family. Living in a third world country, like Philippines, many are poor family of almost about 85% of the population. They can hardly had three heartily full meal in a day. Ordinary employee has an average wage of less than $10 per day with the expenses of $2 to 4 daily per person. Nothing will be left to set aside for emergencies and for savings. Not enough for recreational for the whole family if it has more than two members within the family. For single men and women with good salary will not fall into this category. According to Villegas of Manila Bulletin, the vast majority of the middle class in the Philippines falls in the $2 to 4 daily spending range. The poverty line defines by $ 1.5 per person per day (Bernardo M. Villegas).
    Due to globalization and technology, people are more aware of his potentials that will fit into the world of employment to overcome poverty. Most of the Filipinos who are not happy with their status because of poverty and uncertainties are planning to go abroad or motivated to work and live abroad as we have seen in many young generations. Poverty and uncertainties are one of the many factors and reasons to push Filipinos to live and work abroad. Professionals who feel that their potential qualities are not meet with the standard salary expectations will also have in their mind to find a better options to use their full potentials that might find and use in abroad.

Hopes and Dreams
    Hopes and dreams are another factors that one might want to live and work abroad. Professionals and not professionals have a degree or different intensity of dreams. Dreams are for free, but in reality it is a high stake materials. Hopes are the fuel to fire up dreams. Hoping to step out in a rut of poverty. Dreaming to live a prosperous life. Below middle class and the middle class family of four to six or more members did not experience the prosperity of life. Dreaming to have a beautiful and comfortable home for the family, can afford all the necessities, and some luxuries; cars, laptops, cellphones, flat screen television, sending kids to a high standard school and much more. These dreams are big and bold because you are full of hopes, intense ambitions, and powerful motivations. This can be equalize by discouragement, trials, and thinking of giving up once you are in transition stage. Transition in living and working abroad should anticipated very well.

The transition
    Transition as per definition is a passage from one state, stage, subject or place to another (Webster). It is the first stage you come across when you are already in a new country you are living in. Transition is one part of how well you adjust from what you usually knew from your culture to the new culture. Transition can be hurtful and damaging. You can encounter different kind of problems such as language, traditions, opinions and etc. Like what happen to Sarah Balabagan and many other Filipnos who work abroad. You also meet with challenges like not finding a work as immediately as you want, or if you are working already, you experience cultural discrimination but this can be relatively personal.
    Weather challenges is another thing, since Philippines is a tropical country you used the warm weather. Like what happen to my friends in Michigan and London, these areas are freezing cold. What would you do when you live with this kind of places? Always remember it is easy to say than the actual experience. They are having hard time to go out especially when there’s no transportation or you don’t know how to drive.
    Another challenge is the transportation, in the Philippines you used to commute unless you know how to drive a car. There are many types of transportation in the Philippines to let you drop anywhere you want. Like public utility jeepneys, tricycle, tricikad, and taxis. Transportation plus weather challenges are more difficult than just weather and transportation alone. When these two combine you are hardly to go out and this triggers your homesickness.
    Homesickness plus pressure from the adjustment is dangerous, others cannot cope up with this that leads to depression and psychological disorder. Like what happen to other Filipinos who went back home to the Philippines that damage psychologically. Thank goodness to the new technology that lessen the homesickness; skype, yahoo chat, facebook, my space and much more. I ask my friend in Dubai, he’s been there a few months ago if he feels the homesick and he answered YES! I feel homesick. And I ask him how you manage your homesickness? He said he open his facebook.
    How did you feel when you can no longer understand the language? How you can go independently to nearby malls, parks, post office, and police stations when you can't read their national writings. Places that are different from your language other than English is such a real challenge. Places like China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and some Europe country that English is not their primary language. Language is another part that should be consider for the transitions.
   One more transition is the food. You love to eat rice, Filipino loves to eat rice, every meal has to have rice it is part of basic necessity. When you'll be in a country that does not really need rice as their source of carbohydrates, you'll be crazy to death to find and cook rice. I personally experience when I was here in Maui a few months and did not eat rice for a few days, I feel I am going crazy.
     Threshold is different from each individual. Threshold is your emotional imaginary marker that you alone knew your limits, your ability to know this marker is essential for your survival. You should not go beyond your threshold to avoid emotional burn out.
     Have you tried to observe the galloon full of liquid? the difference is between how you pour it. When you pour it faster it has turbulent effect, while when you pour it slowly it has a nice calm flow. This is a metaphor of how you handle the transition; keep it easy, keep it slowly, keep it to your own pace. Don't let outside turbulence affects you.
    When your transition is not smooth, just think of it as a temporary problems. According to the bible, it will come to passing. Just hold on to your faith and always think why you’ve been in this place. Always look back and that might helps you to continue to achieve your dreams. They say that if you do not know how to look back where you come from, you cannot proceed to where you want to go. The fruit of success might follow afterwards. I want to quote the quotes “No guts, no glory” and “ there’s no glory without sacrifice.”
   Therefore, before deciding to come live and work abroad plan it well. Be patient, live with lower expectations until you pass or overcome the transition stage, and recognizing that transitions is not always easy. Learn to adjust so that transition is more enjoyable.

reference:
Bernardo M. Villegas, . "Middle Class." Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation 29 April 2012, n. pag. Print.