I am a proud member of the Junior Chamber International

August, 26, 2008
A lot of us Filipinos residing in our home country, the Philippines think that life in other countries especially in the United States of America is all that good. We were made to believe that the US of A is a land of milk and honey. It is said to be a land of realized dreams and hopes, a land full of opportunities.
In my second visit to the US of A very recently, during my free days from the United Nations Intergenerational Leadership Forum, I took the time to meet Filipinos from Manila and Iloilo who live and work in various states there. It was nice to see them. I saw them realize their dreams of having a house and a car and becoming financially competent. Needless to say, they have also reached a certain level of success in terms of their chosen careers. I was so happy for them but I was also sad that they had to go out of the country just to find greener pastures.
Another thing that took my attention was the fact that life in the US made them more responsible as they needed to work hard in order to earn and pay their bills. They also had to take care of household chores. Furthermore, they were compensated based on merit, performance and number of hours worked. So, the more hard working you are, the more remunerated you are.
The apparent great life and dream we think of when one migrates and works to another country has its own consequences as well. They experience their own unique challenges with the different situations they face there as compared to being in the country.
A simple life of having to take care of everything of your personal needs, no other person to rely on and to do all other chores is something that got me. I admire their courage to take the risk of living alone and leaving their loved ones to find a way to earn more and give a good life to the ones they left at home.
In the States, everybody apparently is treated the same. One does things on his own. A celebrity here or one who enjoys the good life becomes ordinary there. Life there is seemingly less complicated.
I would like to believe that wherever one resides in, lifestyle is influenced by culture, the socio-economic situation and circumstance.
After three weeks in my latest visit to the US of A, I believe that it’s time to live a life that’s simpler. We can do that even in our own country.