An Overseas Filipino Worker's reflections at 2:00 AM

Kabayan. This is how we address our fellow Filipinos here in Dubai - a word that literally means: my fellow countryman. How do the other nationalities perceive us Kabayans? A conversation with a non-Filipino revealed this point: The Filipinos tend to stay together. Go to any pantry or breakroom in any office and you would see Filipinos sitting together during lunch – sharing their sinigang, adobo or spaghetti. Most of the Filipinos eat at the same place too. Check out Taza, or Ponderosa, and you would see more Filipinos dining here. It would seem like, one Filipino will discover this awesome restaurant, tell his friends, and the next thing you know this place will become a Filipino favorite. The Filipinos come together even in worship. The church which I attend is comprised of 99% Filipino in the congregation. 

There is nothing wrong with all of these. In fact, this trait magnifies how united the kabayans are. Being away from our country has somehow instilled in us a sense of patriotism. We tend to look after each other. Looking at my fellow kabayans at the next table and hearing Tagalog and some other dialect buzzing through the air, gives me a sense of comfort. But we are missing something. We spend so much time with each other that we have limited our ability to grow. They say that travel is the best form of education. Well, we do not need to go that far. Dubai is a melting pot of cultures. This is a place of extravagance, of superlatives, of opportunities for everyone.  We should try to get out of our comfort zones and interact with non-Filipinos. We can try to reach out to other nationalities and learn their cultures. Life is a constant cycle of trying to improve ourselves – to be better than who we are yesterday. Explore. Discover.  Cultivate the yearning of always wanting to learn something new every day.

So I am widening my circles and extending my network to include non-Filipinos. They will see the Filipino values infused in me. I will share with them the colorful Filipino culture. In return, I will experience their country through them and I will gain a friend. And perhaps, no, definitely a yes, with prayer and faith, I can bring this new friend to the Lord.

This is me just saying and rambling and writing at 2:00 AM J