On warming up to brand new cities and cultures far from home

    Most plights and experiences of OFWs that are published in mainstream media are often about exploitation, terrible working conditions, and conflicts with agencies or employers. These stories are more than relevant and should continue to be talked about, but along with them, there are other aspects to an OFW’s life that need to be shared. Understanding the toll it takes on a person’s mental health to take on a new journey miles away from home and having to adjust to unfamiliar faces, places, and cultures are worth exploring as much as previously told narratives.

Regina Joy Vasquez, 32, is a freelancer who worked in Hong Kong for a year. Despite her short stay, the long nights she spent working away from family were not strolls in the park and were far from easy. 

Like any other OFW, Regina decided to work abroad because of financial woes and the hope to save up for her and her family’s future. Additionally, she wanted to have funds for their daily expenses and for her only daughter’s tuition fee.

Hong Kong is not a totally new place for Regina because she and her family had been visiting the country from time to time since 2011. Her husband and his family grew up there and that gave her a head start in adjusting to the country. The time she went there to work was a totally new experience though because this time she was alone.

Regina did preparations such as learning the country’s language, Cantonese, getting acquainted with their culture, and learning basic etiquette which she built off what she had already adapted from her past visits and encounters.

As a freelancer, Regina worked as a personal assistant, dishwasher, nanny, and online seller. She cleaned houses, babysat, and sold merchandise to her fellow Filipinos every so often. She recounted how Hong Kong was a place where one can live off of being strategic or madiskarte. Earning money as a freelancer in the country meant having to work hard and waste no time because of the high cost of living.

Filipinos account for more than half of the foreign domestic helper population in Hong Kong, with an estimated 190,000 or 57% as per the country’s report as of 2023, making it one of the top choices for Filipino migrant workers. Hong Kong has an employment ordinance and other employment policies in place to protect workers, including OFWs, and to make sure they are being granted their rights as laborers in the country.

During her stay, Regina familiarized and adapted to the people’s industrious work ethics. She explained how Cantonese valued time in relevance to work.

“Kung bayad ang oras mo, dapat tinatrabaho mo lang kasi that would be a waste of their time, and time is money for them,” she said.

[If your time is paid, you should spend all of that time working only because that would be a waste of their time, and time is money for them.]

She added how Hong Kong places high importance on abiding by laws and, true to the country’s claim, that workers are being paid fairly in comparison to the Philippines.

“Napakaimportante rin na sumunod ka sa laws nila at i-respect ang kultura nila bilang outsider lang ang mga Pilipino sa bansa nila… Maayos din sila magbayad sa workers, hindi katulad sa Pinas na mababa ang pasahod… 'Di rin sila nangdi-discriminate sa edad, basta kaya pang magtrabaho at willing magtrabaho, open ang lahat.”

[It's very important for them that you abide by the laws and respect their culture because as a Filipino, you are an outsider to their country...They also pay their workers fairly, unlike in the Philippines where wages are low...They also don't discriminate based on age, as long as you are still able and willing to work, they are open to it.]

In terms of familial customs, she pointed out how depending on relatives especially financially is being viewed differently as opposed with the usual Filipino set-up. Despite being in Asia, where it is common to come to one’s own family to ask for help, this behavior is not usually tolerated in Hong Kong especially when it comes to the context of finance. They believe everyone should know how to work and fend for themselves.

When asked which she preferred, Regina liked the culture she had adapted in Hong Kong as well as the endless opportunities one has to earn money, in contrast to the Philippines where there are higher standards even for lower positions or minimum wage jobs which makes it harder to get employed. However, when it comes to the people, her heart still goes back to the Filipinos because of their diligence and kindness.

One of the hardest parts of being an OFW is being homesick and having separation anxiety. Despite warming up to the new country, Regina recounted how difficult it was to work far from her loved ones, and how leaving was not an easy decision. 

“Sobrang hirap ‘yung malayo ka sa pamilya mo lalo na 'yung pag-alis. Lalo [na] ‘pag nasanay ka na kasama mo sila araw-araw. Isa sa mga naging trauma ko ‘yun, lalo na ‘yung umiiyak anak [ko], hinihila gamit [ko] para 'di na [ako] umalis pero kailangan. Paulit-ulit mo siyang maaalala,” she said.

[It's so hard to be away from your family, especially the time you leave. Not to mention when you've been used to their presence everyday. That has been one of my trauma, when my daughter cried, pulling my luggage so that I don't leave but I need to. You remember it everyday.]

On top of longing for her family, Regina experienced anxiety attacks, depression, and over-fatigue. She learned the importance of putting her own health and wellness first, both physical and mental, which had been the reason for her to go home.

“Sa sobrang gusto [kong] bumilis ang araw, makapag-ipon at makabalik na sa Pinas, gusto [ko] na lang matapos ang araw-araw [ko] na pag-stay sa Hong Kong kaya 'di ko naisip na pagod na pala ang katawan at utak ko. Sa dami ng iniisip, gusto sanang makatulong sa lahat pero ‘di ko naman pala kaya, naapektuhan ang health ko.”

[Hoping that each day passes by quickly, and that I get to earn and finally go back to the Philippines, I wanted each day of my stay in Hong Kong to end that's why I did not notice my mind and body getting exhausted. With all the things in my mind, I wanted to help everyone but it turned out I couldn't, and my health got affected in the end.]

Despite of OFWs warming up to the country they went to work to, no one really gets used to the feeling of having missed your family─the proximity and the ordinariness of it all. Going from seeing their faces and being in their presence every single day to being miles apart and only exchanging messages from screens is not the easiest feat. No matter how much one grows fond of a new place, they will always go back to the place and the people they call home, and Regina’s story is one proof of this.

This year, Regina plans to go back, with high hopes of returning with her family this time and to a better job. She also expressed her intent to go back to the Philippines once she achieves all her life goals and to help her family and relatives.