When we were still in college, my three siblings and I never thought about working abroad. Our family business had been doing relatively good, and we could never leave our parents behind. But like they always say, people change, priorities change and we have to make decisions.
The first to leave was my sister Dalyn, she was a nurse and it was really the practical thing to do. After a few years, my two other brothers followed suit, but unlike my sister, they had to work several different jobs in order to support their growing families here.
After all everyone want to provide their kids with quality education, have a car, build a dream house and have the chance to travel once in a while.
Dalyn is now a Canadian Permanent Resident at Vancouver, while my two brothers have established themselves in Abu Dhabi.
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| Etisalat |
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| Corniche Residences ,Abu Dhabi (where I lived for a year) |
I also tried my luck 3 years ago, and applied for a job abroad. I prayed and considered a lot of things and asked for signs. I was leaving a fairly good job which I was quite comfortable with, but at the end of every month, there was just not enough left to support my family and afford me some petty luxuries like my skincare, makeups and books.
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| Corniche beach right beside my building |
So I took a risk thinking it was my last chance of earning enough money to provide a more comfortable life for my loved ones.
I went to UAE. I was excited and thought it was going to be the best decision I was going to make.
I was free to choose the job that I want but freedom felt different then. I have given up every comfort and made it work thousands of miles away from home. I know it made me capable of doing anything. I applied as as Customer Service Representative at one of the established telecommunication in Abu Dhabi. I became this strong willed woman that I never thought I was.
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| Train Station to Dubai |
When Christmas came, I thought of sending money to my kids. I went to the nearest mall in my place which was the Al Wahda Mall and asked for a money transfer at the concierge. The lady advised me to Western Union located at the 2nd floor of the mall.
Since I was a new they asked for my employment ID, mobile number and recipients information in the Philippines and filled up some card and gave me a Western Union ID for my next transaction. The transaction was very fast and after 2 hours my kid received the money and texted me about how fast it was.
Since then Western Union became my choice of money transfer because it was faster, more convenient and much more cost-effective and has reasonable exchange rates. Somehow despite the homesickness being able to send money home quickly and easily gave me a bit of comfort knowing that it would make my kids happy.
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| Corniche beach, my view for a year |
They have agent locations in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, and just this August, WU users in the Philippines can send directly to bank accounts in the USA, UAE, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Nigeria, Italy, New Zealand and China. In addition, the Western Union app is already available in several countries, and will make it easier for the recipients to track your transaction whenever and wherever they are.”
So if you have relatives abroad planning to send something back home, its best to refer them to western union for fast and easy remittances
