Al in Qatar

Welcome to my Blog. I created this blog to share with you my experiences not only on working and living in Qatar but also my past experiences before I decided to become one of the millions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
I started this blog on the occasion of my one year anniversary here in Doha, Qatar. One year. Time flies really fast and to think when I first set foot on the hot tarmac of Doha Airport I could not stop a tear from flowing thinking of the family I left behind.
The first days were really a test of my resolve to start a new life in Qatar. My dreams for my family were all tied to this decision to succeed in this new company and start saving for our future. I thought then that in a few days I will be celebrating my 40th birthday. "Life begins at 40", they used to say. And that 'life' really begins for me and my family now. I arrived at the start of the 'dreaded' Doha summer months.
I did resign before. The year was 1999. It was an easy decision then. Back then I was single and I was keen on 'widening my horizons' with an overseas experience. I felt stagnant in a position I had been for almost ten years and being left behind in terms of training and opportunities for growth. I thought a few years of overseas experience will be a good addition to my resume and was good for my career. But, I received several signals that going to the Middle East at that time wasn't for me. First, my contract was sent with the salary figures not having the correct decimal place - a typo error admitted by the company although they never bothered to send the corrected contract. No person in his right mind will sign a contract with a wrong figure specially the salary. Second, for the first time in any of my decisions in life, my father advised me against it. Then, I also received a promise of getting the trainings I never did receive and a promotion to Technical Support in a year's time.
But this time It was not an easy decision. Leaving behind close family and friends only added to the burden of the decision. Also, choosing to leave a job I loved and a company I worked for 16 years was not making resignation an easy undertaking. This may be a career ending decision. But most specially it was hard to leave behind a family I love so much specially that my young son was only 10 and a half months old at that time. But it was mainly for him and my wife that I have made my decision.
It took me 8 months, a lot of tears and a lot of prayers to finally come to a decision. I broke the beads of my rosary one time in the agony of what I was going through. My wife and I decided that if it is God's will that I go then we will just follow His lead. So here I am one year of going through His will for us.
It was both a happy and trying one year. I missed my son's first birthday celebration. I did not get to see him struggle from stages of crawling, standing and walking. When I left, he was a baby being carried in my arms. When I had my first vacation, he was already a young boy running around.
But the most trying time was in September 2006, when Typhoon Milenyo struck the Philippines hard. It was the middle of Ramadan here in Qatar when I had a sudden ill feeling. I then received a distressing phone call from my wife that our house went under mud and water due to a flash flood. My wife, son, mother-in-law and household have to save their lives by climbing to the roof. It was the most difficult experience in our lives. I was barely four months so I was not allowed a vacation. I wanted to resign and go back but what future do we have if I did. All I can do was drop on my knees and begged to understand the will God had for us.
It was then I remembered that we were praying for a fresh start. And maybe indeed God was giving us a fresh start. So we held on to our prayer and our belief that "God's will be done!"
In retrospect, my job here although more demanding and more complex than what I previously held, did not offer as much pressure as before. I was relieved off the tensions at work I had before. One of the best things that happened is that I haven't had an attack of migraine in a year! On top of this I get to enjoy my weekends more. Now I know my capacity for sacrifice, loneliness, patience with other cultures and nationalities and withstand the heat of the Doha summer.
I hope this 'new year' ahead of me will be more fruitful and less trying. But as always, God's will be done. I will have my family here with me by the end of the this year. And I am looking forward to it.
I will discuss my experiences more on my future blogs. I hope you enjoyed and learned something from this introductory.