Officemate

It has been more than a week since I visited Multiply. I just thought I needed to write something on this blog, albeit a random, free-flowing entry. On the other hand, since I still haven't figured out how to disaffiliate my Blogger account from this site, it is though I've always been here anyway. Haha!

I learn something new everyday. Don't we all? Well, today, I learned something very personal about one of my officemates.

Tuesdays are light-days. We don't REALLY work on Tuesdays. Our usually jolly team just kidded around during the last hours of our shift. We talk about anything and everything - from our kids' yayas to our hobbies and sometimes our problems. What started as a laugh-all-you-can session brought me to tears by the end of our work day.

One of my officemates casually shared anecdotes about adultery and vices. As my officemate and 'the officemate's spouse' (I'll keep this gender neutral) have been apart for most of the past three years (the spouse being an OFW) they have been encountering major marital problems; they have four kids. The spouse was caught having an affair - through recorded sex by phone - by my officemate. Moreover, my officemate shares what a gambler the spouse is and how remittance is nil for the past six months. It just makes me want to kick myself that I have been wallowing in some petty things lately while there are people with larger than life (as I know it) problems.

I studied at KSA for three years when I was in high school. I have witnessed several disheartening family disintegrations there. I have a classmate whose mother committed suicide upon learning about the husband's mistress. My brother's first friend/classmate when we moved, apparently had stepsiblings in the kingdom unbeknownst to them. And so on.

Migration is commonplace in a country where employment is scarce. Aren't OFWs commodified to be our biggest income-generating exports? Calling them our "Bagong Bayani" does not eradicate the hardships nor justify the sacrifices these families had to endure for long periods of separation. It is good that the internet is now available to some, they somehow get to see each other more often through the webcam. Mobiles allow them to send messages or what-not easily. Of course, it is inevitable that technology brings these comforts. But of course, these are not enough.

It is sad that there are things you get to appreciate more when you notice other people not having it. We have been an OFW-family for years and I am thankful that my family is tough enough to weather the trials.

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I am now a fan of micro-blogging (courtesy of Plurk). Although I haven't been actively recruiting friends there (unlike what I did when I first became a fan of FB.. incidentally, I still insist that the FB Home tab sucks), I enjoy posting one-liners to my timeline.