Isn’t it cool to receive a message from an old friend? I was wondering who sent me  an SMS, so after an exchange of ‘who’s this and how are you blah blahs’, I found out it was from one of my classmates in our review. He is currently working in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia as an interior designer. So, another addition to my OFW friends’ list, huh? Whenever I need help regarding some projects, I just buzz him, he is one of my ‘online consultants’. Through him, I also learned a bit about how life is in the Middle East – the food, weather, and culture.

It was also through him that I got to know more about Saudi’s neighboring places like the UAE, specifically Dubai. He told me he plans to apply for work there if there will be opportunities. Aside from being a modern and open country, Dubai has many interesting places – the artificial Islands like Dubai Marina, ‘The Palm’ and ‘The World’ and many modern buildings and skyscrapers. I won’t wonder if more businessmen will be interested to invest in some Dubai property for future gain. In fact, the next world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai will soon rise there.

Like all other OFWs around the world, my friend is also faced with the dilemma of where to go next after his contract expires. While some of them return to the Philippines and invest their savings in  businesses, most still opt for greener pastures in other countries. And since he will be getting married this year, I can only wish the best for him. But he also insists, “there is no place like our own place.” For somebody who’s awfully homesick, you won’t be surprised to hear that line.