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| congratulations, newly-minted Aussies! |
My sister Anne has become an Australian. She had her citizenship ceremony recently and as I looked at pictures of her smiling widely, proudly showing off her citizenship certificate and waving a miniature Australian flag, I felt so happy for her but so sad at the same time.
I'm happy because she's made a good life for herself in a country so different from ours, but sad that this might well mean she won't come back to live here anymore. It's a sad truth that nurses like my sister--and her best friend Cheryl--had to leave the country to make a living elsewhere... they are paid peanuts here, so who can blame them?
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| there you go... |
When my sister left more than a decade ago, we immediately reaped the financial benefits and the
balikbayan boxes (oh, the Tim Tams!). Her nursing career took her at first, to Saudi Arabia then to Ireland and finally, Australia. She was able to travel the world, gave our elderly mother (and us too) every little thing she asked (please, nobody tell Mama I called her "elderly"!) and gave help to relatives in need.
The benefits were endless... par for the course for the girl we depended on to get up on the roof to make sure everything were nailed down so the typhoon won't blow our house away (none of her other sisters were brave enough to do it, LOL). She's always been the most daring--the first to leap off the guava tree in our front yard, the first to drive etc.
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| celebrating at home w/ friends |
So now our country's lost another dedicated, hard-working citizen. This happy-but-sad event is duplicated in practically every family I know. It is our nation's present reality and I hope things would get better soon. But for now, the Philippines' loss is Australia's gain, for sure.
4 comments:
I know the feeling. I didn't care much when my brother settled abroad pero nung ate ko na, naku drama ako ever! Sana nga dumating ang panahon that they can be well compensated here.
I hope your sister comes back here to retire. Mas maganda pa rin dito sa atin, basta may pera ka lang.
@Liza Yes, it's different with sisters talaga.
@Missy Sana nga ganun ang mangyari... :)
Congrats to your sister and her friend, all of us have gone through missing a family member who works abroad, the country need them to keep sending dollars back here or else, we're all screwed... hehe!
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