Cagayan Valley Isabela and Beyond: April 2017

Saturday, April 29, 2017

MOONPIES? A TREAT FROM SRI LANKA - AN OFW EXPERIENCE VIDEO

You know that feeling you have when someone comes from
vacation? Be honest now! Although you are glad to see them, you really want to
know what exciting gift they brought you back as well. Did they find a special
snack? Was it some kind of special clothing? What are they keeping secret in
their bag?

Well today Gayan returned from his vacation days with his
family in Sri Lanka. He had a bag with him that had several treats inside just
for me! It was fun to open the bag and see what he had brought.

The first thing I found in the bag was a box of Choco Pies.
These pies seemed to be similar to what we in the States would call a moonpie.
When I opened one up to taste it, it brought back the memories of going to our
local store and eating a moonpie while drinking an RC Cola! The taste was
practically the same. It had a chocolate covering over a gram cracker style
biscuit with a marshmallow filling in-between. Only thing different was this
was a little smaller than the moonpies of the south.

He had also brought chocolate candies and another type of
tea biscuits with him. The chocolates were in a box that had pictures from
different areas of Sri Lanka on it. It could really be like a keep sake to
remember where it came from. The chocolates won’t last that long for sure!

He had also brought back a pair of slippers made in Sri
Lanka! I may not wear them here much, but they will be used in the Philippines
for sure. I thought Mr Bud Brown was in town when pulling the tsinelas
(Filipino for slippers) from the bag.

Oh, and what is that in the bottom of the bag? Did Gayan
save the best for last? Oh man, look at this…..

You will have to come back to find out what this last item
is!

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

HAMMER TIME- AN OFW EXPERIENCE VIDEO

Bring out the hammers, bring out the saws! It’s Hammer time!

Working abroad, you find you have to do things own your own
with what you have available at times. We recently had a fire warden inspection
and we were advised that the landings in our doorways were not adequate. We
needed to add extra length to the steps for them to be deemed safe in case of a
fire.

The team came through once more in this occasion. They took extra
wood we had here and began to construct the new landings. They did a great job
working together to get the new landings built. We now can hopefully pass the
next fire warden inspection without issue.

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Monday, April 17, 2017

THE ROGER PARCON STORY - OVERSEAS FOREIGN WORKER INTERVIEW - AN OFW EXPE...

Today we bring you an insightful video into the life of an OFW. Come see the challenges and rewards as Roger Parcon describes his experience being an overseas foreign worker.

Roger has been an overseas worker now for over 10 years. He first came overseas after his dreams of owning his own poultry farm for laying hens was devastated by lack in production due to a feed supplement scam. He had invested his lifetime savings into this business only to lose it all. With
little left in savings, he left his family and moved overseas to begin work.

Roger is married to a “wonderful and beautiful” wife. He has 4 adult children and 4 grand kids. He is happy to have achieved the status of “Lolo” or grandfather as we would call it in the States. He enjoys his time when he is home by spending time with his family and enjoys being an example to his
grand kids.

Roger has just accomplished a milestone working for National Air Cargo. He has just completed 10 years of service with them this month. He enjoys the day to day challenges that come with the job. Loading aircrafts is

his specialty which include 747s, AN124s, A300s, IL76s and L100 aircraft. Each aircraft
having its own challenges while loading and or unloading.

Roger is an experienced operator of many of the equipment that is used for not only loading of the aircrafts but also delivering the shipments
to the customer. He is one of the main operators of the CHAMP 140 Main Deck Loader which is the primary loading system for the 747 which we handle here. He also drives the trucks and forklifts needed when out on deliveries. He is well rounded with his knowledge of the equipment and how to handle it safely.

Rodger’s main concern while working abroad is the time missed with his family. He counts the days (and possibly even the hours) he has to spend not being there with them. He finds that being overseas is a missed opportunity to spend quality time with the family. He feels that if there would be any way to avoid coming overseas to work and you could spend this time with your family, it would be the better choice.

Roger also hates the extreme temperature differencesexperienced where he is now working compared to the tropical climate of the
Philippines. The weather here can go from temperatures exceeding 120 degrees in
the summer to well below freezing in the winter. Roger never experienced snow before coming here. He stated that “it can snow from December to February”here. He always ensures he bundles up in layers of clothing when having to work
in the snow.

Roger does enjoy the fact that since working overseas he has gotten to visit some different countries he may never have been able to visitif not for working overseas. He has been to the war-torn countries like Afghanistan to traveling through the beautiful United Arab Emirates. Traveling through Dubai there are many malls, places to eat and things to see. He has also been to Thailand, Hong Kong and other countries while transiting back to
the Philippines.

When asked what advice he would give to someone wanting to come overseas to work, he gave this bit of advice. “Always try and find a good company”. There are too many times an OFW has to return heartbroken with no money to show when they find poor employers. From bullying and abusive employers, poor housing to simply not getting their salaries on time are just a few of the concerns an OFW must face.

Rodger also suggested a strong “friendship ring” be established for those left at home. He is a Jehovah Witness and he concluded that the principles that were instilled in his family from the Bible studies attended have led them to keep on the right path. One of his favorite verses that he believes in states “Bad associations spoil good habits” 1COR 15:33.

We want to thank Roger for being our guest and hope you enjoy his video interview. Please LIKE, SHARE and comment on this video if you have enjoyed his point of view.

Monday, April 10, 2017

Southern Delight Care Package – Get Your Grub On! An OFW Travel Experience

I have the most wonderful sister a guy could ask for. She
has sent boxes to me during my time overseas to help bring some of the joys of
home here. She always packs the box with treats and other things that you just
cannot get overseas. From Little Debbies to cake mixes you never know what
might be inside a box. Receiving familiar items not only provides the comforts
of home, but can also remind you that someone is thinking of you. This can help
combat the lonesomeness and stress of being so far from home.

Surprisingly it does not take that long for a care package
to arrive here. This package took only about 9 days to arrive. We can receive
and mail packages with a relative short transit time even though we would be
considered to be a remote location here.

Care packages are always great to receive. They bring that
little bit of home into your life when you are 10,000 miles away from home. I
always talk about how I miss southern Alabama food and my sister tries to
provide some of these things for me with her packages she sends. From the
summer sausages to the black eye peas to the turnip greens, this will be a box
to enjoy!