dubai

i helped send off my younger brother this afternoon at the airport for dubai. it's his first time to go out of the country and he's out to find his luck in this new land of opportunity for filipinos today. on the way to the airport, it's really easy to make a decision to leave this country. i felt like i wanted to go out myself, pinned as i were in heavy midday traffic at roxas blvd turning left to naia.
on the flyover that brings you up to the airport terminal, i saw a big billboard listing the names of multinational companies that have set up shop in the country. the government was drumbeating their decision to locate here. i looked out the cab window and saw candy and other food wrappings strewn on the pavement. ah, relief for those leaving the country.
anyway, i caught up with my brother before entering the airport. he went in and was told off to move to the other terminal. he was to take a PAL flight to hongkong and transfer to a sri lankan plane to colombo thence to dubai. oh, my poor brother, what a circuitous flight! he's in a rush to meet up with his hotel employer in dubai who would arrange for his work visa (he's on a visit visa).
we rushed to bring him to the centennial airport and this monster of a taxi driver, who abounds in this country for reason i don't know, charged me 100 for a 50-peso fare. and he thought it was all right! hah.
going back to my brother. he really had a hard time looking for a job here. maybe for lack of education, motivation or simply opportunity.
i wish my brother the best there. may the Lord protect him and give him success.
His girlfriend was there at the airport for the send-off and she watched him all the way to the check-in counter.
another brother of mine is in kuwait right now. another one had worked in saudi and is now back home.
when i go out of the country, i do so for coverage and in part pleasure. but these my brothers go out for work. and still i get more here than what they get there.
when they say one in every five filipinos is working abroad, i can understand. if only any of the companies at the billboard could provide job for my brothers.