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The Package
Saturday, March 14, 2009
I just came back from my church duty. Once every month we are assigned to provide security within our place of worship. We normally carry out such activity in groups and I am with the choirs which were assigned to be “on-duty”.
We are about ten who turn up this time, the usual company I am with. They are the same group who sometimes come by my place for a lunch, diner or sleep over. As we guard the premises, we share stories, jokes and experiences to let the time passes by.
One story that caught my attention is from RN.
By the way, coincidentally RN’s former Employer was the very same Employer I am suppose to join here in Qatar. I will make a separate post how I eventually end up here in Qatar.
Renan and his colleagues, our fellow choir members, were originally hired by this company X. Just about a year in their contract, their employer folded up and left Qatar. His group was taken over by company Y and were seconded to their subcontractor company Z. That time they were just grateful that someone had taken them over and were not sent home prematurely. They were even happy that their visas were renewed for 5 years.
But their rejoicing was short-lived as just few months under their new sponsor, salaries were delayed for a week, then for a month, then for 2 months and then 3 months. Their overtime was shortened, then overtimes were not paid.
Until suddenly their sponsor just left and went back to his home country. RN and his colleagues were at a lost, no jobs and no salaries. Company Y disowned them saying they belong to Company Z although they were just seconded to Company Z their papers shows that Company Y is their employer.
They struggled during this time. They took on odd jobs during this time, for a couple of months, just to make ends meet.
Company Y must have realized their shortcomings and took them back and assigned them to their various projects. Though their salaries still gets delayed, they are still thankful they have work and besides they have no other choice in this faraway land.
All the while during their ordeals they are always cheerful as if they don’t have any problems. I still see them regularly in our church and holds on to their duties as choirs. On my part, there is no help I can extend to them but to invite them over my place for a lunch during Fridays and sometimes a diner after our Thursday worship service.
What makes it more depressing to them is their families back home. RN narrates that his siblings always ask him to send them some moneys. He confides that his brother asking him for an ipod, not just an ipod by the way, he wants an ipod shuffle specifically. RN tries to explain that though he works abroad, his salary is just like back home, but they never listens or maybe they don’t believe.
RN has this idea. He will send a package to his family. A very different package.
RN has been collecting these excess cables when laying cables at his work. He patiently brings it home and skin off the coating if he cannot sleep at night and save the copper wires from the excess cables. So far he had already collected about 40kg of these copper wires. Back home copper sells for Php 350/kg.
He plans to send this as a package to his family and wanted to tell them this is all he can save and send for them. Hoping that this time they would understand how difficult life is even here in abroad.
RN hopes his package would send the message that he had always been trying to convey to them.
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We are about ten who turn up this time, the usual company I am with. They are the same group who sometimes come by my place for a lunch, diner or sleep over. As we guard the premises, we share stories, jokes and experiences to let the time passes by.
One story that caught my attention is from RN.
By the way, coincidentally RN’s former Employer was the very same Employer I am suppose to join here in Qatar. I will make a separate post how I eventually end up here in Qatar.
Renan and his colleagues, our fellow choir members, were originally hired by this company X. Just about a year in their contract, their employer folded up and left Qatar. His group was taken over by company Y and were seconded to their subcontractor company Z. That time they were just grateful that someone had taken them over and were not sent home prematurely. They were even happy that their visas were renewed for 5 years.
But their rejoicing was short-lived as just few months under their new sponsor, salaries were delayed for a week, then for a month, then for 2 months and then 3 months. Their overtime was shortened, then overtimes were not paid.
Until suddenly their sponsor just left and went back to his home country. RN and his colleagues were at a lost, no jobs and no salaries. Company Y disowned them saying they belong to Company Z although they were just seconded to Company Z their papers shows that Company Y is their employer.
They struggled during this time. They took on odd jobs during this time, for a couple of months, just to make ends meet.
Company Y must have realized their shortcomings and took them back and assigned them to their various projects. Though their salaries still gets delayed, they are still thankful they have work and besides they have no other choice in this faraway land.
All the while during their ordeals they are always cheerful as if they don’t have any problems. I still see them regularly in our church and holds on to their duties as choirs. On my part, there is no help I can extend to them but to invite them over my place for a lunch during Fridays and sometimes a diner after our Thursday worship service.
What makes it more depressing to them is their families back home. RN narrates that his siblings always ask him to send them some moneys. He confides that his brother asking him for an ipod, not just an ipod by the way, he wants an ipod shuffle specifically. RN tries to explain that though he works abroad, his salary is just like back home, but they never listens or maybe they don’t believe.
RN has this idea. He will send a package to his family. A very different package.
RN has been collecting these excess cables when laying cables at his work. He patiently brings it home and skin off the coating if he cannot sleep at night and save the copper wires from the excess cables. So far he had already collected about 40kg of these copper wires. Back home copper sells for Php 350/kg.
He plans to send this as a package to his family and wanted to tell them this is all he can save and send for them. Hoping that this time they would understand how difficult life is even here in abroad.
RN hopes his package would send the message that he had always been trying to convey to them.
