The Suitcase Full of Dreams - Being an OFW
In almost every Filipino home, there is a story about someone leaving. A mother is boarding a plane to Dubai. A father taking a ship to Norway. A sister flying to Singapore with two suitcases and one giant promise: “Babalik ako. Para sa pamilya.” I’ll come back. For the family.
Dante Ulanday - News Writer and Moderator 
For many people around the world, working abroad is an option. For many Filipinos, becoming an OFW — an Overseas Filipino Worker — is a dream wrapped in sacrifice, hope, and survival.
Not because Filipinos want to leave home. But because they love home too much.
The Dream Starts Small
The Filipino OFW dream rarely begins with luxury. It begins with simple things:
- A leaking roof during typhoon season
- Tuition fees that cannot be paid
- Parents growing older
- A child needing milk
- A family wanting just one chance to breathe easier
Some dream of owning a small house. Some dream of sending their children to college. Some dream of finally eating at a restaurant without checking the prices first. And so the dream grows wings.
The Airport Goodbye
No goodbye is more emotional than an OFW goodbye. At the airport, everyone pretends to be strong.The mother smiles while secretly crying. The husband says, “Kaya natin ’to.”
The child asks: “Mama, kailan ka uuwi?” Mommy, when are you coming home? And that is the moment the dream becomes real. The suitcase may only weigh 30 kilos. But the heart carries tons.
The World Knows Filipinos Work Hard
Why are Filipinos respected abroad? Because Filipinos are known for three things: Hard work, Adaptability. Heart
A Filipino nurse comforts patients like family.
A Filipino caregiver treats the elderly with genuine love.
A Filipino seafarer survives storms at sea while missing birthdays at home.
A Filipino domestic worker works silently so her children can one day work proudly.
Filipinos do not just export labor. They export resilience.
The Hidden Price of the Dream
But behind the social media photos is another story. The smiling selfies in Paris. The shopping photos in Milan. The snow pictures in Canada.
What people do not see are: Loneliness, Depression, Missing funerals, Missing graduations, Eating alone after work, Crying quietly in tiny apartments
Some OFWs spend Christmas on video call. Some watch their children grow up through screens. Some marriages survive. Some do not. Because the OFW dream is beautiful… But expensive emotionally.
Why They Still Continue
Because every remittance sent home is love translated into money.
Every overtime shift says: “Anak, mag-aral kang mabuti.” Study hard, my child.
Every exhausted OFW carries one powerful hope: “Ayokong maranasan ng anak ko ang hirap na dinaanan ko.” I don’t want my children to suffer the hardships I experienced.
That is why Filipinos continue. Not because they enjoy suffering. But because they believe sacrifice today can create a better tomorrow.
The Funny Truth About OFWs
OFWs also become accidental superheroes… A Filipino arrives abroad knowing only: “Hello”, “Thank you”, “Where is toilet?”
Six months later, they are: Translator, Therapist, Family breadwinner, Financial adviser, Emergency loan department, Relationship counselor for relatives back home
And somehow… Every family member suddenly believes the OFW is secretly rich. Meanwhile, the OFW is eating instant noodles in winter while sending money home for somebody else’s karaoke machine.
The Real Meaning of Success
The true OFW dream is not becoming rich. It is becoming useful. Useful to parents.
Useful to children. Useful for dreams that otherwise would never happen.
The OFW story is one of the greatest love stories of the Filipino people. Because while others chase comfort… Millions of Filipinos choose to sacrifice so others may live comfortably.
Final Thought
An OFW does not simply leave a country.
They carry the Philippines wherever they go. In airports. In hospitals. On ships. In hotels. In kitchens. In offices. In factories. In lonely rooms far away from home.
And perhaps that is why the world admires Filipinos. Because even thousands of miles away… Their hearts never really leave home.
