OFW IN SAUDI ARABIA

September 1993-June 1996
MABUHAY!

Our resource speaker's inspirational message during our college graduation is "TO GO ABROAD AND FIND A GOOD JOB", thus inspiring me to get a passport and look in the newspaper's classified ads for a job opening anywhere except the Philippines.

MY FIRST JOB

Fortunately, I landed a job at Saudi Automotive Services Company (SASCO) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), working as an AUTOCAD Operator/draftsman which is my first job from college. Before getting back to my senses, in September 1993, aboard the Saudia Airlines, my foot landed at King Fahad International Airport in this hot and arid Middle Eastern country. This is my first time travel experience outside of the Philippines.

My first job is with this company

My office space

Our Technical Affairs Department was called "United Nations" because most of the staff are from different nationalities. Our manager is from Pakistan, the construction director is from Sudan, our civil engineer is from India, our architect is from Egypt, our surveyor is from Palestine, our mechanical engineer is American, our contractor is from Greece, our structural engineer is from Yemen, our consultant is Saudi national, the office engineer and me-the AutoCAD operator are Filipinos.

from L to R (Me, Civil Engr-India, Electrical Engr - Pakistan, Architect - Egypt)

from L to R (Me, Civil Engr - India, Director - Saudi Arabia, Architect- Egypt)

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PROJECTS

Saudi Automotive Services Company (SASCO) is a government-controlled company that regulates the design and construction of gasoline stations. We call them REST AREA because aside from offering fuel to a traveler on the long desert road, it has also motels, restaurants, mosques, comfort rooms, and other amenities.

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STATION IN EXIT 2, RIYADH

Our station in Exit 2, Riyadh consists of a gasoline station, a basketball court, and container vans for staff accommodation. Every Friday, Saudi Arabia's equivalent to Sunday, many Filipinos from nearby companies visit us to play a friendly basketball game. Also, every other night, Saudi nationals averaging 6 feet tall, who are studying at the nearby King Saud University, challenge us to play basketball against them. But we Filipinos will not play against them without any import. So we call our secret weapons, a 7-ft tall mechanic from Sudan and a 6' 8" tall service crew from Pakistan.

TRIP TO AL-KHOBAR
One memorable long-distance travel I experienced was our road trip to Al-Khobar for vacation, a large city located in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

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BRETHREN

Expressing Christian faith in Saudi Arabia is strictly prohibited. Hence, Filipinos find innovative ways to continue our Christian way of worship. Having prayer meetings inside a running car, a "LET'S GO KNOCK" will be your entrance code when you enter a house of worship, and also parking your car 4 to 5 blocks away from the congregation building are just some of the unique ways the Christian brethren avoid the Saudi Arabian police authorities were suspicious of having what they call illegal assembly.

GOING HOME FOR GOOD
3 years of work in Saudi Arabia really shaped my character and faith. I will always cherish all the nice people, foreigners or "kababayans", who inspired me to do good to others. But the Philippines will always be my home. So in June 1996, I went home for good.

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