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Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees Here

Before, when I was still in the Philippines, I used to think that people who live in America never run out of money, like everything here is easy, that nobody here is poor. Hahahah, yeah that is true, I mean I thought before that they never have any problems financially. Then I came here. I saw the real picture of how it is to live here. Sad to say, I saw how my fellow Filipinos are working two jobs a day just to make both ends meet. I saw them work hard, because they have mortgages, car bills, utility bills, insurance, property taxes and lots more of things to pay for and not enough money. Some are in the brink of bankruptcy because they are suddenly laid off from work and had credit cards debt pile up. Some have two mortgages to pay for. Some are going to sell their homes to transfer to an apartment since they just can’t pay the bills anymore.I see old people working at Walmart, or babysit someone’s kid, or take care of elderly people when she in fact should also be retiring.

It is so sad to see them have these all kinds of problems and their relatives in the Philippines do not know that. People from other countries, most especially from my country, think that money grows on trees here in America, that the streets are gilded with gold. They think that the money being sent or remitted to them was not hard-earned which is really sad. They don’t know that people here really work hard to earn that money, in Filipino lingo, “dugo’t pawis ang pinanggalingan nyan”.

Well I know , not all Filipinos are hard-up as some that I have mentioned. Maybe some are living pretty comfortable lives here like the Filipina nurses but not all are lucky, not all of our “kababayans” who come here are highly-paid like the nurses. Not all have high-paying jobs.

If you have families, relatives over here, take it easy when you ask for “help” because sometimes some of them cannot afford to help all the time. I am very lucky to say that my family and relatives never ask anything from me, coz they know my situation but not everybody has families like mine. I hear stories from my coworkers when they help a relative, another one will go calling to ask too. And more sad because they are asking for money to buy a cellphone. I think most of us don’t mind helping if someone is really in dire need of it but asking money because one wants to buy the latest cellphone model doesn’t seem fair at all.

So remember , not all Filipinos who live in America are well-off. Take it easy when you ask money from your relatives, especially your aging grandparents, they probably need it more than you do.

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