Name: Roderick Glenn Dy

Gender: Male

Nickname: Glenn           

Civil Status: Single

Age: 42 

Occupation: Director for Parts 

Roderick Glen Dy, partly Chinese but a true blooded Filipino. Glenn worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for six years, after that, he got a chance to move in China and until now, he enjoys working there. Learn how he was able to have a successful life abroad.

My Story

1.     Why did you decide to leave the Philippines?
In 1989, I found the idea of working abroad very attractive. I was living independently away from my family and I thought it was the right time to take a different kind of adventure. Plus the fact that the job offer didnt require me to pay ANY placement fee at all.

2.     How did you get your current job and how did you leave the Philippines?
My former Boss in Saudi Arabia whom I have worked very well with contacted me if I am interested to join him in Beijing, China. I thought staying 6 years in Saudi with all those restrictions, it was time for me to move to China who was, at that time, getting a lot of interests from the global community after its reopening to the world. Of course, the pay was better, the lifestyle was more relaxed and it was much closer to the Philippines.

3.     When did you arrive in your current location?
I arrived in Beijing on July 18, 1995 straight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was a long flight from Jeddah-Bahrain-Hong Kong then Beijing. What's memorable is that I almost missed my flight to Beijing. Good thing, my persistence to the ground crew allowed me to be escorted by the airport bus alone to the place where all the passengers were already eyeing me for the cause of their delay.

4.     What were your most memorable moments in your current location?
Coming to Beijing, I was shocked at the deplorable state of my workplace. I was not informed about it. It was a disgusting place, totally different from my workplace in Saudi Arabia. But my boss convinced me to stay after telling me that it was only temporary.

Also, my first time to enter a disco house after depriving myself while I was in Saudi Arabia. And ice cold beer, very cheap Beijing beer and I can wear shorts. It was so liberating. Saudi Arabia didn’t allow me to do these simple things I was so used to doing before I left the Philippines.

Then of course, the exposure to the Chinese culture. I wasn’t prepared for it, AT ALL. But then I realized, I am partly Chinese, too. So I should learn to understand and tolerate certain habits that we Pinoys would find unacceptable.

5.     Tell us what has happened during your stay in this country you have worked in.
I came here in 1995 and I am still here. This country is a work in progress, but boy, progress really came very fast. Comparing it to the Philippines, my heart aches for my country whose progress seemed to have been stunted by so many reasons, political most of all. No matter how I tried to defend my country of its shortcomings in the eyes of my local colleagues, the fact remains that we have been really left behind by most ASEAN countries.

6.     What are the things that you miss about the Philippines?
My family, my friends, my new house, the malls, movie houses. I miss the heat when its winter in China, the rains when it's hot here. I miss Pinoy cuisine and I find it a pity that our cuisine hasn’t made any mark in the international food scene.

7.     What is your message to all OFWs around the world?
Work conscientiously, spend wisely, save up. Uplift our image to the world that we are hardworking, trustworthy, concerned about personal hygiene, remember to say good things about our country even if it hurts, defend it to the point of being fanatical about it. And wherever we are, be proud to be a Filipino, smile even when it hurts, help our countrymen when they are in dire straits. Assimilate the good traits of the host country, and be wary of the not-so-good ones. If you are a family person, inculcate in your children the values of honesty, close family ties, courtesy and belief in oneself as a Filipino. We cannot have it in any other way. Above all, always be faithful to Him, when in trouble, He's the most effective shield any one can have, OFW or not.

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