A DIARY FROM DAEJON
FINDING JOSE RIZAL IN SOUTH KOREA: A MIGRANT’S PERSPECTIVE
(5TH PLACE RIZAL ESSAY WRITING CONTEST, REPUBLIC OF KOREA)
Hail! Hail! Give Praise to work!
The country’s vigor and her wealth;
For work lift up your brow serene
It is your blood, your life, your health.
- Rizal, Himno Al Trabajo ( Hymn to Work)
4:00 A.M
My hands are too tired; my legs can hardly move… I just woke up as my stomach created his usual tone. From my small window, I can hear the rustling and cracking of the machines that toiled ceaselessly since the day I arrived here in Daejon. I looked around and as my feet started to touch the cold flooring, a coin fell. I thought it was just 100 won; still I searched for it (for I don’t waste any single centavo). After a minute or two, I found the silvery metal…
Alas, it was not what I expected; it was a one peso coin, the only piece that connects me to my country. Engraved on it is Dr. Jose Rizal, our National Hero, I know that he is a doctor, writer (I read the Noli and Fili when I was in High School) and his monument stands in Luneta other than that, Rizal for me is someone who gave his life for the country…period?
“I am arriving in Spain, alone and unknown; the first stage of my unknown journey is there. What am I going to do and what is going to become of me in the future? My money is dwindling. I know I would meet friends, but despite this, no one is capable of overcoming the emotions that a new country produces in a young heart. “
- Rizal, June 16, 1882
I just finished High School, in a small village in Negros when my mother got sick. My brother was then ten years old. My father was a kasama in a sugar plantation. I still wanted to study in the University, but poverty and the untimely sickness of my mother brought me here to Korea. Whenever I try to unpack my memories, I can’t help but cry. I can still vividly recall that foggy morning when I left Manila. No one knows that I will be working here in Korea as a welder other than my brother. “Huwag mo na munang sabihin sa Tatang at Nanang, mag-aalala pa ang mga yaon” (“Please, don’t tell it to Father and Mother, they’ll just worry”) as I bid him goodbye, I gave him 15 pesos for his jeepney fare going back to the sitio.
Hush….
Rush...
“Pali-Pali”….
Extreme exhaustion made fell asleep at the factory; the master-worker noticed me and woke me up. “Mianhamnida” I replied. My co- workers looked at me and gave me a soothing smile then suddenly I began to feel a certain pain on my temple. This word kept on repeating on my head…” Rizal…Rizal… Rizal…” The pain goes down to my belly as I again felt hungry after eating a biscuit or two and a glass of milk. I wonder to myself…Did Rizal experienced hunger? Did he crave forAdobo and Tinola when he was in Madrid? Did he taste Kimchi (I bet not)? When you are away from your country, away from your loved ones you feel the heartaches and emptiness that sometimes, you wanted to break down. Letters and nowadays, e-mails cannot completely heal the wound caused by separation. Last month, I received a letter from my girlfriend, there was joy when I received it but as soon as I start reading, I shed into tears. She was wed to an American soldier last month and as I look at her picture above my bed I felt numb and unaware in despair.
“My mother forced me to marry this American man, whom I really do not know…Still, my heart belongs to you alone…”
- Taimis
I am deeply amazed with the beauty of Korea, the maple trees as they change their color during the four seasons, the cherry blossoms of spring, the relaxing ambiance of the mountains, the fleeting bees and butterflies at Nami Island. I also admire the cleanliness and politeness of the people…their patience, hard work and resilience… No wonder, they achieved development on various facets despite the fact that they suffered severely from the Korean War. Amidst all of this, I still miss the bumpy journey towards San Antonio…the cool gust of the wind and the smell of palay swaying, as if dancing with the breeze of May. I miss the smile of Manong Kiko as he roam around the barrio with his trusty carabao, Kidlat, the husky voice of Ka Simang at her Sari-sari store, the sweet chit chats of the young girls near the river, the enticing aroma of Nanang’s sinigang, as Tatang, I and Carling chat at the camarin. Rizal for me was a jetsetter…he visited several countries in Europe like Spain, England, France and so many more. If airplanes were invented during his time, he might have visited Korea and enjoyed listening to K-pop music He also wandered in the United States and even stayed for sometime in Japan… Rizal brought with him, the technology, reform and values he acquired and learned on his entire journey. He dreamt of a betterFilipinas…and his legacy lives on….
“Night, I don't know what vague melancholy, an indefinable loneliness, smothers my soul. It is similar to the profound sadness that cities manifest after a tumultuous rejoicing, to a city after the happiest celebration”
- Rizal, January 1, 1883
Hot and cold…
Every winter, I have to battle the cold. Though I am already three years here, the extreme weather still numbs me…I wonder. Did Rizal also scuffle in the cold nights and during the freezing winter? Did he always wear fabulous frocks and coats as usually portrayed on his photographs and statues? Like me, does he buy used clothes from the Ukay-ukay or from high end boutiques in Europe? Did he send money to his family back home? Did he prepare balik-bayan boxes filled with gifts and trinkets he collected during the entire year?
7:00 P.M
Blag… blag… the machines sound transferred me back to reality.
Rizal is an Overseas Filipino Worker. He worked and studied abroad for his family, his fellowmen, his country – the PHILIPPINES. He understood the strengths and weaknesses of his countrymen – the same strengths and weaknesses which are still very much prevalent today. Jose Rizal did not sugarcoat his words and spoke his truth. He was definitely an OFW. Rizal is very much alive today, around the world, millions of Filipinos work painstakingly for the betterment of their community and the Filipino society as a whole. OFWs are the country’s living fuel for the national economy which made the Philippine financial system stable in the last year, when the Financial Crisis is at its height. Rizal used the might of pen to write and battle for equal rights that led to independence; on the same vein, the OFWs used their hearts and hands to share their unique abilities and expertise to the world. More or less than 46,000 Filipinos work in Korea alone, they comprise a great deal of manpower and technical skills which partakes in the lines of production and corporate structure. Around the world, Filipinos continuously enrich, hone and used their talents and skills to its full potential. Likewise, OFWs are driven to bring not only revenues but most importantly honor to the Philippines. Every migrant worker has their own Rizal experience, they may not be fully aware of their exceptional contribution for the country but undeniably there is a Rizal in all of us.
Works Cited:
· Guerrero, León Ma. 1998. “The First Filipino”. Manila: Guerrero Publishing
· POEA Statistics on Overseas Filipino Workers in South Korea 2010
· Villegas, Bernardo. Analyzing OFW Remittance: Manila Bulletin, 7 February, 2010
· Zaire, Gregorio, Rizal: life, works, and writings of a genius, writer, scientist and national hero. Manila: National Bookstore. 1984
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