Marc C. Roldan

Full Name: Marciano C. Roldan
Nickname: Marc
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Civil Status: Married
Location: California, US.
Occupation: Project Engineer
Years Spent Abroad: 10
E-mail Address: marcroldan@aol.com

I would admit that when I was very young, it was truly my fervent desire to be able to rise above from the condition of life that I grew up. But during those days, working overseas is not really "in", since I thought dollar rate was only at P12, so I can't remember any single thought of me working outside of the country. My primary objective then was only to have a degree, get a stable job and raise my own family. Unfortunately, attaining the first objective is bleak to me, since I knew my parents don't have the financial capability to send me thru college. There were vocational schools in my hometown offering technical courses, which my parents could afford, but I'm sure that was way below the goal I have set for myself.

I do believe in big dreams and I knew I have the great determination to achieve it. I'm the youngest from a brood of 6. The fourth and fifth siblings in the family were able to complete each own college degrees too, as product of really hard work but not on the conventional time frame regular student do.

In my senior year in high school, I always kept my eyes and ears open, for possible scholarship, grants or opportunities to go to big universities or colleges in the city. When I took the one and only scholarship examination I was able to apply, my focus is so clear that I can have it. I was so devastated upon learning that I didn't make it there.

With the ultimate resources available, my parents hesitantly sent me to one of the big universities in Manila. I was able to convinced them, telling that they didn't have to pay for my tuition fee since I would be enjoying the high school salutatorian "no tuition" grant. I knew I did my very best, but it wasn't good enough for me to maintain the minimum GPA required for the free tuition status. So I have to find other means to go on. Thanks, my GPA qualified for the "study-now-pay-later" government program. There comes my first objective, earning Mechanical Engineering degree.

Being always an opportunity seeker, I got a full time job in one of the GFI's on my last year in college, armed with a Civil Service eligibility. Immediately after graduation, I was already looking forward to be transferred to the appropriate department at the company, when my college's dean asked me to take over immediately the teaching load of one instructor who quit. I accepted the offer, but it was a shocked for me, since I thought I was not really prepared to do the job, handling mostly mechanical engineering subjects, at the same time having my board review classes. I accepted another teaching term, while waiting for my board examination results. Upon learning that I passed the board exam, I started to look for work opportunity in the industry. I was able to land at one of the premiere engineering/construction company in the country. I got my second objective.

I had a stable job, so I got married. Right on the first year of having my own family, I realized that the chance of having our own house is next to impossible. The combined salary of me and my wife just barely meet the monthly expenses we had, and my desire of giving financial help to my parents had to be on hold. We were both degree holders, then.

Two months before our first baby's due date, when I decided to join the OFW club. After realizing that my wife had to have CS delivery, I signed-up to work in Saudi Arabia for an Italian engineering/design firm based there. It was really hard for me, while most parents would be so anxious to see their first child, I went away instead. But I knew every Filipino would understand the logic behind it. My first vacation was due on 2 months time, when the Gulf war started. Thanks, I was allowed 2 months earlier to take annual home leave. But no thanks to the war too, I did not come back to Saudi Arabia anymore, losing a good career ahead and the financial reward it provided me.

The past 10 months working with other nationals such as Italians, Indians, Egyptians, Thais, and others, honed me to be a confident practicing engineer. In less than 2 months off from work, I signed up for another overseas contract in Singapore. Twice I was able to bring my wife and son for tour and vacation there. I stayed for 3 years in Singapore, and then was offered a job in Malaysia, where after a year, I decided to settled back home.

Leaving a good offer back in Malaysia did not stop me to accept a low paying job at a Japanese design/engineering/construction firm based in Manila, while in the process of personally supervising the construction our own house. My intention was to be able stay together with my family for good, without interruptions. After a little more than 2 years of working in Manila, there was this great news that a new member of the family is soon to come. Eventually, too I was sent to Japan on intra-company visa on that same month. It was financially rewarding though, to be assigned overseas again, but the my idea of returning home after being an OFW for some time, was defeated. I stayed for almost 2 years Japan, taking short home leaves every six months and during the arrival of our second baby.

When I came back to our Manila office, I got bored with the pace of my career in the company, so we had a tour to California last summer of 2000, my wife and I surveyed the possible job opportunities there. For the rest of 2000, we prepared for our move to the U.S., selling our car, appliances, and everything but our house. I tendered my resignation after completing 5 yrs at the company. My whole family moved here in California last March 2001.
Currently I am having a work visa with an Architectural/Engineering company, while waiting for the approval of the immigrant petition for us by the same.

Though we decided to come here, we left our hearts back in the Philippines. Literally and figuratively, our most treasured home is still awaiting for us back there. We are teaching and talking to our kids with Pilipino culture and the most cherished language we know. They still talk to us with "po" and "opo". We are aware of the possibility of our children copying the American culture here, but we believe that, it depends on the upbringing of the parents to their children.

Now, I'm looking forward on short term to bringing my parents at least for a tour here in the U.S. before they even leave us for good. And on the long term, then returning and refurbishing our home back there, with the material things we can pull together, while waiting for my 2 kids to grow up get their respective university degrees here. Who knows my son and daughter may be able to go to Harvard, Yale or the least at UCLA.

(P.S. The writer grew up in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro. Had his freshman at UST-Science BS Microbiology, and then shifted to BSME at TIP-Manila.)

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