As the head of the family, I urge my wife, who also works overseas, and children to gather for a video chat after work. After months of initiating it, now it has become a habit. Even though sometimes we run out of words, just seeing them doing their things on screen makes me feel happy and at ease. Social media helps us communicate, connect, and bond. It teaches us to show our love and care despite long distances. Adapting to this new normal and levelling up with the new technologies help us to survive. It reminds us to have faith that we all will be together again with our family one day.
— Nolie Añosa
One good thing most of my friends and I are experiencing is that through social media, we as parents can easily help and cooperate in the school activities and the homework of our children. We can give suggestions in problem-solving and guide them in their daily tasks as students. We can support them in their growth though we are far from them. We are updated about our families back home through video calls and text messages. Communication is easy, and life is more enjoyable as we get in touch with our loved ones. There is a more profound and closer bonding between my children and me.
— Teresita Binlingan
I use social media to update my family members’ whereabouts and communicate with them even though we are miles away. In this way, I can still feel them beside me despite our distances. Social media gave us time with our family to bond, talk and share thoughts anytime and anywhere.
I also use video calls to see and talk to my family in my free time to lessen the feeling of missing them.
— Anne Marie Bonaoy
I have created a private group chat room so every family member can get involved in the face-to-face conversation. We make sure that we will set aside some time to do the video call every week since some of the members are in different time zones. Every day we share updates about our activities. A simple question about how everyone is doing is an important move to remain close to our family. Also, by sharing trusted, informative, and educational videos about different issues in our country about health, spirituality and others, we are helping one another to face this pandemic. During our video calls, there are always funny moments and spontaneous conversations. We also reminisce about our way of living before, our journey, and those struggles. We laugh about our childhood experiences, the memory we will cherish and talk about repeatedly.
— Noreen Bricia
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
As an overseas worker, social media is a big help for me to maintain a close relationship with my family, so I always make sure I can access the Internet to send them messages whenever I miss them. When it’s my holiday, I always make a live video and sing songs. I will ask my family members what songs they like, and I will sing them for them. Giving them a shout out will also make them feel loved. I will also remember to greet them on their birthdays or special occasions.
— Rhodora Mabaquiao
Creating a designated group chat for our family members and scheduling video calls are two ways to preserve and deepen our relationships, so that we can stay in touch when the world is in the grip of a pandemic. Every night, I had a delightful time talking with my mother who is also an overseas worker, and we talk like there’s no tomorrow as I reveal my future goals with her.
— Kirstie Lyxinne Sasutil
