Colorful Group七彩集团（CG集团）I’m Aaron, from Jinan, Shandong, currently working in CG Group. After dropping out of junior high school, I worked everywhere until I witnessed a safety accident and decided to go abroad to work. I came to the Philippines with the help of a friend. I was dumbfounded when I got off the plane. I didn’t expect it to be so poor.
I was born in a rural family in Shangqiu, Henan Province, in 1996. I have an older brother and an older sister, and my ancestors have been farmers for generations. Although life was poor, the harmonious and friendly family environment did not make me feel deprived.
When I was in school, my grades were average, and I was not a top-notch kid. When I was in junior high school, many classmates and friends dropped out of school to work. They said that working was more interesting than going to school. So, after graduating from junior high school, I did not continue to study.
When I first started working in society, I didn’t know how to choose a job or what I liked to do. I would go wherever other people recommended me, and I would do whatever I was asked to do. If it was suitable, I would stay and work. I worked five or six jobs in total and finally settled down in an electrical factory.
At that time, the working environment of the electrical factory was very poor. It was not as advanced and intelligent as it is now. The factory was full of oil and iron filings from the lathe. In the summer, the workshop was unbearably hot. In a cramped environment, people can easily become impetuous and negative.
I also thought about changing a job, but due to age and education constraints, it is difficult to find an ideal job, so I have no choice but to endure here. However, after witnessing a safety production accident, I decided to leave the machine tool shop.
In 2018, with the help of a friend, I went through the relevant procedures for going to the Philippines to work. Individuals can travel to the Philippines to apply for a tourist visa. The documents that need to be prepared include original passport, photo, copy of ID card, and proof of company employment. The result will be available within 4-5 working days from the time it is submitted to the consulate. Now, if you don’t want to go out, you can search for a reliable visa agent on Taobao yourself. All in all very convenient.
When I got out of the airport, it was already midnight, but the lights in the Philippines were still dim. In the next few days, I felt the civilized city of the Philippines that integrates multi-cultural cultures. Here I touched the finest sandy beach in the world and received warm hospitality from the locals and the holy St. Augustine Church. Everything is full of a modern humanistic atmosphere, and the Philippines has many markets that are not yet saturated, and there are too many businesses developing. Opportunities make me yearn for life here, and I am determined to do something.
Soon I found a company called CG Group. My work in the CG Group was relatively smooth. I was helped by leaders, and my colleagues got along very well. I quickly became familiar with the work process and business in the company. In my spare time, I also chat and have dinner with my colleagues and occasionally visit my local colleagues’ homes. My wife, Shataji, and I met at a colleague’s house.
Here, I grew up slowly, the salary gradually increased from 2W to a lot, and the work was not tiring. Here, many Filipinos are very warm towards Chinese people. Even strangers will greet and hug me warmly when they see me and invite me to drink milk tea. At first, I was not used to it, and I am a shy person. I don’t know how to respond to their enthusiasm, and sometimes I feel very embarrassed.
When I learned about the culture and customs here, I learned to accept their invitations and respond with the same sincerity. The longer I live here, the more I can appreciate the respect and love of the Filipino people for their labour, which is rare in the world.