Good morning Steemit family. I'm Rogelio Domingo Jr. from Pangasinan, Philippines. I was invited by my wife, @ajasmin14 to join this platform. I was hesitant at first, but when I saw that my wife was enjoying in steemit, I decided to join in. Let me tell you more about myself. I'm an ofw or an overseas Filipino worker and currently working as an HVAC technician in Qatar. I love to cook and sing. My specialty is Kare-Kare, it is a Filipino dish stew, cooked with thick peanut sauce and with a variation of oxtail and beef. 

![164859_181964955156690_7375994_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424413/zr4hqbynev4q2j9afk9y.jpg)

![1647_1103332056353304_1682938760710792408_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424405/wfwywuecbjpi8zjqgayd.jpg)

I started working abroad at an early age because our family belongs to the lower class society.  We live in a barrio or a small town with a small population, very far from the city. No cellphone signal and no internet. TV? Yes, there is but you need to find a good place to have a good reception. If I want to have a cellphone signal, I need to look for a good location in order for me to send a text message. This is the road going to our barrio where I live. Lots of farms, trees, mountains and plants.

![27951481_1806311462722023_1479321770_o.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424463/uez9txum12ayhduqqkrq.jpg)

![28343211_1817749394911563_62369385_o.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424477/f2lynplgb4emhnqikdrm.jpg)

![28407080_1817749264911576_1901636391_o.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424550/pkfoib5x5cah3hyuumed.jpg)

This is my sister's house. This is where I usually stay whenever I visit my hometown.

![28312645_1817748891578280_1237153097_o.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424665/sc5x537jzla8jxqbomyb.jpg)

My mom died at an early age. I was 10 years old that time. We are 5 in the family. I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers. I'm the second from the eldest child. So I grew up without a mother. My father was a farmer. So when we were kids, I never enjoyed being a kid because all we did was work, work and work in the farm. During my elementary years, me and my siblings usually walked 3 kilometers everyday in order for us to reach our school. I even remember some parts of my slippers were already torn because of walking everyday, three kilometers from our house going to school. Aside from that, I was an honor student for the whole elementary years. During my high school days, I was working on the farm at the same time studying. I didn't finish college because we don't have money to support my studies. That's the time I tried applying abroad.

![216104_208762175810301_6829081_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424747/krcqbw9drktvzkggtxca.jpg)

![385235_298432630176588_543689661_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424767/pxt7gvajo5u1q7rvgujr.jpg)

![295105_457950044224845_68343466_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424752/w7zg8drefkgokxm6yofb.jpg)

Our life before was really difficult. I remember those times before when we don't have food to eat in a day and water to drink. My siblings and I are already happy if we are able to eat one meal in a day. Sometimes we eat rice mixed with salt just to fill our stomachs. This really pushed me to work abroad and really strive hard to help my family.

![308635_272174699469048_1506748958_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424850/zwfb6p1212sow7jctayw.jpg)

![216104_208762179143634_3672005_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521424992/inrkdjibb653zchvw1y6.jpg)

I have two kids, Kiel, who is 3 years old and Ben who is 1 year old. I missed my  family so much.

![28576337_1828311657188670_1713894335235040009_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521425061/roagtzhi5q8arbwy4zyq.jpg)

![28576838_199812534105423_9056606519862271032_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521425080/pkythdbio8hjmwps8qyh.jpg)

![28783334_201267450626598_6988602033585118682_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521425088/ntp7zqxazffe3y93cuj4.jpg)

My father died last Jan.31 this year. It's been more than one month since he left us and I still missed him. He died due to stroke. I was still in Qatar when he died, one day before my departure in Qatar to have my vacation in the Philippines. He died last Jan 31 and my flight was Feb. 1. It hurts so much that I arrived in the Philippines with my father's lifeless body. I have so many pasalubong (presents) to give him but unfortunately, this happened to him. Nobody expected this to happen. It was so fast. He had a stroke last Jan.30 and he died the following day. I was in shock when I came to know this. I was really in tears. So I went home and arrived in the Philippines without my father to welcome me anymore. It was so painful, but I need to be strong for my family. 

![28906469_1865067560184262_1129268092_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521425161/phtj4xz56carvjykqlpo.jpg)

After my father died. I need to move on and faced reality. But in spite of what happened to my father, I feel so sad and at the same time happy because I have the chance to be with my family again and spend time with them. A lot of things happen for a reason and there are some things in life that we are not in control with. I still thank God for everything because He was there when I needed Him the most. Being an OFW is so difficult. There are a lot of sacrifices that I need to do. That's why every minute spent with my family is so important to me. I missed my family so much, especially my kids. They are my life. They are the reason why I'm working so hard. I need to sacrifice to be away from them for the meantime so that I can give them a good future. 

![27973038_1812308715455631_853350760654901251_n.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521425217/qd6txawqnolhn8gwoter.jpg)

That's all for my self- introduction. I know my introduction was long and a little bit dramatic hehehe. See you in my next post.