Filipino born in Saudi feels stranger at home

When Mohammed Hussein Dalinding of the Philippines left Saudi Arabia to his home country, he had thought he would feel better.

But, he was wrong as he felt as a stranger at home and is now struggling to return to the Gulf Kingdom.

Dalinding was born in Saudi Arabia to a man who works as a Muslim preacher in the eastern town of Ras Tanura.

His mother was a teacher at a private school before she and Dalinding, his brother and two sisters returned home in 2009.

Dalinding said he did not want to return to the Philippines because he was attached to Saudi Arabia and could not speak his mother tongue.

But he had to return with his family after his mother, who sponsored him, lost her job.

His father remained in Saudi Arabia and Dalinding’s last visit to him was nearly eight months ago.

He had tried to get a translator job in the world’s dominant oil power, but the salary was as low as SR2,000 a month.

“I was born in Saudi Arabia and I had stayed there for 18 successive years.

I love this country and I consider myself as Saudi. When I returned to the Philippines, I got a shock when I saw the people and had to mingle with them as I can not speak their language,” he told the Saudi Sabq newspaper.

“I did not know how to deal with them. My biggest problem now is that I feel homesick for Saudi Arabia. My country is Saudi Arabia not the Philippines. The Saudis are my people and I pray to God that a Saudi will sponsor me after I finish my studies in the Philippines so I can stay in the Kingdom permanently.”

Dalinding said he is studying dentistry and that he would graduate after three years.

“Thank God that there are some Saudi students in the same university. They all are my friends,” he said.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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