Overall, hanging-out even for just 1 day in a week is a great thing for the Filipinos here as it gives them a little bit of the Philippines somehow.

And eventhough the Philippines is just an hour away via the China Sea, not seeing your family & loved ones makes it feels as if it's on the other end of the world & that the 2-3 year contract here seems to be an eternity!

I'm sure that's also how the Mexicans in the Southwest U.S. feels. Their country is just a border away yet a lot of them can't go back till they get settled in the U.S. which takes much longer than 2-3 years!