Downtown homes out of reach for migrant workers

The evenings are no better, with another two hours spent in bumper-to-bumper traffic just to get home. Family dinners are a rarity because, like many others, my wife and I are stuck in endless traffic, while our kids are tied up in extracurricular activities.

Our weekends offer little relief. We want to take the kids to visit their grandparents in the countryside, but Saturdays bring more classes, and by Sunday, we're exhausted from a week of commuting and working. Mentally, we're already preparing for the next week's responsibilities and expenses. We don't have the energy to visit our parents, and frankly, we don't want them to see us this worn out and stressed.

After years of city life, we finally managed to buy a home, but only with a massive loan covering two-thirds of the cost. Realistically, it might take a lifetime to repay, and it's hard not to feel trapped in a cycle with no escape. We're not the only ones. Countless people leave the countryside for opportunities in the city, only to find themselves burdened by a lifestyle that feels more like survival than living.

It raises an important question: What are we really pursuing here? Are we simply surviving each day in this fast-paced city? Why do people from suburban and rural areas have to migrate to urban centers for work, only to end up struggling? Shouldn't there be studies or solutions addressing this issue of job centralization in cities? While urban centers are overloaded, rural and suburban areas lack the jobs and opportunities needed to sustain their communities.

It's time to rethink the distribution of jobs and economic opportunities to relieve the pressure on cities and give those in suburban and rural areas a chance to thrive without having to uproot their lives.