Dreams…
I came from poor and a product of broken family. When I was a young, my father left us alone to my grandparents. I was not able to see his face. Then, few years later my mom also left. She left my brother and me to my grandparent.
What is your dream? As a child, dream is something to be in the future. I remember my grandfather, he dreamt for me was to become a great sewer. But I don’t like it to become a sewer. I wanted to become a great teacher someday. Actually, when I played with my playmates, I used to be their teacher.
Dream to become a teacher changed into nurse. Why? There was one subject in high school which was Home Economics, and there was a topic that you would act as a nurse.
However, when I was about to finish high school there was a group of religious people came in our school and promoted their advocacy in religious as vocation. They hooked my interest in religious. Besides, one of my favorite subjects was religion. I admired our catechist, the way she taught religion and I had many questions about life and religion.
After graduation, I never plan to enroll in college because my grandparent was poor and they cannot afford to send me in school. Suddenly, a business card slipped on my things and I found the contact details of religious people who came in to our school before. I contacted them and they offered me scholarship in Dela Salle University-Cavite. The course offered was Religious Education, a two-year course. That time I was really curious about what is religious education. I grabbed the opportunity because that was the only time for me to go college. However, my grandmother doesn’t allow me but I pursued it. Until I met my parish priest in my hometown. He helped me pay the other miscellaneous fees in school. (Even though you applied as scholars, you still have to pay other fees.) My grandmother shouldered the transportation. It was really a hard time for me because the allowance was not enough. I thanked my professors who helped me in little way such as giving the copies of lecture for free and sometimes they gave me money for transportation when my budget was short. Even my classmates extended their hands for me. I was always stayed in the library especially during breaks because I have no money to buy food in the canteen. To ease hunger, I only ate candies. I remember, when one of my professors gave me a pair shoes even if not fit in my feet, I still accepted and thanked her.
Unfortunately, bad news came in. The parish priest who helped me had a car accident. When he was saying goodbye, I cried a lot. My dream to finish college was about to crashed. I quitted my school after a year. I tried to go in Manila to find my destiny. My best friend helped me to find a job. I worked full time for almost three years. When I have enough money, I tried to enroll in college again. I continued my studies as religious educator. I studied during day and worked at night as service crew. While being as working student I got serious illness. I had to tell everything to my grandmother. That was the time she helped me and I applied and passed the scholarship offered by the school.
Finally, the graduation came. I finished college as Bachelor in Elementary major in Religious Education. After getting job in a private school, few months later, I took the licensure examination for teacher. Luckily, I passed.
My dreams do not stop here. I planned to enroll in graduate programs or study abroad, continue to serve others by volunteering, be an active servant of God, and a benefactor of an institution someday. Additionally, travel around the world to see and experience the outside world.
December 2007
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