Calluses: This is the evidence of my hard work

We have different mindset and thinking of how we look others if they are hardworking or not. Basically, when someone is rich and wealthy, we thought that they are hard working people. People who have been used the time properly and wisely. But how about those people in the bottom, like me, or us? What's the symbolism of average and poor people being a hard working?

I still remember when I was young, since I grew up in farm I know the hard work my parents, grandparents and neighbors. Whenever they are cultivating the farm field, I noticed the hard skin in their palms. Sometimes it was big or small. It also depends on the area where it mostly used. I asked my parents about it. Why they have something like that in their hands?

They didn't answered me, but they smiled. The smile I know which has a very deep meaning. I never questioned them about callus anymore since then. However, I asked my grandparents about it. I am still a kid so I didn't understand where it comes from. All I know is about warts which I had in the very first when I was six. I didn't know where my warts came from though.

Sad reality of being a worker under the sun

If you don't know, working in the construction is very hard. You have to endure the heat which penetrates your skin. It has a high heat factor as well in our body and it really drains you inside out. I worked in the construction for a while as an extra job. My grandpa is working as on-call constructor and all-around carpenter. He has his own men as well, but sometimes if the project will need more manpower. He will contact and hired me.

As of now, I have been with my grandpa in the construction for about 4 years now. Yes, just an extra job which pays you good. PHP500 (USD9.57) per day is not bad at all. Sometimes, to finish the whole house, I will be with them for a week or two which means I can earn enough money and save it. I still remember the highest amount I earned is about PHP7500 for 15 days. However, although it pays good like this, we cannot deny the fact that they don't have government support like SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-Ibig.

It means after they retire, they will not received a pension which is truly sad. Yet, it will not happen if they will contribute as early as possible to those mentioned government mandated benefits. In addition, can you imagine how much callus they hand on their palms and feet? Have you seen one of the their hands? If you don't, then you can't understand and imagine what I am describing now. I truly wish that these people deserved recognition as well.

These are my hands after all

What you are looking now is my left hand after working in the construction. Yes, my hand is quite red and I have three calluses there. It wasn't big here, but when I woke up in the morning. It became bigger and clearer. The calluses were in my hands for a week or so. It didn't fade away unless you trim it or apply some ointments to reduce it bit by bit.

This is my right hand which is always been severely affected whenever I work in construction. Do you see the greenish yellow in the left side? That's the worst kind of callus I don't want to have. They last so long and it quite hurts. I'm so proud of myself whenever I look at to the house we build because in these little hands. There is a family waiting to set their things and created memories in the house which eventually will be called home soon.

What my professor told me

I would like to share what my professor told us before. He was our professor last semester and he was cool. I admired him very much because of his teaching consistency and ability to understand our problems. One time, he mentioned that his family's livelihood is to mine gold. Yes, the real gold. If you are thinking that they are rich, no! They are working in the mines and digging the land themselves.

It was truly a definition of hard work. They digged the land for about 15 to 20 times deeper an average human height combined. That's how deep they dig every night to excavate and get gold. At the very end, it's worth it. He said that they can earn up to PHP40,000 (USD765) every time they do that. The challenge about this is, they can't breath properly underground because they are too deep. The oxygen is very limited that's why they are rotating every hour.

You don't have to work hard if you can work wise. What I mean is, if you are working as factory worker and earning PHP373 per day. And if you can teach online earning PHP120 per hour, where do you think is better? Of course, in the online teaching. I am applying for a new job, just an extra job this summer. It's online teaching tutorial which one of my professors manage. Let's see what will happen next.

Thank you for reading!