What I Want To Be
I grew up with a family of eight. My father, mother, and my five siblings. We’re not rich, but we’re not the poorest either. My father has no permanent job, he did handicrafts made up of “tilob” an indigenous materials found in Quezon province, and “uway”, I don’t know if what uway are made up of, since my father is no longer here, I can not ask him about it. If there is no handicraft, my father used to go with the power saw operator who cut coconut trees for making coco lumbers, he is the one who carry those heavy coco lumbers from linang, the far place where coconuts grow, riding in a horse, going to a main roads then the coco lumber will be brought to the truck for delivery. This kind of job is so difficult. My mother helps my father in making handicraft but because they have six children, my mother can’t help my father sometimes because of many chores. She does washing our clothes, cooking, cleaning, taking care of us and everything in our house.
When I was in high school, I knew that I have to study hard so that I can help my family to have a good life. During my senior years, I decided to myself that when I go to college, I will took up mass communications. I was very fond of watching documentaries in the television. It made me happy when I see some very good news casters, I want to be like them a lot.
But when the time comes, my father told me that he cannot afford to send me in a private school because he has no permanent job, “I can only send you in a private school”, my father said. I was so sad that time because there is no mass communication in that private school. But then, I had to understand my parents. I said I will help you, I will work while studying, but my parents refused because they said that even though I can help them, it will not be enough because of the big expenses in tuition, boarding house rent, water and electric bills, projects and other miscellaneous expenses. Because of that, I decided to enroll in the said public school. I took up AB Psychology, and since I didn’t like the course, I was not happy with my decision. I didn’t feel the enjoyment of being a student. After two years of going to college, I quit.
My parents was so sad, specially my father. He got mad at me. He told me that I will be the one who is in charge of everything in the house as the punishment for my decision. He said he won’t allow me to go out with my friends.
Months passed and my routine never changed. Until one day I decided to go to Laguna to apply for a job. I was employed in garments factory as a warehouse helper. I was the one who counted the accessories that will be put on in a dress like the buttons, hooks and others, then it will be brought in the subcontractors. My daily pay is about 118 pesos. I have a friend there who told me to come along with her in applying to a ball pen company. I was hired and I resigned in the garments factory. My salary there is quite bigger. Then another friend told me that applying in electronic company is much better so I tried to. In all fairness, I was hired in the said company. I stayed there for almost eight years.
During my stay there, I had my own family, when I delivered my youngest one, which is the third, my husband let me stop my job so that I can take care of our kids, also my eldest will be going to his first schooling.
Now that my children are grown ups, I told them to study hard. We will support them in what the want to do. Follow what your heart desires. I was regretful now that I didn’t finish my college. Yes, I want to be a news caster but we cannot afford to, the least I could do maybe is to finish my course even I did not love it. I always tell to myself, maybe if I finish my schooling, our life would be better.
