Life of a Working Student

I was once a working student before way back in my high school days. It was a challenging moment of my life not because I work, I am already used of working in other people's house. It is because I work while I study and this would mean I am doing two things at a time. Working while studying was not an easy job. It required me to do so many things without leaving my study behind.

How I become a working student?

When Father got his operation, which I had shared it here through the article about health awareness, we stopped our study since father needed to rest for three years in order for him to fully recover from his operation. Since father was resting, this means no one would be working to provide our needs. Mother was the one taking care of father, assisting all his needs. So, as children, we need to attend our needs for the family. All four siblings worked for the family. After two years father insisted that I should go back with my study for me not to be left behind and for me not to fully lost my interest to study. I follow what father wanted but I become a working student so that it will not be hard for father to attend my daily needs as a student. That time my teacher needed an assistant in the house since her mother-in-law got operated and she most not do laborious things. I need to assist her needs and do the basic household chores. I stayed there for two years up until I graduated my high school years. As much as I and my teacher wanted me to stay but they can't afford me to send to a University because my teacher and my in-law was staying in the same house and my teacher was the one providing all the needs in the house because her in-law stopped working that time because of her operation. Plus my teacher's husband didn't had a job yet.

I was so thankful that I got to experience working while studying with them. It is because they are very kind to me. They treat me like their family member and they did not give me hard time in my stay there. Not like other working students that I got to know that they were being maltreated with the people they had been working while they study. But as of me my life as a working student was good. Though I got to attend few things for me to become also a good working student. I got to doubled my hard work and do my best to not left out other things either my study or my job.

My life as a working student rotate with this things.

Wake up early for the water

Since the water in the area wasn't that good that time. I need to wake up early around 2 o'clock in the morning to stuck all the container available for our daily consumption. It would provide us for almost everything, taking a bath, cooking, washing dishes and clothes and cleaning he house. So, I will make sure I don't neglected it since it was part of our basic needs. This would cause me sleep less nights since I got to wake up early and would prefer not to go back to sleep because I don't want to missed the time and afraid if so, would end up not prepare our breakfast and would not go to school. So, in need to stay up until sun rise and continue my job.

Food preparation

This is a bit challenging for me since I need to cook the food that would suit with their taste. Every morning I cooked for breakfast and prepare the table since my teacher and I would be off to school. During lunch it's very rare that we prepare food to eat especially viand because we just buy something for the lunch everytime. Mostly I prepare the dinner for us and eat together in the table. The food must be like by everybody thus gave me pressures. So, what I will do is that I would always asked them what they wanted me to cooked and how they prefer it to be serve. In that way I wouldn't have a hard time.

Go home early

Every after school I made sure I went home right away. Sometimes I went home with my teacher, other times I went home alone. I need to go home early for I would prepare the food and make sure the house is clean.

Clean the house

I am grateful that their house is not that big so it's not that tiresome spending time cleaning. My scheduled for cleaning was every weekend since I will be in school during week days. Though there were few things to clean everyday such as sweeping the yard and inside the house. Fixing the room, the dinning area, bathroom and the kitchen. I would make sure I maintained cleanliness at all time.

Wash the clothes

I washed clothes every weekend too. It's not that tiresome too because I used washing machine in washing. A bit tiresome because we are six members in the house who changed clothes everyday, seven days a week.

Iron the clothes

My scheduled in ironing was every Sunday. Ironing is quite easy for me but the hard things is that I need to stand up for few hours to finished my job. And the sad thing is that I should prepare dinner right after ironing that would mean indulging my hot hands in the water. (Pasma is real 🥴😅)

Attend the needs of the members in the house

Aside from the chores I also needed to attend few needs in the house such as:

• Baby's need

My teacher had a one year old baby that time, and I would be attending her needs when her Nanny is out and gone home. Or sometimes if she's in her weekly day off, which is every Sunday. I am the one who will feed her, dressed her, bathed her, sung and dance her to sleep, played with her and many more.

• In-law's need

As I told you earlier, my teacher's mother-in-law had an operation I needed to attend her need and assist her with few things. It's not hard though because she's still capable of doing things, it's just that I need to make sure that she won't do laborious task such as pitching water or carrying huge things.

• Teacher's needs

My teacher asked me to assist her of few school works such as checking of assessments, recording and writing grades in the school cards. I enjoyed doing it though but it add my tasked and job as a working student.

• Pets' need

Aside from the humans needs in the house, there were also pets who needs my attention and my services. Feeding them, walking, and bathing were few of my job from them that required my time and effort.

Attend my needs

As a human being I got to attend my needs too. I made sure there where nothing left behind and I cover all, from personal needs up to my studies.

• Personal needs

My personal needs is as important as my other needs. And I made sure I wouldn't neglected it. I always made sure that I am clean and healthy for me to attend my other needs. It is very much important to have time with my self in order for my to continue what I started. One of the personal need that I got to attend was my faith. As a daughter of God, i need to attend my soul's need, making sure to listen the Holy Gospel and receive the Holy Eucharist every Sunday. It is as important as all the other aspect of my life. So, I need to make sure I put time and effort of doing so. It is necessary for me to continue my journey.

The other personal need that I got to attend also is my parents. As a daughter to my parents, I need to have time to visit them. After attending the mass, though it's not everytime, I made sure I visit my parents and asked them how's they're doing. Catching up with few things and spending time with them.

Closing thoughts

That's how my life goes as a working student before. Did you wonder where my study time was? Why I wasn't mentioning it? It's because it's always in between those different duties I performed I incorporate my study. When I wake up to stuck water, I am studying while waiting to all the container to be filled in. After I filled all the container I don't go back to sleep because as I said I am afraid if I could sleep soundly and couldn't prepare breakfast. So instead of going back to sleep, I study. While preparing the food, I study. While doing the chores, I study. After doing all the chores before I sleep I study.

That's how a life of a working student. It's just so busy and full but you need to manage all of that for you to not left anything behind. It should be balance. Those times teached me how to have a good time-management skills. Yes, it's hard but because of it I survived my college days. Maybe it's a way of God preparation for what's about to come in my life. I do believe even right now, with the sluggish growth I had with almost everything, God is preparing me of what's about to come. Maybe not now but soon. In Jesus name.

Let's always remember that in every situation there is a hidden purpose. Don't be too focus with the hardships. Focus on who you can be and what you become along the process.

Thank you so much for reading.

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Thank you to my sponsors and friends. God bless and more success to come.

I appreciate you all. I love you 🥰😘