So much has changed since I received my diploma and took on the role of a young professional (awkward as it sounds). I graduated two years behind schedule but the delay and its trappings were all worth it. Well, almost all were worth remembering.
A year ago today I was walking along Hibbard Avenue all the way from my dorm in Bantayan to blog about how simply and quietly I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I had just graduated from the college of comfort zones and long-term friendships, so the effects of unemployment had not yet trickled down to where it would then settle several months later.
I spent the summer of 2008 in Dumzville reading countless books, watching movie after movie, and sleeping like a sloth on a clear sunny day when I could've stayed outdoors to enjoy the last of Dumaguete landscape. Back then I was set on leaving town and moving on to the next city to start over. I was afraid I'd grow to hate the place if I stayed longer than I ought to. So I packed my things, sold my treasures, and migrated to Cebu.
June came and as the student populace compared each other's schedules, I was deep in my ears in newspapers and wanted ads, of print outs of edited and re-edited resumes. I was living the life of a hermit not because I was a natural born loser but because my funds were running low. My sponsor (a.k.a. my father) was cutting off my supply of financial oxygen so I had no choice but to hold my breath a little longer.
After quite a million job interviews, unfavorable job offers, and a call center experience that only lasted for five days, I landed a job at Robinsons Land's Housing Division in Cebu. They probably needed someone cheap to deal with government officials so here I am, a freakin' Business Development Specialist, hired despite my inexperience. But before I was able to jump for joy for being so damn lucky, I realized that my boss was not the approachable angel I first thought she was. Simply put, everyone tiptoes in her presence because she just wasn't the nicest of individuals.
Almost seven months on the job and I'm still learning, hoping to be able to master the rigors of government interactions and the art of compromising. I've gained new friends and acquaintances, learned the need to let loose in order to stay sane, and realized the importance of "just chilling". I've shared laughs and shed tears, swallowed my pride and choked back on missing too much.
A year ago today I was happily celebrating the end of term papers and school reports. I was twenty-three years old and getting ready for employment. I wonder what changed, apart from my having a job and living in a city more expensive that the ones I was used to. I still have my dreams but I guess they're more realistic now and are more reachable than when I first drew them in my head.
Anyway, I fear that this has become too emo to handle and this isn't how I want my birthday blog to sound like. Hopefully though, by next year, I'd be writing about how happily I've immersed myself in the arts and freely traveling to the paradise of my dreams.
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kahilakon lagi kong ga basa ani...
Aiken said...
April 29, 2009 at 10:02 PM