I practically spent most of my childhood up until I few years of my career life in the Mountainous areas of Benguet. The dazzling quite busy street of Baguio City. Way back then I dreamed to be working somewhere else where people practically never sleep. A place where I could challenge my capabilities as a person and of course professionally as well.
So I decided to find a job in Metro Manila. I am a typical ambitious probinsyano Igorot Boy, I dreamed to work in any offices at Ayala Avenue in Makati. Dreaming as a kid full of ambition, I dreamed of wearing those coat and ties. So when I applied in one of those Job Caravan in Baguio.
I am having fever when I was applying. Luckily I made it to the final cut. I got hired Saturday early morning and I have to start Monday Evening so I have to ask my mom that time to help me come up with a pocket money to start while working in Manila. Lucky enough, I am assigned in Ayala.
My mom told me to contact our relatives here in Metro Manila. So I am pretty excited, for me its a whole new experience. Finally, God gave me my dream to be working in a place I thought it would only be for a dream.
When the bus I am riding finally reached North Luzon Express Way, I suddenly realized that if I am going to stay with a relative, it would defeat my purpose of challenging myself to finally be independent. I suddenly decided to use the money I borrowed from my mom to use it in renting a house. I basically don't have anything but I knew I can make it and I knew I can succeed.
I reached Manila Monday afternoon. Tired and exhausted, I slept at the bench at Victory Pasay. It was really humid by then as I am accustomed to the cold weather but who cares I need to have some rest and as I need to attend my training at Etelecare to prepare me for the work. The lady guard woke me up and told me to vacate the area (maybe she's thinking I am homeless, which is true) I asked her to help me place my things at the luggage area and told her that I need to go to work.
Being homeless for at least a month, with very little money at hand somehow is really a roller coaster feeling. Eating at "Jolly Jeeps" along the streets of Ayala, sleeping in the company's sleeping quarter, bathing in a bus station. At some point in time, I am about to go and see our relatives but I hold off because I want to prove I can make it through.
Finally, I was able to find a place to stay at Fairview Quezon City with a friend from Baguio too. It is interesting because these experience made me value everything that I have. It made me realize that saying "I can't" is actually beneficial only if you have to do something on the situation I think I can't do. As a matter of fact, the realization came in late when I reflect back to what had transpired. I strive harder to fit in, I strive harder to be better that what I was used to be. The meaning of good LIFE for me has change when I finally had the chance to look back on those days when I chose to be homeless. Life is a matter of striving harder to make it better. There's no such thing as bad life or bad situation, it only becomes bad because of the attitude we put towards it.
Being Homeless is not a bad thing, staying homeless for the rest of your life is bad. Well, that's what I learned after looking back to the time when I decided to be homeless. I would say no one chooses to be homeless its just a matter of situation that brings them to a certain point of being homeless. I am lucky enough that somehow, I have a job and that I have something in my pocket to buy food. My homeless experience thought me on how to see the homeless on a different angle.
Being homeless gives me the courage to value all the things that I have and the people I am with.
So I decided to find a job in Metro Manila. I am a typical ambitious probinsyano Igorot Boy, I dreamed to work in any offices at Ayala Avenue in Makati. Dreaming as a kid full of ambition, I dreamed of wearing those coat and ties. So when I applied in one of those Job Caravan in Baguio.
I am having fever when I was applying. Luckily I made it to the final cut. I got hired Saturday early morning and I have to start Monday Evening so I have to ask my mom that time to help me come up with a pocket money to start while working in Manila. Lucky enough, I am assigned in Ayala.
My mom told me to contact our relatives here in Metro Manila. So I am pretty excited, for me its a whole new experience. Finally, God gave me my dream to be working in a place I thought it would only be for a dream.
When the bus I am riding finally reached North Luzon Express Way, I suddenly realized that if I am going to stay with a relative, it would defeat my purpose of challenging myself to finally be independent. I suddenly decided to use the money I borrowed from my mom to use it in renting a house. I basically don't have anything but I knew I can make it and I knew I can succeed.
I reached Manila Monday afternoon. Tired and exhausted, I slept at the bench at Victory Pasay. It was really humid by then as I am accustomed to the cold weather but who cares I need to have some rest and as I need to attend my training at Etelecare to prepare me for the work. The lady guard woke me up and told me to vacate the area (maybe she's thinking I am homeless, which is true) I asked her to help me place my things at the luggage area and told her that I need to go to work.
Being homeless for at least a month, with very little money at hand somehow is really a roller coaster feeling. Eating at "Jolly Jeeps" along the streets of Ayala, sleeping in the company's sleeping quarter, bathing in a bus station. At some point in time, I am about to go and see our relatives but I hold off because I want to prove I can make it through.
Finally, I was able to find a place to stay at Fairview Quezon City with a friend from Baguio too. It is interesting because these experience made me value everything that I have. It made me realize that saying "I can't" is actually beneficial only if you have to do something on the situation I think I can't do. As a matter of fact, the realization came in late when I reflect back to what had transpired. I strive harder to fit in, I strive harder to be better that what I was used to be. The meaning of good LIFE for me has change when I finally had the chance to look back on those days when I chose to be homeless. Life is a matter of striving harder to make it better. There's no such thing as bad life or bad situation, it only becomes bad because of the attitude we put towards it.
Being Homeless is not a bad thing, staying homeless for the rest of your life is bad. Well, that's what I learned after looking back to the time when I decided to be homeless. I would say no one chooses to be homeless its just a matter of situation that brings them to a certain point of being homeless. I am lucky enough that somehow, I have a job and that I have something in my pocket to buy food. My homeless experience thought me on how to see the homeless on a different angle.
Being homeless gives me the courage to value all the things that I have and the people I am with.
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