Metamorphosis: A Lucenahin’s Job Seeking Journey

Posted on Oct 4, 2015

Photo of students in caps and gowns who have just recently graduated from college.
Photo by Joshua Poh

Time check, its seven o’clock in the morning,

I haven’t heard my mom’s voice yet. I used to have a bad habit of waking up too early for school. Since I live in a city, we don’t have a rooster to wake me up to catch a big worm, but, thanks to my mom’s ear-piercing voice, I manage just fine. Well, of course every student has the same dilemma as mine after hours of reading, writing and studying; but mine is much nerve-racking. It’s never been easy to get high grades and maintain your scholarship, even more making your parents proud of you.

“Five minutes,” I told myself before leaving my favorite place at home, my bed. All of a sudden, I saw a photo hanging on my wall, it’s a graduation picture. “Wait, that’s me!” I realized I just graduated yesterday so that’s the reason why no one’s waking me up. I began to pray; it’s my morning routine.

Yesterday’s graduation ceremony was a blast. It’s one of the most memorable days in a person’s life. Photographers are everywhere; there are unlimited group selfies of families, friends, professors, and batch mates, and overflowing tears of joy in every parent’s eyes – and the best part of it was realizing that you have survived for four or five years in college. The celebration, food, and non-stop party were indeed happy memories.

Afterwards, I started looking at my face in the mirror. Yes, finally, I am now a bachelor’s degree holder. This is just one step towards the thousands of steps that I would be taking as I face a new chapter of my life. Looks exciting, right? It’s adventure time! It’s time to make my dreams come true. What am I supposed to do? It sounds kinda like the melodramatic lines that we hear on radio, see on TV, and simply witness with our own eyes in our neighborhood, but I’m pretty sure all of you can relate to this.

Take a deep breath and close your eyes for a while. Imagine the person you wanted to be after five years. Now, do you see yourself in a suit and tie? How about a classy skirt or dress? How about your dream job? Do you see yourself dealing with patients in hospitals or a client in an office? Way back then, I wanted to be a nurse, a flight attendant, and a physical therapist. I wanted to travel around the world, heal sick patients with my helping hand, but my family had a financial problem. That’s why I took up a course with a scholarship slot, and luckily, I was able to make the most of the opportunity.

I have always had this unexplainable passion in writing. During my elementary and high school days, I enjoyed contributing articles to our school paper. Some people think that I am weird, strange, mysterious, or a so-called out of this world earthling; but for me, writing is like sharing a story that needs to inspire people. I applied in many companies that were hiring as much as I could – perhaps around twenty of them or even more than that?

At first, it was exciting. I felt so eager to have my dream job, but failures and rejections ate at my confidence and strength as the days passed by. It was really one of the toughest parts of being a fresh graduate. Some of the employers have this way of thinking that new graduates could not pass their standards for logic, critical thinking, professionalism, and time management.

Several months have already passed and I was really depressed over applying, going to interviews, grooming myself, and wearing dresses and high heels. I even became unhappy realizing that I am not making my family proud of me anymore. My friends and batch mates have easily gotten hired. I began to ask myself what’s wrong with me. Is it my physical appearance, attitude, or is it just because my TOR and diploma — which were parts of the requirements — have not arrived yet? It was a rollercoaster ride; therefore, I needed to have my seat belt a little bit tighter. I almost wanted to give up, but through the help of faith, determination, and my loved ones, I still continued.

I went to Manila to try my luck in job seeking. At first, I was really amused by the establishments, food, and opportunities around. As a Lucenahin, I never thought that our lifestyle is so different from theirs. For a month while I was staying in Manila, I was culture-shocked and home sick. From that moment, I realized the true meaning of being a Lucenahin – which is wherever you go, there is always a space in your heart that belongs to Lucena City. So, I decided to go home even though I had a job opportunity waiting for me, but I have no regrets at all, for today I am now a writer in an online magazine. I might have liked other places, their food, and their fashion trends, but my hometown would always be my forever love. There is no other place that could offer fresh air, bright sunny days, native food, and Filipino culture than Lucena City – and for that, I am so proud to be a Lucenahin.