Nat - the older twinLast week, one of twins (the older one, Nat) graduated with a degree in IT. Of course my mother had tears of joy. If my father is still alive, he’d have more tears than my mother. Of course, his dream was for all his kids to finish college, after which bahala ka na sa buhay mo.

Next year, the other twin will be graduating too with a degree in Marine Engineering. How’s that with a father who was a jeepney driver? ;) Well…he had big dreams even if he had a hole in his pocket. The very reason I was sent to college, was not only so I can have a better life later, but also so that my siblings can have a shot at college too.

Well…his dreams are coming true. Nat asked me: Ano na gagawin ko ngayon Ate? Well…sabi ko: welcome to the world of the unemployed. Maghanap ka ng trabaho! It is easier these days because you can apply online. When I started, me and my classmates had to walk inside the Canlubang Industrial Estate to give our resumes to the guard. Of course, they won’t let you in, you didn’t have an appointment, so you gotta have to deal with the guard at the gate. And who can forget? I don’t buy newspapers…but I buy the Sunday Edition of The Manila Bulletin just to check out the job ads. Consequently, I sent all sorts of job application by snail mail!

The first ones really never had it easy. These days as long as you have a computer and an internet connection, you can hunt jobs while sitting down, even if you do not have money for jeepney or bus fare.  So now he is job hunting and already went to a few interviews.I will personally kick his butt, just so to prevent him from being a bum!

Gary (brother number 1) on the other hand is having trainings  in Manila. When he boards a ship in June, he’ll be a 3rd mate already. He promised to resume house building once he is aboard. Gary passed the UPCAT too. He was supposed to take BS Math at UP Baguio. But since he is such a baby, he couldn’t take to be that far away from home. He instead enrolled at B.U. in Legaspi for Electrical engineering, since most of his high school friends are there. After a year he had to stop. Only one of the twins took the UPCAT but didn’t pass. He he…enough said, magagalit ang kambal! ;)

With me in UPLB, my parents were having all sorts of financial problems. Sabi ni Mama: ang baboy nakatayo, pero ang pera wala na! It was that difficult. So Gary stopped school and for two years did all sorts of farm work. This brother of mine, is like our Papa. He cannot sit still doing nothing. He was Papa’s understudy for carpentry, electricity and in feeding the chickens and pigs. He was even better than Papa because Papa cannot do copra and rice field. Gary can and Gary did. When it was time to go back to school, he shifted to Marine Transportation. Mag seaman daw sya para maraming pera. He is that practical. He wants to be a captain of course…from 3rd mate to captain it is not such a long way to go. One day, I know it’s gonna happen.

So where does that leave me? I’ll be Mama’s caregiver of course and will be the recipient of all the dollars my brothers are going to send home! ;-) Ha ha ha. Seriously, I wanna go back to school. One year more to go, and I will. Abangan ang susunod na kabanata!