So I’ve taken a gig that eventually came to be known as “The Cabanatuan Job” (CBJ) last April 13th, much to the chagrin of certain people in my life. Even I’ve got to admit, it really is terrible timing; I mean, everybody’s off enjoying their summer vacation and graduation hoorah’s while I’m off in what my friend calls “The Land of the Batotay’s” with an erratic schedule.
Yes, for the second year running, I am now unreachable for the months of April and May. Last year I spent my summer months inside the walls of the UST College of Nursing, being bombarded and pressured from all sides possible to prepare for the June Nursing Licensure Exam. And now I’m here inside the walls of Nueva Ecija College of Nursing, not as a student but as a review center staff.
Why am I doing it, you ask? Well for one thing, a certain medical center still hasn’t called and I’ve basically lost all hope. Also, and this is mainly it, I do need the money. I’ve been living as a bum for almost a year now and I’ve run out of cash. And no, I really don’t want to ask my parents for money; I’ve been too much of a burden already.
I said yes to the CBJ because of that New Year’s Resolution of mine to say yes to any and all opportunities that cross my path this year. I guess this gig landed on my lap for a reason: it was offered to me not by a close friend, not even by a former classmate, but by a fellow top-notcher in the June 2008 exams, Janelle. The CBJ was supposed to be Janelle’s gig, but as luck would have it, that certain medical center contacted her already (even though she only submitted her resume to that certain medical center last February) and she needed to find a proxy for the CBJ.
And it was really very nice of her to offer it to me because now that I’ve had time to ponder over the subject, I really did need this gig. I needed the distraction and I needed the feeling of being useful. Let’s face it, had I caved into my fears of the unknown I still would be at home, in front of the computer all day and ruminating on the ‘what if’s of being part of that certain medical center.
Putting the final issue aside, it’s basically a new experience. I mean, I get to meet new people, in the form of the students and in the form of the other review coordinators. I get to live away from home once more, and even though I know I’ve kind of taken my family for granted for this job, I take this as something of a practice-test for the real deal when I finally land that oh-so-coveted hospital job.
What’s most fulfilling of all is the fact that I get to really talk with former professors of mine. I’m very much overwhelmed by the difference in the way they speak with me now, their former student. They divulge more information than I ever thought they would; sometimes even more than I’d care to know.
So the bottom line is, for all of you who are wondering how I’m doing, I am doing fine. I’m still alive and kicking, and most importantly, I’m enjoying myself.
