Work at home

MYdiplomat-friend concluded after he saw me at the lone bar stool. It was a rare exchange after 5 years when we were just some nervous examinees taking the three-day written exams at the DFA Auditorium. In our corner, he would lecture about the intricacies of geopolitics and international law…in Spanish. He would tell us his trips to Europe and his adventures in Africa. Somehow, there was an urge in him to show his excellent academic background and intellectual superiority. He became a diplomat, and I didn’t. Today, his ego dictates that he should remind me of what I am missing.

I dreamed of his path before. After some lucky scholarships in some few Asian countries, I was inspired to take and qualify for the Foreign Service Examinations. For some reason, I always fail to go past the final toast – almost always near the final stage to get that rubber stamp. Perhaps; I was too young, too immature, too reactive and too deviant for that structured work which is designed for the foreign corps. One night, I finally let that dream go.

Before that, and before I became a community leader, I also applied for the PDEA examinations after passing the PNP Eligibility exams (though I was a licensed teacher then). That is why my father (when he was still alive) jokingly teased that I do not really know my direction. “Pananutem nga usto gamin ah ti kayat mu! (Think hard of what you really want!)”, he would remind me every day. Those words, unfortunately, fell on deaf ears. I took law school for 7 years, simultaneously with my Masters for 5 years, and some other unrelated courses even after I completed my Bachelor’s degree.

“You know what, there is a desk job at a United Nations Affiliate office that I can help you with…” my diplomat-friend encourag-