I've been busy with a lot of things the past few weeks that I have no time to open my computer and write here. Most of the time I am online on Facebook Mobile only. Even my Twitter account remains silent, something that I really miss. But of course, I miss writing my thoughts here the most. I miss you, dear blogosphere.. I miss you cyberfriends as well. While I do not open my laptop at home that much, my computer in the office only knows a few sites -- Jobstreet and Monster. Even my personal email accounts remain untouched.
Now that I got home early, I found time to open this and update this blog as I know some of you would want to find out how I am now... you know, living an OFW life for the first time.
I've been here in Singapore since the 18th of February. The first week was spent processing my papers including my employment pass which I finally got 5 days after undergoing medical exams and personal appearance at the Ministry of Manpower. While waiting for my pass/card, I spent my free time meeting up with friends and trying out stuff that I haven't experienced when I was just a tourist here before. I realized that I have a lot of friends here that it won't be hard for me to survive. And yes, it is fun. Everything became so easy that once again, I believed in destiny.. that this is where I belong and this is where I could build my life.
When I started working, I realized that life really ain't that easy. There is no such terms as "learning curve" or "adjustment period" here. When you start working, they would actually expect you to deliver fast and smoothly. If some of you know how hard it is to be in the Human Resources department, particularly Recruitment in the Philippines, it's actually 100x more difficult here in Singapore. The market is tight, the standards are UNBELIEVABLE and the pacing is ridiculously rapid. There is no such thing as playing while working in here -- ALL WORK. No fun at all. I don't even have time to check on my mobile phone inside the office.
The first few days at work was a struggle. It's funny though coz I am always stressed but most of my colleagues find me tough. They say when they were starting they were always on the verge of quitting and crying most of the time. The whole team is composed of Filipina recruiters, by the way, something that most of us would be proud of coz the locals here find us hardworking and efficient.
It took me weeks before I finally became adjusted to my work and my boss, who is actually a "terror". Oh well, as they say, "learning the hard way". But it's nice that I continuously learn a lot from her no matter how many times I feel useless coz of the way she deals with me. All those 6 years that I spent recruiting in Manila have gone to waste the moment I started working with her. :D She might be ruthless for most of us (like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.. hahaha!) but I always try to see the brighter side -- she makes me want to work harder, smarter and to always prove my worth. And that's one thing I liked in her.
I work everyday, from 8:30AM to sawa (I go out of the office at 8 in the evening most of the time). After work I sometimes go out for a drink or tambay with friends (one friend goes to a school near my office and another friend lives nearby) or go home and do household chores. Just like now, I will resume washing my clothes and the dishes. I am not used to doing these chores coz back in Manila I have a helper (or sometimes more than one.. haha!) who does almost everything for me. My friends often make fun of me by taking my pictures doing household chores and posting them on internet with caption that says, "I miss my yaya :( " for my mom and siblings to see how I've grown as an adult. It's hard, but so far I'm enjoying this liberty and "growing up" that I am going through.
My then soft palms feel so dry and thicker now; my feet don't even get to taste spa/scrub and pedicure; my hair is dry and pimples are starting to grow; my hair seems to miss brush/comb a lot and my legs look bigger now due to a lot of walking and standing inside the bus or train...
I often feel ugly, tired and weary.. but despite all these, I feel proud of myself. I am happy where I am now. I may be missing a lot of things and people in Manila but I believe it's all worth it. After all, I constantly strive to be better, wiser.. and stronger that by the time I decide to go back to where I started I will be one tough woman. Even tougher than that AC some of you have known in the past. :)
