"What do you want to be when you grow up?" was a very common question I got as a child, and my answer has always been the same: Medicolegal.
I'm an only child, so growing up, I was really close to my parents. I guess that's among the reasons why it was easy for me to find such a dream even at a young age.
When I was young, my mom had already been sickly. She has a heart problem and was often suffering from migraine back then. Witnessing her condition made me want to become a doctor.
I want to take care of my mother and other people was often my reply to why I want to become a doctor.
Aside from my goal of taking care of my mom, I wanted to keep my father safe, which is why I also wanted to be a lawyer. He used to be in the Philippine Constabulary, which was later merged with the National Police.
He wasn't usually home because of work, but whenever it was his day off, he made sure to spend it with us. His day off was also my mom's day off from the chores, so I really found my father cool. So I thought, if I studied law, I'd be able to protect him somehow.
That was my childhood dream. However, studying either law or medicine requires a significant amount of time and financial investment. I had the former, but not the latter. haha
As I grew older, my interest in the medical field continued to grow. So, I did my best to convince my parents, especially my mom, to let me study nursing. She was initially against it, because just like her, I also have some health problems. However, I persisted and even asked for my late grandpa's help.
Later on, she agreed... however, working as a nurse would be a different story. Hahah I'm ok with it, though. Despite having a nurse license, I've never worked as a nurse.
I just wanted to gain knowledge and experience. It was challenging, yet fulfilling. There was even a time when I dreamt of being a military nurse, but my mom strongly opposed it. hahaha She won. XD
As for law... I think even if we have the means, my parents would be against it. They said I'm the kind of person who really stands for what is right, so being a lawyer won't fit me. They said my lifespan would be really short if I pursued law as my career. Hahahaha
While waiting for the result of the license exam for nurses, I was actually clueless about what to do. I wanted to find a job, but I didn't know what path to take.
At that time, the rise of English schools in Cebu was at its peak. So I thought, why don't I try this one temporarily and see where it takes me? I applied to the first job hiring I found online without any preparation. hahaha
It was so funny because I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know what company it was either, except that it was an office-based ESL school. Despite that, I got accepted after one written exam and three interviews.
A few months passed by, and I found myself enjoying what I do. I never thought I'd love teaching English to foreign students! The only downside was that I had to work the night shift, and the commute time.
I quit that company after a year and decided to apply to the English Academy nearby. The transition was so smooth because I started my new job the week after I finished my final shift at my first job.
Working at the English Academy made me enjoy teaching even more. I decided to go back to school for a year and take a program that'll allow me to take the license exam for teachers.
It so happened that my previous colleague introduced me to a home-based online ESL school. I tried applying for it and got the job. There was a time when I worked in the Academy from 8-5, then worked online at home from 9-12 midnight.
After I established myself in the online school (meaning, maintain a high rating, which leads to having more regular students), I quit the Academy and went back to school for a year while working to pay for my tuition. :)
I was able to get my teacher's license as well. I'm allowed to teach high school students, but since my bachelor's degree was in nursing, I'd have to teach science.
It's nice to have various options, but I chose to continue my job as an online ESL teacher. I'm already in love with this job, and being able to control my time is a huge plus.
Since I have flexible time, I'm able to do other things that I enjoy, like painting, writing poetry, watching anime, and reading manga, among others.
Of course, I'm also able to enjoy blogging because of it! :) Teaching might have been off my radar at first, but it has now become something I'm genuinely passionate about.
That's it for this post. Thanks for reading, and see you around.
Also, I'm tagging mi hermosa amiga
to join the challenge. Everyone is welcome to join, regardless of your nationality. You might find the questions interesting... :)
