Hello Hiver's, I’m Jenie, 33 years old from the province of Negros Oriental. My family had a very difficult life.
My dad is a fisherman and my mom is a plain housewife. I am the eldest among my siblings.
I have three younger brothers and one younger sister, but sadly, our youngest sibling passed away from cancer at the age of 2. That was the hardest time for our family. My mom was depressed at that time, and I had just graduated from high school.
I was supposed to have a debut, but it didn't happen because I am the eldest, and I was always with my mom. Before my sibling passed away, we really tried our best to get her treated. We went to Cebu with just enough money for transportation, and we were admitted to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.
It was so hard seeing my mom holding my sibling, with blood in his eyes, almost 24 hours in the emergency room. That's when I told myself how hard it is to be poor. Eventually, my sibling passed away. At 18, I had to stop my college education because my family couldn't afford it, so I worked instead. I became a vendor, a house helper, and a caregiver for the elderly.
When I came to Cebu to work as a caregiver, I took an ALS (Alternative Learning System) computer course because my mom couldn’t afford to send me to college.
I stayed in Cebu for almost 4 years, and my employer was very kind to me because I was hardworking. Eventually, I asked to go back to Negros to continue my studies, but my employer didn’t agree because she said I would be replaced and wouldn't be loved as much. But because I was eager to study, I went back to Negros and enrolled in Business Administration at NORSU in Guihulngan, but unfortunately, I couldn’t finish because I still had unpaid school fees.
I returned to Cebu to try my luck again. I worked as a cashier at Atlantic Hardware, and it was there that I met my husband, Sir Jeffrey.
He’s 12 years older than me, and we got married and had a son named Jepoy. Then, one day, I saw an advertisement on my wall about admission for Cebu Technological University, so I tried again, passed.
"I had doubts about enrolling when I found out that I passed the entrance exam because my child is still young and I didn't know who would take care of him.
My husband works, and my mom is in Negros. I kept praying to the Lord, asking for help. I really tried during enrollment and even brought my 1-year-old son, Jepoy, with me. It was really hot, but I kept going because I had a goal to finish college.
To be honest, the reason I really wanted to finish is to help my family in Negros. I didn’t think about myself, but rather about my mom, dad, siblings, and my child. I'm very grateful to my husband because he's very supportive of me finishing.
My college life was really difficult because I had a child. I would go to school, bringing my baby every day, and I would cry because I felt sorry for my child. The classroom was really hot, and at the same time, I was embarrassed in front of my classmates and instructor because my child would cry during class.
Then the pandemic came, and life became even harder because of online classes. We didn't have a stable internet connection.
But despite all of that, I was able to finish school.
There really is a time for everything — perfect timing."
Now, I’m a degree holder.
What I’ve learned in life is that living every day is really hard, but with determination, you can achieve anything.
I’m excited to share my everyday life with you, not to brag, but to inspire you.
Jeremiah 1:8 says, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
