A Dream

      When I was 8, I used to work for my mom. She'd pay me ten pesos everyday if I watered the plants in our 200 square meter garden. I know you'd think that 200 sq. m. isn't much work, but I had to do it using 2 pails and a dipper and the water source was 10 meters away. Plus I was a skinny kid back then. At first it was fun, earning extra bucks before going to school, until the early morning hard labor began to take its toll on my body. I began to feel tired during school hours and sometimes sleep in class. When I could take no more, I motivated my self by doing what any self respecting laborer would do. I asked my mom for a raise. I asked for a 5 peso raise or I'll stop watering the plants. It was an offer she couldn't refuse. Or so I thought. My mom laughed at my demand. She knew from the start that I wouldn't last long working every morning and going to school. She told me that I could stop if I wanted to and she'll have the helper take my place. Refusing to be terminated by my mom at the age 8, I continued working. That was the first time I worked for money and it wasn't easy.

      I thought I was in a bad spot, until now. Today, I know some people who work for nothing. Even worse, I know some people who work professionally and they are the ones who are going to pay. It doesn't sound fun does it? That is what hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of unemployed nurses in my country has to deal with when they start looking for work. Even an 8 year old would feel there's something wrong with that system. But of course, most of them would argue that paying for a job to gain experience to be qualified for jobs abroad is a rational decision. Is this the Filipino dream? If it is, it's time to redefine it.