Urban Babies
Day 4.
They say that firsts are always the best and most memorable. Well, today has been totally memorable not only because it's the first day of the last three months of school but also because of the usual memorable shitty things that happened. I guess I'm getting kind of used to it when I get my ass to work. I can't really expect anything good to happen.
Based on what I tried to learn in Sociology and Anthropology back in my sophomore year in college, rural areas in the Philippines have a distinct set of values and traditions. One of them is community homogeneity. Everyone knows everything about everyone because of the closeness of the people in the neighborhood. Ergo, news in the area especially the bad ones that can easily be sensationalized by the old maids who spend their lives gossiping about everyone have an unbelievably wide viral reach and velocity. I actually didn't need the theory about rural communities because I've already experienced it firsthand. One concrete example is the rumor that went around in the province of my dad that some dude got me pregnant and stowed me away from home. I was fourteen back then and I laughed my ass off at the rumor like a celebrity.
That's how I feel every time I go to work. It's like entering a rural village in some remote province where everyone strives to know everything about everyone. I actually never felt like there's any tinge of professionalism in the place. Every time I set foot on that land, I feel like I'm being watched all the time, that all the times I breathe are counted. If I wanted to be policed, I would've auditioned for Pinoy Big Brother. Everything is always personal. If you don't attend something that has nothing to do with work, they'll take it against you. Everyone asks you to do things with no backup fund and expects you to deliver godlike results especially for someone like me who graduated from one of the most prestigious universities on the planet. And to top it all, everything is always an emergency, always on short notice which I really think is not fair. However you strive to make things better, it's just not enough. Nothing is ever enough and only the chosen ones always get the words of praise even if they just sit around and watch everyone else suffer the wrath of the boss.
No rewards. Just punishments. That's just fucking great.
I once told one of my friends about my problem in the workplace. My friend told me, "It's not that you chose the wrong profession. You just got yourself into the wrong institution." He totally has a point. I enjoy teaching. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with my students and learning something from them as well. What I hate about my job is that it's not rewarded properly and the smallest of things that could be wrong about me is always a big fucking deal. Maybe this is just the normal reaction of someone who grew up in an urban life to the ridiculous homogeneity of the rural life.
But not to worry.
It's down to the last three months.
And then, I could go back to where urban babies belong.
Where people like me belong.
They say that firsts are always the best and most memorable. Well, today has been totally memorable not only because it's the first day of the last three months of school but also because of the usual memorable shitty things that happened. I guess I'm getting kind of used to it when I get my ass to work. I can't really expect anything good to happen.
Based on what I tried to learn in Sociology and Anthropology back in my sophomore year in college, rural areas in the Philippines have a distinct set of values and traditions. One of them is community homogeneity. Everyone knows everything about everyone because of the closeness of the people in the neighborhood. Ergo, news in the area especially the bad ones that can easily be sensationalized by the old maids who spend their lives gossiping about everyone have an unbelievably wide viral reach and velocity. I actually didn't need the theory about rural communities because I've already experienced it firsthand. One concrete example is the rumor that went around in the province of my dad that some dude got me pregnant and stowed me away from home. I was fourteen back then and I laughed my ass off at the rumor like a celebrity.
That's how I feel every time I go to work. It's like entering a rural village in some remote province where everyone strives to know everything about everyone. I actually never felt like there's any tinge of professionalism in the place. Every time I set foot on that land, I feel like I'm being watched all the time, that all the times I breathe are counted. If I wanted to be policed, I would've auditioned for Pinoy Big Brother. Everything is always personal. If you don't attend something that has nothing to do with work, they'll take it against you. Everyone asks you to do things with no backup fund and expects you to deliver godlike results especially for someone like me who graduated from one of the most prestigious universities on the planet. And to top it all, everything is always an emergency, always on short notice which I really think is not fair. However you strive to make things better, it's just not enough. Nothing is ever enough and only the chosen ones always get the words of praise even if they just sit around and watch everyone else suffer the wrath of the boss.
No rewards. Just punishments. That's just fucking great.
I once told one of my friends about my problem in the workplace. My friend told me, "It's not that you chose the wrong profession. You just got yourself into the wrong institution." He totally has a point. I enjoy teaching. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with my students and learning something from them as well. What I hate about my job is that it's not rewarded properly and the smallest of things that could be wrong about me is always a big fucking deal. Maybe this is just the normal reaction of someone who grew up in an urban life to the ridiculous homogeneity of the rural life.
But not to worry.
It's down to the last three months.
And then, I could go back to where urban babies belong.
Where people like me belong.
Hello there, don't be upset about where you are now :) These are just challenges, and tests na nandyan talaga, para rich and full ang experiences, ang life. God put you in there, and there's something, it's His plan. Never mind the rewards from the bosses, cause it doesn't matter. You're smart and talented, its a gift. Share it. Inspire them, like you did to me and the rest of the netizens. And don't worry too much, trust in God's blueprint :) God bless you!
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