“YOU are stuck at home.”
My diplomat-friend concluded after he saw me at the lone bar stool. It was a rare exchange after 5 years when we were just some nervous examinees taking the three-day written exams at the DFA Auditorium. In our corner, he would lecture about the intricacies of geopolitics and international law…in Spanish. He would tell us his trips to Europe and his adventures in Africa. Somehow, there was an urge in him to show his excellent academic background and intellectual superiority. He became a diplomat, and I didn’t. Today, his ego dictates that he should remind me of what I am missing.
I dreamed of his path before. After some lucky scholarships in some few Asian countries, I was inspired to take and qualify for the Foreign Service Examinations. For some reason, I always fail to go past the final toast – almost always near the final stage to get that rubber stamp. Perhaps; I was too young, too immature, too reactive and too deviant for that structured work which is designed for the foreign corps. One night, I finally let that dream go.
Before that, and before I became a community leader, I also applied for the PDEA examinations after passing the PNP Eligibility exams (though I was a licensed teacher then). That is why my father (when he was still alive) jokingly teased that I do not really know my direction. “Pananutem nga usto gamin ah ti kayat mu! (Think hard of what you really want!)”, he would remind me every day. Those words, unfortunately, fell on deaf ears. I took law school for 7 years, simultaneously with my Masters for 5 years, and some other unrelated courses even after I completed my Bachelor’s degree.
“You know what, there is a desk job at a United Nations Affiliate office that I can help you with…” my diplomat-friend encouragingly proposed. He thought that the fire is still inside me – that distinctive desire to make a difference to world-affairs. “Well, there is a beauty in, as they say, finding the international in the local…” I replied confidently. People want to work in the heavens and imagine that what they do actually and greatly impact the beings on Earth. But, perhaps the lowly beings really need more workers on the ground – the passionate local nurse to take care of our sick, the excellent teacher to mold our children’s minds, competent leaders to lead our community towards progress, creative people to open our eyes to see interesting perspectives in life, great professionals to help our community, even the whole country. “It is also a great thing to work at home you know…” I supposed. “Yeah…Perhaps”, he finally seemed convinced.
*****
Coffee will over flow on February 27-28, 2018 at the Municipal Gym, in celebration of the La Trinidad’s Coffee Fest. You can enjoy our Coffee Arabica more by bringing your own favorite coffee cup which you can unlimitedly refill. The Coffee Fest will also feature a Farmer’s Forum, with Coffee Clinic, a coffee products showcase, a Coffee Council reorganizational meeting, demonstrations, and Cupping activity for the different Coffee Farmers organization of La Trinidad.