Meet Gladys…

It was a bright Sunday morning,

March 18, 2007

when our flight from

Manila

touch down

Tacloban

Airport

. At exactly

7:00

, I have first set foot in the Visayas Region and my first was in

Leyte

!  It was my first plane ride, a thrilling experience, an unforgettable one. 

That day I woke up at

2:30 am

, too early for my usual waking hours. I spent the night at my Manager’s house to be sure that I won’t be late for our early morning flight. I hurriedly took my bath as we have to be at the airport at

3:00am

.

The trip to the airport was fast. No traffic, no hassles as the Metropolitans were still dozing-off to sleep. We arrived at the NAIA airport and hurriedly check-in. I had a hard time pushing my cart loaded with so many personal belongings, lots of office supplies and materials. Wheww…it would be 3 months before I’ll be back and see

Manila

once again.

After settling down and waiting for our flight, a lot of thoughts keep whirling on my mind. I was so full of varied emotions – excitement, happiness, fear and sadness. I was teary-eyed when the thoughts about my boyfriend crossed my mind. He had been in the airport several days earlier for his flight to Jeddah. I knew he cried a lot before boarding the plane, and like me unsure of what kind of future awaits him in his destination. Suddenly, after six years of being together, our worlds were now apart.

At

6am

, we boarded the plane. My seat was separated from Sharon and Ate Mayet but close to the windowpane. Slowly the plane moved to start our journey. And true enough, my new journey in life begins.

As our plane took its ascend, I knew there’s no reason for turning back. I affirmed myself that I have accepted my most challenging role yet… I could have chosen easier paths but rather I opted for a job that I knew so little about. This was something about that I am sure would test me and push me to the limits.

There are a lot of fear, a lot of what ifs.  What if I could not handle the job well? What if I fail the company’s expectation and worst, the people’s expectation? Would I be able to contribute positive changes in their lives or would I just be a nuisance in the project implementation?

I know I am only armed with the faith that God won’t send me here if it wasn’t His will. It is also this faith that I rely for strength and courage, and affirmation that I have made the right decision. It took me seven months to know His will and and be guided in this direction and I should not wrong Him. I am here for a reason…I am here for a mission.

As a tear drop falls, I am resolved that there’s no turning back…I won’t surrender without even trying and doing the best that I can for this mission.  What is most important at this point is passion, faith and conviction to be of service to others and do the best that I can to be able to contribute positive changes in the lives of the marginalized people.

Finally, the plane has reached its destination. As I face the exit door, I can see the sun brightly shining. It was indeed a beautiful morning! A beautiful day, that seems like announcing that a beautiful journey has just started.   

Me and my partner Sharon at

Romualdez

Airport

,

Tacloban

City

Welcome Gladys!  Welcome to the challenges, to new experiences and surprises that this province offers! Welcome to Tacloban! Welcome to

Leyte

!

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 26th, 2007 at 6:50 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.