Barbara Ann in Surviving School and Heartache
PART 1 of an Exclusive Interview (8-3-2008, 12:33 pm)
Meet Barbara Ann – an “innocent promdi” of Iloilo; a “smart survivor” of the city and a “real life” reaper of young dreamers.
Barbie as she is often called or Barbs, Barang and other nicknames is now working as a recruitment specialist under HR equipment for an outsourcing company.
She describes her job as, “Nagso-source. Headhunt, nagte-technical interview sa mga applicants,” and adds, “Mahirap? Depende kung simple jobs lang sabihin nating accountant, clerk, manager. Simple jobs such as that. Madali. Sobrang dali. May guide questions naman. Parang match and match lang yun sa mga requirements na kailangan mo sa mga previous experiences nila.”
Barbie as we know is a clinical psychologist and it is quite a challenge for her to be a technical recruiter because in college only a basic course in computer is taught. She explains, “Challenge for this is this is an IT position so technical postion kasi clinical psychologist ako way outside ng my comfort zone ng it. Nag-start ako sa IT requirement na wala akong alam. Di ko alam ang difference ng OS sa platforms, pareho lang pala ‘yun.”
Even she was really shocked when she first was offered the job, she recalls, “Kasi wala akong IT experience. wala akong technical experience. Tinarayan pa ako ng HR. Kasi two years akong regular sa first job ko bago ako lumipat ng Lawson. So sabi nila, when I applied for Lawson, why are you applying for Lawson, this was just a contract position. Why do you want to risk it? Ang sagot ng lola mo, first I want to gain an IT experience. You can always be a recruiter but not everyone can be an IT recruiter. I want to gain that. And for the six months that I will be staying here, I want to prove myself that I know I will be regular after that.”
That was a very confident and fantastic answer from Barbie but that didn’t stop the HR from interrogating her more.
The interviewer asked her again, “What if I tell you that you won’t be regular no matter what you do?”
Barbie, once more, answered intelligently, “But I think the experience is worth it. I know I would learn a lot. And if in case, I won’t be regularized, it’s easy for me to find a new job.”
After three heart pounding questions,
Three weeks has passed and still she received no positive answer.
She was ready to move on and have more fun with her life,
When all of a sudden,
Her phone rang,
“Barbara, would it possible for you to drop by in the office tomorrow for a job offer?”
The other line said.
Barbie was so surprised, happy and thrilled when she said yes.
But, that wasn’t the real challenge yet.
She was still working at a government office so she needs to complete her 21 days notice before she really goes on with the next step.
What she did was during the last week in the government office; she had no choice but to work both jobs or end up with a problem. After the office, she went home for a while, rest for while or eat for a while, change clothes and then off she went to her other job.
And she survived!
Looking back at her high school life, she did not imagine herself that someday she will become someone so completely different -
“Noong hs, alam naman nating lahat na isa akong malaking late. Ang dala ko lang sa bag ko ay puro kalandian. Wala akong notebook, wala akong libro. May notebook man ako at libro, nasa bag ng kaklase ko. Magc-cr kami. Pag lalabas ang teacher, cr kami. At siyempre late, recess nang papasok, lunch. Magka-cutting pa. Ganon.”
When she was about to entered college, she noticed that she can be more. “Nakita ko yung grades ko. 84.5 parang ganun. Sabi ko di naman ako bobo. Sabi ng mommy ko, magulat ka at pumasa ka anak. So di ako naglakas ng loob mag-enroll sa ibang school kasi di ako confident sa grades ko. Mag-new-new era na lang. Ayokong madisappoint eh. So kumuha ako ng psych. Pinag-awayan pa namin ng parents ko yun kasi gusto nila sa akin computer science that time kasi yun ang in demand. Ayoko, sabi ko sa dad ayoko mag-work na kaharap ko ang computer.”
Barbie also realized to change some of her ways and decided to be more serious.
She said, “Sabi ko this time, aayusin ko na. sasama na ako sa matatalino hindi na masasaya. Sa pinakamatalino na ako sasama. So first day of school, sa harap ako umupo. Usually girls at the back tayo kasi ayaw nating makita tayo ng mga kalandian natin.”
She also started to change her company of friends and jokingly said, “Sasama na ako sa mga matatalino, hindi na sa masasaya.”
But she also observed a certain characteristic of smart people, “Ang pagkakamali ko na di ko sinasadya hindi nagpapakopya ang mga matatalino kasi hindi pa ako sumasama sa matatalino so wala akong experience. Nagpapakopya lang sila ‘pag di sila nag-aral pero ‘pag pinaghirapan nila yung trabaho nila hindi talaga sila magpapakopya.”
Although she missed high school, she still found a reason to like college. “Enjoy ang college although hindi pa rin full force ang pag-aral kasi nahiya naman ako sa mga kasama ko. Ano ba ‘yan, ang bobo naman?”
This reality triggered another change in her life. She studied harder because she knows that she can only depend on herself especially on the hard lessons. She woke up early to help and do their thesis. This was all worth it because she received an award for her best effort. She exclaimed, “Kasi naging thesis of the year kami. Nilaban yung thesis namin sa iba’t ibang competition sa Psychology.”
But really, there are a lot of fields, why settle for Psych?
“Andon ‘yung interest ko. ‘Yung curiosity ko andun. By knowing the answers. Why why?”
Weird but Barbie says, “I like the manipulation of the human behavior.”
And then she cutely admits, “Kasi diba nung high school, pano kaya magkakagusto sa akin yung guy na to? A simple thing pero ang sarap pag-isipan. Pano makipag-flirt? How to get his attention?”
She also shares her intern experience at the mental hospital wherein the patients touch them in their body parts that aren’t supposed to be touch. She bravely tells these ill persons not to do that so that they will know it’s wrong.
Aside from winning the best thesis, enjoying college, studying hard, practicum at a real mental hospital, was there anything that made Barbie’s life in college worst?
“Comparative vertebral anatomy. ‘Yun lang ang masasabi ko. Comparison of all the vertebrates ng different species. From every system, from cardiovascular, muscle…’yun yung nagdadala ako ng pusa every semester tapos ia-identify mo each part. Yun lang yun subject na iniyakan ko. Pakiramdam ko ang bobo ko. Feeling ko ang bobo ko, ang tanga-tanga ko.”
Despite all the odds- the late up night’s studyings, the early call time of group reports, the super hard exams, the ferocious college people, Barbie survived and surpassed college and graduated in 2005.
But emotionally, more specifically, how was Barbie’s love life at that time?
Well, she had her first boyfriend in college that lasted for almost two to three years. And it wasn’t exactly the kind of fairy tale romance that she dreamed of, “That’s the lowest point na pwede kong marating,” as she pointed out.
And just like the truth that love has its happy moments and sad moments which we all learn from it.
Barbie has now moved on and let go of the past. She said, “After that I can go pass through anything.”
Barbie said that as of now her heart is kinda open and closed. “I had a lot of fears, trust issues, defense mechanism, marami siyang ganun na parang I like this guy. He can worth it. He can be the real thing but I don’t wanna risk it. Parang ganun,” she explained.
Still, a heart that loved so much and when broken will always be hoping to love again and be love again.
At the right time.
With the right person.
WILL BARBIE FIND ANOTHER LOVE AGAIN?
WHAT IS IT THAT SHE IS LOOKING FOR A GUY?
AND WHO IS BARBARA ANN WHEN IT COMES TO A PAYDAY CRAZE?
KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS “BABY SPICE” WHEN I POST THE 2ND PART OF THIS ARTICLE.
