Heartwarming Insignificance of the Rough Journey Home

I was in college when the thought of wanting to live in a big city struck my mind; I don’t know whether it is out of genuine curiosity of a born and raised rural person, unrealistic daydreams of the life out there, or just the romanticized aspect of it in social media, nonetheless, when an opportunity rises, I would like to live in one.

It wasn’t when I was in my final years of college that I had came close to an opportunity. In the university I have attended, one of the requirements to qualify for graduation is a three-month internship to a company of your choice. I remember being excited at the thought of finally being able to fulfill this dream of mine that I had submitted applications to almost every businesses within the metropolitan area. From corporate firms, to small businesses, embassies and local government units, and even non-profit organizations,, I spared no effort in applying, just to fulfill the hope of being able to live out a dream.

Out of the hundreds of businesses and organizations I’ve submitted my resume to, only one gave me a call to host an interview. During that time, I remembered thinking, it was fate. I began to fantasize about what I would do when I got accepted; the various places I would be able to visit, the restaurants, cafes, and fast food chains I would be able to try for the first time, and most importantly, how I would decorate the place I would live in by myself. The thoughts were endless. However, I was brought back from my daydreams with the question, how would I get there?

How would I get there? This was the thought that plagued my mind days before my scheduled interview. Whenever I went out to the urban area, it was always with my family, using a private car. I could always hire a car, and a driver, but the cost would be too expensive for my measly budget. I could take the public transport which was the best option, but I didn’t know how, so I asked my relatives. Despite all the preparations I’ve done, I was still a nervous wreck on the fated day. Nonetheless, I tried to chalk up all my non-existent courage and went on my merry way.

I left for the station at 5 am in the morning. Due to the bus being the only mode of transportation to going to the city, there was a significant number of people at the station. Fortunately, I reached the line for the cut of the first bus that was leaving so I didn’t have to wait for another half an hour for the next one. Unfortunately though, the bus was extremely full that I had nowhere to sit. I honestly was beginning to regret my luck, but thankfully, there was this guy that gave up his seat. At first I declined saying it’s fine, but he insisted saying unlike me, his destination is only half an hour away. I gratefully accepted it. It was thanks to him that I managed not to exhaust my energy first thing in the morning. I managed to get a few minutes of sleep on the four hour drive to my first destination.

When I’ve reached my first destination, I needed to take the taxi to reach the second destination, which was also my first final destination for the day. It would be my first time riding a cab. I should’ve went on to grab one via an app but I didn’t know that was possible as we didn’t have cabs in my area. It took me about a few minutes before I was able ride one. I remembered before riding, I asked the driver, how much to my destination. “Ma’am, just ride the vehicle first.” He said. Usually one would be skeptical with this, but I didn’t know any better so I rode the vehicle. He greeted me, and explained that he, too was from the province, so he knows what it feels like being in the area for the first time. He also said that I should refrain from asking questions about the fare and just let the meter run so the drivers wouldn’t be able to scam me by giving an overpriced fare. The drive was fairly pleasant, and I remembered us having really great conversation topics regarding our provinces. I remembered paying him more than the amount of the fare, and how he didn’t want to take it but I insisted. It was thanks to him that I was able to relax my nerves before the interview. It was also thanks to him that I was saved from being asked to pay a hefty amount for a short distance.

My second destination and first final destination is an area surrounded by restaurants I didn’t even know existed. It was lunch break and my interview wasn’t until 2 in the afternoon. I was getting hungry so I entered one of the restaurants. I remembered getting asked for how many parties and being led to a two-sitting table. I also remembered being handed the menu. I am not a stranger to restaurants, but this restaurant felt like one. I remembered staring at the menu for a number of minutes before being helped by the server. I remembered telling her it’s my first time here in the area and in the restaurant, in general that I was overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do. Luckily, she was one of those people who was kind enough to help, instead of looking down at me. It was thanks to her that I managed to eat a hearty meal in an unfamiliar place.

At 2 pm, I headed to the company I was doing the interview for. The place was bigger than any establishments I’ve come across in the province. I was overwhelmed. I tried not to let it show, but have unsuccessfully done so. I was led into this area where some of the interviewees were waiting. I think there was about a hundred of us or so. After an hour, one of the employees came out to reach for us, and asked us to complete the first part of the interview which was an IQ test. Within half an hour, the papers were collected, checked, and we were guided to the second part of the interview wherein the basic information was asked. While waiting for each of our turns, some of the interviewees and I were talking. I have learned that all or majority of them came from the urban and suburban areas, and I was the only one from the province. I remembered being asked lots of questions regarding the provinces, and asking regarding the life in the city. Since we didn’t really have anything in common, the conversation died down naturally, and I was called for my second interview. After which, the third interview was held. The interview was done on a one-by-one basis with only a glass wall separating the one being interviewed to the rest of the interviewees, while the voices are clearly audible. I remembered hearing the questions and practising how to answer them, and what the answer to them was. I remembered the kind voice the employee had while they were asking prior individuals. However, when it came to me, the questions were different, and the voice was replaced with a tone of condescendence. Nonetheless, I still kept a huge smile on and answered each question humbly. Afterwards, I gave my gratitude and left.

I knew I wasn’t getting the internship.

It was 4 pm when the interview ended; rush hour has started. Unlike the destination to, the destination fro is different, so I didn’t know where to go. In my stupor during and after the interview, I forgot to ask for directions, and my pride didn’t allow me to go back to ask. Luckily, there was a small bakery walking distance of the establishment that I was able to ask directions for. She told me to take the train to the mall, and just ask a security guard in the mall which exit of the mall the station is. As a sign of my gratitude, I bought a few of her bread to enjoy while on the train, and one on the journey home. It tasted great.

When I reached the mall, I decided to do a little bit of shopping to relieve a few stress that I’ve felt. However, the overwhelming presence of the people shopping there was felt by the insignificant me. It was as if I was a Lilliputian in Brobdingnag. It didn’t help that every store I’ve entered, people looked at me as if I was some unknown species. I wasn’t able to do some shopping in the end, and decided to go home. I asked one security guard which way the station was but was met with cold arrogance. I roamed around for a few minutes hoping to look for it myself, but decided to approached another one. Thankfully, she was really kind, and pointed my to the direction of the station.

It took me an hour before I was able to ride the bus, but I didn’t mind. I just wanted to go home. On the ride home, I spent my time looking back on the events of that day. Suffice to say, my dream was shattered, but on the rough journey, I met the heartwarming help of the “insignificant” people that have helped me reached the way back home.