You know what, many people will attest to the fact that I am really kind. Yes, from my family, real friends, my aufaks barkada (college tropa), my EMPIRE friends, my Accenture family even my Hewlett Packard Enterprise Service family and currently my Indra Philippines family.I am confident that they can be united in one way or the other to prove that I am somehow a good person (seriously).
To be honest, I have my own version of kindness. My kindness is not selective. I am kind to every one regardless of everything but the intention of this article is not to brag or anything but to explain the truth behind doubts.
As known to many I am Rodel Mandia, and I am just a simple Filipino citizen currently living in the broad area of Metro Manila. I am not rich nor living in a castle. My family belongs to the poorest of poor during our early times in Mindoro. Out of seven siblings I was the fifth and the only one who stopped the culture of "fear of education" in our family. I called it "fear of education" because my parents are so afraid to send us to college. I have 3 elder brothers and two of them are so eager to finish college. I can remember they talked to our parents before to ask their permission to attend college but my mother is so negative that time and she thinks that my brothers will not be able to overcome the challenge of college education. My mother is not confident academically and financially to my brothers so she refused to send them to college. Since my brothers can do nothing about the situation they just agreed with my mom and went to Manila to work for our family where they also met their spouses. During that time, I'm just a simple elementary student, but I can already understand whats happening around me. I know its not the right time to narrate my life story but I can sense the necessity for you to judge me fairly.
During high school, I focused my time in study although sometimes I cant help but be lonely because all my elder siblings already left for Manila so I was the eldest (child) in our house.I promised to myself that I will follow them because I'm missing them so much. I used my brain to impress my parents specially my mother. I studied really hard to give them the impression that I can do it in college. I graduated First Honorable mention from High School that I think changed my parents perspective to their children (I hope). My mom somehow, changed her perspective towards us. When I ask her permission that I want to go to Manila to pursue my study, she did not refuse because she think I cant, its just that, our family is not financially stable and we cant afford the college education specially in Manila. That time, I am full of hopes, full of determination and full of dreams though I'm still puzzled on how I am going to survive college in Manila but I'm not afraid as long as I am with my siblings. I told my mother that I will live to my ate's house in Manila while studying while working. I know I already convinced my mom that time that's why she didn't add anything anymore to the conversation but rather she just asked me to pack my things the next day and she will deliver me to Manila.
I cant explain my feelings that time, It's a mix emotion, I'm unsure of what is waiting for me in Manila but I'm not afraid. I'm confident that I can do it. I trust my self very much.
When I reached Manila April 21, 2005 with the help of my elder siblings I wasted no days to look for school where I can study Nursing. Luckily my brother in law thta time is working as LO along Sacrepante St. Mandaluyong City where Rizal Technological University is located, He immediately inquired upon learning it and there everything started. I really can feel the presence of God during that time because He let me pass the entrance exam considering that I wasn't able to answer the last 2 subjects out of 5 due to time pressure. I am so hopeless that time but when the result came out I saw my name with an average score of 78.32%. Yes, that is too low for me but I don't care, what more important is that I got in. I passed the exam. Aside from that, RTU is just within the vicinity of our house so I don't have to spend much money for my daily fare.
Of course everything did not just happened as smooth as you think.
I wasn't able to take Nursing course because its too expensive and I know I cant afford it. Remember my family can't support me that much, we don't have extra money to send me to college. So since I insisted this, I should be responsible for this.
I took up Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering instead since its more in-demand according to people I met. Initially I thought, its just a 4-year course so I thought I can take it in 3 years but later on I realized, I was wrong. Its not a four years course but 5 and I cant take it in 4 years. Since enrollment is already done and I can no longer afford changing my course, besides I still have to look for a job to support my study I just "went with the flow". I always think, God has a big purpose of sending me in that university and in that course and I know its for my own good.
While waiting for the school year to start, I babysit my nephews and nieces in my ate's house while she is working to help her. But when the school year started, I already look for the job that can give me allowances since I cant afford always asking my sister to provide all my expenses.
I got hired as a Service Crew in Jollibee Megamall building B in SM Megamall. I was assigned in Chicken Joy station but since being a service crew is a contractual job my contract expired after six months so I have to look for another job. The good thing is that my school schedule is still not so hectic since we are still dealing with minor subjects so its just a repetitions of our high school subjects.
When my contract expired in Jollibee Megamall I applied to Jollibee Guadalupe EDSA
There is where all my challenges started. I spent almost my entire college life here. Since this is a 24-hour store and my school schedules are always in the afternoon with some subjects in the morning my work schedules are always graveyard. From 11PM to 6AM I will be working in the store and then will be home at 7AM to review (specially during exam) and then sleep ( we have free foods at work) until 10AM to attend my class at 11:30AM to 7PM. Sometimes sleeping is skipped during holidays due to large number of people eating in Jollibee and we need to extend time not to mention those instances wherein the next shift crew is late or AWOL. That became my life cycle for 4 years which luckily I was able to overcome.
To be honest, I have my own version of kindness. My kindness is not selective. I am kind to every one regardless of everything but the intention of this article is not to brag or anything but to explain the truth behind doubts.
As known to many I am Rodel Mandia, and I am just a simple Filipino citizen currently living in the broad area of Metro Manila. I am not rich nor living in a castle. My family belongs to the poorest of poor during our early times in Mindoro. Out of seven siblings I was the fifth and the only one who stopped the culture of "fear of education" in our family. I called it "fear of education" because my parents are so afraid to send us to college. I have 3 elder brothers and two of them are so eager to finish college. I can remember they talked to our parents before to ask their permission to attend college but my mother is so negative that time and she thinks that my brothers will not be able to overcome the challenge of college education. My mother is not confident academically and financially to my brothers so she refused to send them to college. Since my brothers can do nothing about the situation they just agreed with my mom and went to Manila to work for our family where they also met their spouses. During that time, I'm just a simple elementary student, but I can already understand whats happening around me. I know its not the right time to narrate my life story but I can sense the necessity for you to judge me fairly.
During high school, I focused my time in study although sometimes I cant help but be lonely because all my elder siblings already left for Manila so I was the eldest (child) in our house.I promised to myself that I will follow them because I'm missing them so much. I used my brain to impress my parents specially my mother. I studied really hard to give them the impression that I can do it in college. I graduated First Honorable mention from High School that I think changed my parents perspective to their children (I hope). My mom somehow, changed her perspective towards us. When I ask her permission that I want to go to Manila to pursue my study, she did not refuse because she think I cant, its just that, our family is not financially stable and we cant afford the college education specially in Manila. That time, I am full of hopes, full of determination and full of dreams though I'm still puzzled on how I am going to survive college in Manila but I'm not afraid as long as I am with my siblings. I told my mother that I will live to my ate's house in Manila while studying while working. I know I already convinced my mom that time that's why she didn't add anything anymore to the conversation but rather she just asked me to pack my things the next day and she will deliver me to Manila.
I cant explain my feelings that time, It's a mix emotion, I'm unsure of what is waiting for me in Manila but I'm not afraid. I'm confident that I can do it. I trust my self very much.
When I reached Manila April 21, 2005 with the help of my elder siblings I wasted no days to look for school where I can study Nursing. Luckily my brother in law thta time is working as LO along Sacrepante St. Mandaluyong City where Rizal Technological University is located, He immediately inquired upon learning it and there everything started. I really can feel the presence of God during that time because He let me pass the entrance exam considering that I wasn't able to answer the last 2 subjects out of 5 due to time pressure. I am so hopeless that time but when the result came out I saw my name with an average score of 78.32%. Yes, that is too low for me but I don't care, what more important is that I got in. I passed the exam. Aside from that, RTU is just within the vicinity of our house so I don't have to spend much money for my daily fare.
Of course everything did not just happened as smooth as you think.
I wasn't able to take Nursing course because its too expensive and I know I cant afford it. Remember my family can't support me that much, we don't have extra money to send me to college. So since I insisted this, I should be responsible for this.
I took up Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering instead since its more in-demand according to people I met. Initially I thought, its just a 4-year course so I thought I can take it in 3 years but later on I realized, I was wrong. Its not a four years course but 5 and I cant take it in 4 years. Since enrollment is already done and I can no longer afford changing my course, besides I still have to look for a job to support my study I just "went with the flow". I always think, God has a big purpose of sending me in that university and in that course and I know its for my own good.
While waiting for the school year to start, I babysit my nephews and nieces in my ate's house while she is working to help her. But when the school year started, I already look for the job that can give me allowances since I cant afford always asking my sister to provide all my expenses.
I got hired as a Service Crew in Jollibee Megamall building B in SM Megamall. I was assigned in Chicken Joy station but since being a service crew is a contractual job my contract expired after six months so I have to look for another job. The good thing is that my school schedule is still not so hectic since we are still dealing with minor subjects so its just a repetitions of our high school subjects.
When my contract expired in Jollibee Megamall I applied to Jollibee Guadalupe EDSA
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| Jollibee Guadalupe ESA |
I survived college because of Jollibee and of course my siblings' support. When I was in college I saw how I influenced my family. They became stronger in terms of challenges specially my father, he became more father to all of us. I saw how he really wanted to help me finish my course. He worked hard to provide even a little for my college while supporting our entire family. My mother became more open minded and trust her siblings ability even more.
My family admired me a lot and extended their love and pride for me for making it, which gave me another challenge to strive harder in life but this time to the real world. When Im walking to receive my diploma during the graduation ceremony, Im actually out of my mind. I was on the first day of my college life, I remember I was sitting on the bench beside the "quadragle" in our school. I'm facing the stage and imagining myself wearing a black toga with orange collar marching with my parents to get my certificate. When I am about to get my certificate I congratulated myself internally. I told to myslef:
Congrats Del, ang galing mo!
After graduation, I never had any plan aside from getting a job that will help me drag my family up and get them from the situation that we used to be before. I applied to different IT companies around the metro and luckily I never had a hard time getting a job. I was able to get a position in Accenture Philippines after my graduation that marked a big changed in my life. I was able to earn bigger than my expectations as a fresh graduate without hands on experience in the field. I was able to provide my family's needs. I was able to send my youngest brother to college who is now also working (as of 2015 he is already on-board bound to Taiwan, he is a seafarer).
Of course everything did not started that easy. I started as Data Center Operations Coordinator in Accenture wherein my job is not really IT works but an admin things but due to my determinations and willingness to learn my leads noticed my interest and promoted me after a year that brought me to a new role doing the real IT works which is currently my expertise (I'm working now as a Subject Matter Expert for that branch of IT)
But just when I though everything is so perfect already and that everything goes the way I want it come a challenge that moved my entire family. My parents totally separated months after graduation. I realized, its really true that you can't be too happy in this life. Even once in my life I never thought that the family that I always admire, always loved and will continue to love until the day I die will come to this chapter that no one in the right mind will ever consider having.
I broke down, I always ask God:
My Lord why? why us? What do I need to do? what else should I need to do? I went through thick and thin, I suffered a lot to make my family together. I sacrificed a lot of things in my personal life just to keep my family together but how come we still need to be broken?
Just like my family, who all of the sudden got broken my dreams were also subsided. I lost my focus, the momentum. Everything fell into pieces and I don't want to fix it because I don't know how.
Until such time that I realized, you really cant force someone to be what you want them to be if he or she is not really into it. You will never find happiness in forcing someone do things you want them to do.
When I realized that I can no longer do anything to have my family back to its normal form, I stood up again. I know I will never be whole again, I will always be broken but I'm this time I'm prepared and willing to accept the changes. I just focused my attention to the other members of my family who are still looking at me with utmost respect, my siblings, nieces and nephews.
Our family is still broken as of writing, my father already has his new wife because my mom refused to be with him anymore after series of family talks and asking for forgiveness.
Now, what is the purpose of this article?
This is to simply discuss my simple back ground in a high level way. To let you understand why sometimes I behave differently. To give you a little background on how are you supposed to comment about my personal life and judge me not according to the page where you get in to my life. Thank you.
