My most-cherished dream came true!

 September 2, 2025

As my birthday draws near, I’m filled with hope and expectation. I've been putting off writing about my life incessantly since I retired in 2003 but I came to realize that after my unexpected and urgent hospitalization on May 1, 2025, I was diagnosed with the presence of water in my lungs that made me short of breath whenever I walk fast. run, climb the stairs or carry heavy loads. Thanks to the care and medication given to me at the hospital for 10 days and I was practically back to normal but I was left weak and seemingly vulnerable after my confinement. I thought I wouldn't be able to go home but I managed to go to the pharmacy to buy my medicine and take the subway home. Gradually, this made me reflect that my time is counted and that I should start to write about my life. 

At present, I rest as much as possible at home but I attend to my errands whenever I need some provisions. Every afternoon, I visit my wife at the nursing home because she needs constant medical care and attention. 

When I was small I grew up in an average well-off family after the war because my father was an engineer and my mother, an elementary school teacher. I thought then life was bright and easy but much to my regret it became hard when my father passed away prematurely when I was 11 years old that I realized my dream to study and become a doctor was practically ended. When I finished secondary education, I didn't go immediately to the university because I didn't want my mother to worry about my expenses but to go to the vocational school for three years to learn a trade and find a job immediately after. Finally, I finished shorthand and typing at the top of my class, which launched me to work as a messenger then to a clerk in order to pay for my full tuition at the university being a working student. 

Going and living abroad had been my most cherished dream, even becoming an obsession since I was in my 5th grade at the elementary. I would like to leave the Philippines for good as soon as possible. At an early age, I already taught myself Spanish with my mother's magazine, then later French and German through radio programs. As early as 15 years old, I ventured to look and work for an American family near the base in Subic but no success. Finally, I thought about going to the university and obtaining a degree to be able to get a scholarship for abroad. In 1967, To my surprise, I didn't ever expect the French Embassy in Manila to award me a year full-expense-paid scholarship in Lille that made my most-cherished dream come true!