It was in the summer of 1967, when I felt a deep sentiment of total failure and desperation after I was by passed and replaced by a young recommended who was a newly graduate and a close kin to a high department officer for the post that I successfully passed and qualified for at the foreign office, I thought that of my hope to leave the country was practically gone forever.
Unexpectedly, just a few days after my heartbreaking experience at the DFA I received a telegram from the French consulate requesting me to present myself for an oral examination. I didn't realize that it was the feast of the Assumption the following day. So, I went to nearest church and prayed fervently in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary to help me pass and I made a solemn promise to visit her shrine in Lourdes at the earliest possible occasion when I'd be free. Finally, I fulfilled my promise to the Blessed Virgin when I made a trip to Lourdes in the easter of 1968. What an unforgettable moment when I entered the basilica and sat at the last rang and cried uninterruptedly while I said my prayer of thanks and gratitude for making my wish come true.
When the French attache called me and confirmed a week later. For an instant I cried my heart out. At last, I did make my most-cherished dream come true, What a sentiment of bitterness and oppression I had so much in life that I could no longer contain to withhold my cry of excitement that many of my office colleague could have overheard it in and awe and surprise as if I just went mad and crazy. The rest is history.
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