A Piece Of Me

Hi everyone! My Name is Jessica Tan. I was born on May 16, 1986 at Talisay City, Cebu. As of this writing, I am already 29 years old, not yet married and no kids too. I'm born with a Chinese and Spanish/Filipino blood. My father is a pure Chinese while my mother is a Filipino with Spanish descendants, hence, Tan-Romero. I have two siblings from my mother and another two from another mother. Eldest is a sister and youngest is a brother. I am the middle child.

When I was young, I had the chance to live in Iloilo specifically in Guibato Province. I was 5 years old then, I studied Grade 1 and 2 in Guibato Elementary School. When I was in Grade 3, my family went back to Cebu. My childhood experience memories way back in the province were unforgettable. I learned to live a simple life. No worries. No electronics. Just trees, animals and simple lifestyle.  Our house was made of bamboo and nipa, surrounded by big trees. Fruits such as Guava, Santol, Mangoes, Coconut and more were readily available. You can eat as many fruits as you like. Our place was like heaven. We had livestock such as chicken and pigs under our house. I believe most houses do. Our foods were usually vegetables taken from planted crops. Cows and carabaos can be seen everywhere too. Every morning, we usually take a bath in an old well. Cook our food in a pot using dried woods. I had great time. It's incomparable. It had been 25 years but everything is still fresh. I can still remember the old folks there, probably dead by now. Time flies so fast.

Fast forward. When we arrived in Cebu, my mom enrolled me to Punta Princesa Elementary School. Honestly, I had a hard time catching up because I didn't know how to speak bisaya. Our dialect in Iloilo was ilonggo. As a kid, I didn't know how to speak tagalog and english. Therefore, ilonggo was my only option. I met new friends who taught me some bisaya words. It was freaking hard but eventually got the hang of it. My elementary years were memorable to. I had great teachers and lots of friends. In that phase of my life, I got to spend most of my time playing in the field. Games that are no longer played by some kids nowadays. Honestly, most kids now loves to stay at home and spend time with gadgets and electronics. Thus, I am very thankful that at least, I had my childhood moments. Times that you can no longer turn back but smiles all over your face every time you remember all the laughter, scars from playing outdoor games and people you met. During graduation, I was sad but excited to see what high school has to offer.

I enrolled in Cebu Institute of Technology when I was in high school. At first it was exciting and was really looking forward to meet new friends.  Though, it was not that hard for me anymore, I got intimidated with my classmates. Of course, I was already at my teenage years. A part of my life where I don't play outdoor games anymore. I spent most of my time with friends. Trying to blend in. Trying to make myself feel that I belong to a certain category. Very crucial stage for me. In this part of my life, I learned things that molded me to become who I am right now. Some were bad and some were good. It helped me differentiate things and choose path I wanted to walk through with life. I tried smoking (tried but didn't lead to a habit), drinking beers with peers, cutting classes, and getting into a non serious relationships. I felt I belong. It was fun. I was totally a mess from second year to third year high school. Eventually, I got tired. I stopped doing those things during 4th year high school. I focused on my grades, recovered it since I was looking forward for my college. I got the grade I wanted so it was not hard for me to find a good school. However, I had a dilemma in choosing between Computer Science and Nursing but ended up with the latter. My parents wanted me to take up that course because everyone was so enticed with the popularity of Nursing for american dream.

I took up examinations at South Western University and University of Cebu- Banilad but I chose UC Banilad because they were somehow connected to the biggest hospital in Cebu City. For four years in college, I had my ups and downs. Passed and failed examinations. Tears, sweats and all the hardships. You name it. Lol! I was happy with my nursing life despite of all the difficulties I went through. I had a lot of plans after graduation. Unfortunately, things didn't go well. God has different purpose with my life. Twist of fate, I'd say. There was a bad news that changed  my entire life. Changed me and my future. I know a lot of people will never understand, only God can. I'd rather keep it myself. Thanks God I was able to finish my course. Passed my Nursing Licensure Examination, three months after I graduated. Though, I am not practicing my chosen field, I know by heart I am still a NURSE.

To be continued. . :)