When I grow up

You know when growing up you were asked what you wanted to be. You list things that were seen as safe or exciting. No one ever said I want to be a hooker/stripper/drug addict/warlord as it is not on the list of acceptable occupation that I know off.

So what I wanted to be growing up? The normal lawyer etc. Though life kicked in. I was depressed and moody and study was not something I did much even though I was motivated enough to get into a very good secondary school. As it is luck is with me. I have the ability to talk when I need to. So I tried out for mass communication in polytechnic. As much as my grade sucks, I got in. I was given a place while others with better grades did not or was put on the waiting list. Me, who passed math due to the dedication of my math teacher and his efforts. Me who took art, someone who cant draw a straight line with a ruler. Me who passed my history when I cant remember anything as history is just a parrot vomiting out dates and names.

With that the journey is sealed. As I had written previously I wanted to have an education. I did not as life happened again. I left Singapore when I had the opportunity. Being 19 you think you know a lot. It was meant to be a short vacation turned out to be a 18 year marriage. So I ended up in Norway, the land that is to be my home. The land where the first winter game me how it felt to be in -18C. The land where its dark and slippery and made me realized that I am half bambi. I cant walk even on a flat ground without falling when there is even a hint of ice.

So here I was at the age of 19, married and living in a foreign country, people spoke a weird language. The language of the Vikings. I signed up for language class and was determined to learn it. At home we spoke English, that happens when a2 people met of different language and once a language is established it remains that language. My classmates were mainly refugees from Palestine and were unable to read the western alphabet. So I was in a class where we learnt abc. Being young means you pick up things fast and I bugged my way to a more advance class. After 2 weeks of how to pronounce the abc I was reading to jump up and down and tell them I know the alphabet and dream about it at night.

8 months into my stay I landed a job at Burger King. It gave me the opportunity to learn the language and to earn money. I went to school and worked at the same time. I worked until I got into a computer engineering course at the local university. Did I mention I sucked at math and it was way above my head? So when my son was born I quit it altogether. Who are we trying to kid here. I barely passed any exams and I am not computer material.

So 10 years I worked in the food industry. You work long hours and shifts. Days where people are free you have to work as well people want and need to eat! You have to feed the hoards! Those 10 years thought me a lot. It thought me of the inclination of who I am. The strict but fair. I can be rather naughty and find stuff to have fun at work when things are slow.

Then as I said life happens. My arms were not agreeing with me at work. I was no longer able to carry heavy things. It was then that I saw my current job in the papers. What qualification do I have other that I am fluent in English? Not much. I have tons of work experience and management in a restaurant. Guess what? I got the job. So I am in my 7^th year here in this company. So what do I do? I am purchaser. My job is to bug people to send the stuff that we order on time and make sure they pack it as to our specification. I also try not to let a certain American courier company kill me in the process and every time there is a national holiday in another country I propose out of respect our department close for the day to show our respect (not that it ever has been accepted by the bosses). With this job I am not able ever to pay retail for jewellery unless you are in Singapore and buying gold. It is then it is worth it as most places charge a small sum for workmanship.

So will I continue working in this line? I do not know as I never plan as when I do, it never happens as my plan. It seems my journey in life has some twist and turns and surprises that I do not know about!! Maybe when I am grown up I will finally figure out what I want to be.