SECOND CHANCES MAY 11,2008

Life is a challenge for this Mom

Kannika Claudine D. Peña, Photo by: Rudy Liwanag Ellen Jane Bocquiron is a woman who loves challenges. And at thirty-six, she again faces yet another challenge in her life: letting go of something that she’s grown attached to for the last eight years.  And though it makes her teary-eyed to say goodbye to it, she believes that it is nothing compared to other things she’s been through over the past year. So, with a few tears shed, she cut her own hair and seems quite satisfied with it. From its length being past her knees, now her hair now just falls below her shoulder, with side bangs. "Papagawa ako ng wig, para may remembrance," she jokes. A year before, though, she decided to take on a challenge that has proved to be life-changing. When her son, Philip Joseph, began third grade, she decided to go back to school. When she first got this idea, she thought that she might want to take up an MA, since she had a degree in literature from Columban College in Olongapo City, where she was born and raised. "My husband suggested na mag-nursing nalang ako kasi mas maganda ’yung may nursing degree," she shares. It was a major shift for her. From being a full time housewife for almost ten years, she suddenly found herself a student of a course that was decidedly a lot different from her previous course in college. She did have work experience in hotels and such, but nothing prepared her for the hard work that taking up nursing demands. But once she got the idea of taking up nursing, she wouldn’t let go of it. If, back then, she did reading for pure pleasure and at her own leisure, going back to school forced her to read more and learn more. Since she had to balance studying and being a housewife and a mother, going to sleep early was the main problem. During her first semester, she shares that she started having pimples again, just like any stressed college student. But she considered this a very trivial setback, just another one of the challenges that cannot distract her from her goal. Now it’s been a year since she started, and she’s still at it. "Nung una talaga, umiyak ako. Sabi ko, ang hirap naman nito. Okay naman na ko maging housewife eh. Okay na ’kong inaasikaso ang husband at anak ko." But despite her qualms about nursing, she feels that she has found another calling from God. "Ngayon, ibang tao naman ang aasikasuhin ko. Not only ’yung husband at anak ko ang pwede ko pagsilbihan, kundi maraming tao rin." Because she had a previous degree, most of her minor subjects in college were credited, so it helped. She only takes up 14 to 18 units per semester in Our Lady of Guadalupe College, as opposed to the full load, which helps her in balancing her time for studies and her family. After having gone through two semesters, she feels that this is her biggest achievement as a person yet. Finding encouragement and enthusiasm from her family, she also gets inspiration from other people, like one of her classmates who is already 40 years old and taking up nursing alongside her own child. "Na-inspire ako sa kanya kasi ako 36 ngayon, pag-graduate ko, 39, 40. Eh s’ya 44. Kung s’ya nga, nahaharap nya yung mga ganung challenges, dapat mas lalo na ’ko." She also finds it fulfilling that her new endeavor is starting to inspire her own son to think about his own future career. "Sabi n’ya, ano kaya, mommy, paglaki ko mag-doktor ako, kasi nakikita nya yung mga books ko." She considers going back to school at her age a source of endless learning, not just about nursing in general, but about other important things in life. "Sa school, although mas matanda ako sa mga professors, I have learned the value of submitting to authority." And although she has encountered lots of hardships in school, she cherishes it for what she has learned and is continuing to learn. She also treasures the people she meets. If, back then, her circle of friends was limited to her church, now she meets more people from different walks of life. For all the experiences she’s gained from it, she’s not content with just one year in nursing. She’s not just in it for the experience of going back to school. She finds herself very suited to the course and to the kind of work that nurses do. "Nung nag-community service nga kami, sabi ko, kaya ko pa pala ‘to, ’yung mga pagpunta sa mga squatters’ area, ’yung mga lakad-lakad." She already even has a goal in the field, she says: since she already has a background in literature, why not mix the two and start teaching, just like her professors. She’s also in it for the long haul, as she plans to take up the board exam and pursue nursing as a career. And although nursing has proved to be quite challenging, she says that she will not quit, simply because she’s not a quitter. "S’yempre an’doon lagi ’yung iisipin mo na baka ’di ako makatagal diyan. Pero alam mo, naisip ko na oras na pasukin ko ‘to, kailangan tapusin ko." She credits her mother for raising her with this virtue. "Sabi n’ya, when you start something, make sure na tatapusin mo. ‘Wag ‘yong ningas-kugon, mag-start ka, tapos, ayoko na kasi ang hirap." So whether it’s parting with that great length of hair, or taking up nursing, this woman is surely a source of inspiration to all women out there who want their lives to change. And once you’ve gone one step towards a goal, there should be no turning back. Makeup by Barbi Chan Hair by Letty Lacambra Special thanks to Salon Paradiso