|
|
Most popular categories
| |
| PARTNERS, SPONSORS & RESOURCES SITES |
|
|
|
| | | | | The Distance between Grace and the Consul’s Box by Garyshack Vibe | | | The Distance between Grace and the Consul’s Box
I work along Roxas Boulevard in Metro Manila just across the US Embassy where it has been a typical scene to spot people in queue everyday as if there’s a blockbuster inside a movie theater. Oftentimes, I simply disregard them for whatever reasons they have in yearning to go the “Land of the Free and the home of the Brave”.
I have read many times on the papers about the mass migration of our skilled professionals in search for better life in the US including their successes and failures living out there. I have heard about assorted OFW’s problems abroad, racial discrimination our countrymen experience anywhere they go and a lot more which made me nonchalant about all these issues.
Admittedly, I am tired minding their stories because we already have so many problems with our political leaders who are making a fool out of us with all these ZTE broadband deals, Malacanang cash gifts and North Railway project controversies.
Sadly, it is us- the middle and lower classes that bear all the brunt of all these greedy acts. Crap! My paycheck hurts because instead of having my taxes help those in need, we see these “political junkies” hurling each other about who should get the lion’s share.
What about our fair share? Aba! We pay for those projects which they may have already forgotten I think!
Recently, a 12-year kid committed a suicide because of poverty. A desperation that sipped down to the poor kid’s ailing stomach ended everything to escape pain and suffering. As I watch her sad fate on T.V., I recalled that once you were born a Filipino automatically you would be having financial debts just by being a Filipino!
Whenever I ride a cab chit chatting with the taxi driver, I could hear them complaining about a lot of things. Gas hikes, food prices, etc...
All put together probably are the reasons why many of us are more than eager to move out of this “politician-infested” country aside from the old fact that we still have that mirage of America as our salvation land. “Ang ganda ng Amerika, ano?”
It reminded me again about the everyday scene I see across my office. The US Embassy “movie blockbuster”!
I heard tell-tales about how tough it is to undergo the ordeal on having to face the consuls of the said embassy where everything happens quick inside the white building. Be it a pink slip or a blue slip you get once you are in front of the consul’s box.
Maybe unknown to the US consulates, the trip made by most of those Filipinos just to be subjected to their scrutiny took them a lifelong preparation.
For some, it is their escape-goat from living in shanties all their lives. It is all they got wagered just to take the chance of changing their fate.
It is their measurement of grace.
Aspiration and fear are forever in a tug-of-war way before seeing the consul’s box.
I could still recall that some of my friends did all sorts of ways such as engaging into long distance relationships, waiting for more than a decade for some family petitions and getting medical-related degrees (which they actually detested) just to name a few.
In a nut shell, people can really do all kind of tricks even spending their precious time just to have a chance to see the consul’s box. Maybe the consul’s box is like the No-Limit Texas Hold’Em poker for most of the hopefuls where they bid their lifetime on tenterhooks that the “community cards” might favor them. There is actually no guarantee even if their “pockets cards” might be statistically low-rated or high-rated. It does not matter at all because I have witnessed even the cream of crops of our country gets blue slip for some unknown reasons.
“Bilog ang mundo!” as one of the T.V. commercials would simply put that I strongly disagree with since it gives overtones that luck is all-around the corners among us. Realistically speaking, luck only comes once in a blue moon.
Divine novenas for most serve as everyday mantra that bruises their knees and arms asking for “grasya” instead of “disgrasya” when the paid interview approaches.
Others scoop all their treasures to prepare those nerve-cracking papers and fees as armors to the consul’s unpredictable queries.
However, not everybody gets the grace they aspired for. Truly, the fairy tales we were told to read as kids mostly misled us. Not all stories are happily ended especially stories along the side streets of the US Embassy.
In a snap, yes, in a simple snap, you can gauge the distance between grace and the consul’s box.
| | | | Article Source : Article-treasure.com | | Publication date : 04-23-2008 | | | | Article by Garyshack Vibe | | | |
Garyshack
http://www.euroseocontest2008.com
http://www.garyshack.com
http://www.codewebsoft.com
http://www.rayvibe.com
http://www.seekvibe.com
http://www.darh2005.org
http://tellfound.net
http://virayvibe.sccaal.org
http://www.garyshack.blogspot.com
| | | | Keywords : euroseocontest2008.com | | | | | |
