ISKOLAR NG BAYAN -- MASYADONG MAYABANG?

I went to see my GP after dinner last night, to ask her, among other things, if she thinks I need to see a shrink, as suggested by the guy I talked to yesterday. My GP is Pinay and has been very supportive of me since I got here. She is very demure and soft-spoken, which is why I was surprised to hear her say, still in her demure manner, "No discrimination here? That's a lot of bull!"

After listening to me complain about my life here, she asked me, out of the blue, "Are you a UP grad?" Surprised, I answered, "Yes." She smiled to herself, I quickly got what she meant. I said, "Kasi masyado kaming mayabang 'no? Akala namin ang gagaling namin!" She said that her observation has been that the UP graduates who migrate to Australia always have a tough time adjusting. Probably because it's hard to get off your high horse -- the fall down is too steep! She said that she has observed, the higher the status you had in the Philippines, the harder it will be for you to adjust to life here. She said that during her time, there weren't many Filipino doctors here. They had to take many tests and courses before they could finally practice medicine. She took jobs in a factory, doing cleaning work, doing things totally unrelated to medicine, just to get the accreditation to practice here. She told me to just persevere, and I will get what I want. I just have to accept that the discrimination is there I guess. I just have to use it as motivation to do well.

On my walk back home, I kept thinking about her UP remark. I guess it is true. At UP, we were taught that we were "Pag-asa ng Bayan", we were the best in the country, the cream of the crop (I think you can say the same for Ateneo as well). And yes, in the Philippines, if you have a degree from UP, you will usually get the job of your choice, without much ado. So it is a rude awakening when you get here and your UP degree doesn't amount to anything here. You may as well have received your diploma from the alleys of Recto. So yes, I guess the struggle is harder for us, because we have a lot of self-humbling to do to be able to get what we want in the end. There is still that pride factor of -- I am a UP graduate! I did not get a degree just to end up (take your pick : waiting tables, cleaning bathrooms, wiping children's/the elderly's asses, etc etc) So, shall I be able to swallow my UP pride? Abangan.....!