Ana Galang, 20, a house-help, wakes up as early as four in the morning. She says her morning prayer, prepares the breakfast, tidies the house, takes a bath, readies her things, and at 6:00 a.m. off she goes to school. It’s a Sunday morning.
This is her usual Sunday for almost four years now. Ana is among the 250 students of the a Sunday college in Davao City
Since her poor family in the far-flung province of Davao Oriental cannot send her to school. At 15, she came to the city to find a greener pasture by being a house-help.
Ana’s father is a tenant of coconut farm while her mother is a fulltime housekeeper. She is the third among the brood of eight. With the minimal income of her father the family could hardly make both ends meet. Despite all that Ana pursued her studies until second year high school. She taught she won’t really be able to finish even her high school because of the lack of money.
But one day, a friend of her who was working in Davao City as a house-help asked her whether she would like to work as a house-help in another house. Yet unsure, her parents permitted her to take the chance believing such opportunity will augment the family’s income.
She was lucky enough to have landed on a job with a graceful and kind couple with one child. After learning Ana’s educational background, they promised to send her to school but on a Sunday Program since on weekdays the couple both have their jobs.
Auspiciously, her salary and the nod from her “amo” she attended Sunday high school program and now the Sunday College.
With diligence and hope she successfully hurdled high school. There was a sense of pride and fulfillment in her. She never thought of achieving such a feat.
But as they, say when it rains, it pours. Her boss offered her to take up two-year technical course among the Sunday Voc-Tech Program of the local Sunday program. A surprise offer she can’t turn down.
Come April 2008, Ana Galang, a house-help, a poor girl from the province rich in dream and hope will take her parents down the halls of her Alma mater to receive her diploma.
Ana reminded me of the story of the teacup*.
There was a couple that used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery, especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. One day, they saw a beautiful teacup in this beautiful shop.
They said, “May we see that? We’ve never seen one quite so beautiful.” As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. “You don’t understand,” it said. “I haven’t always been a teacup.
There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, ‘let me alone’, but he only smiled, ‘Not yet’.
Then I was placed on a spinning wheel,” the teacup said, “and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. “Stop it! I’m getting dizzy!” I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet’.
Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why He wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and could read his lips as he shook his head, ‘Not yet’.
Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. ‘There, that’s better,’ I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Stop it, stop it!’ I cried.
He only nodded, ‘Not yet’.
Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, ‘Not yet’.
Then I knew there wasn’t any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, ‘Look at yourself’. And I did. I said, ‘That’s not me; that couldn’t be me.
It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful.’ ‘I want you to remember, then,’ he said, ‘I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I had done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when first began with you.’ “
Ana’s life is that of the teacup’s.
Difficulties, pain and the roller-coaster of adventure make the life of Ana. But, she is not alone. There are many who like her struggle to achieve the dreams of their lives.
Like Ana, hope in God is her wealth. In spite of every hardship she has to face, she let God rule her life and allowed Him to mold her to become the best that she can be.
The struggled continues and the fight is far from over. Like Ana, let’s put our hope and trust in the Lord.
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n.b.
Ana Galang is a fictional character. Anyone who incidentally has the same identity and eventuality as her is purely coincidental.
*The story of the teacup was lifted from one of the articles of Mr. Francis Kong, an inspirational speaker. He has a column and website called Business Matters.
