Last Tuesday, my best friend arrived from his two-month trip from UK for this exchange program he joined, and I was more than ecstatic to see him again. Despite the storm Basyang, I went to the inn they were staying at just to see him before he leaves for Cebu for the second part of their program. That is in the middle of a shift, mind you — friends, this is true friendship.
I also got to meet the other people with him on the program, including their British counterparts. It was nice meeting new people, and they had so much energy despite the 15-hour flight and jet lag, it’s amazing. I was also amazed at how young their counterparts were, and how much they have traveled. Most of them were 18-21, and they have traveled to at least two more countries, not including the Philippines. What was I doing when I was 18? Stuck in school, studying? Hanging out with friends? At 21, what was I doing?
Being with them made me ask all those questions. I know, things are different here. More often than not, students here cannot afford a gap year to just travel, and if you come from a pretty well-off family, you aren’t really expected to work while you’re studying. It’s just not the norm here. When I graduated college, I was expected to find a job — while not immediately, at least I wanted to find one within the year. No school = no allowance = no job = no money. It was simple.
But after meeting my best friend’s new friends that night, I wonder: did I make the wrong choice four years ago? Should I have not hurried to find a job and used my time to do other things, things that I may not be able to do now that I’m years older than I was?
Those thoughts kind of got me down in the past couple of days. Add that with this bored feeling that I’m having recently, I feel like I’m on full quarter-life crisis mode. Where is my life going and what am I doing about it? Should I have chosen differently four years ago? Can I still make those choices now?
I think the thing that’s really stopping me from jumping and doing everything I want is my job. I just always have to put that in consideration. I don’t mind most of the time because I love my job, but I don’t want to be almost married to it that I don’t get to do the things that I want to do because I can’t leave it for more than three days. I’m blessed to have a good boss, to be in a good account and be under a good company that I should take all the opportunities offered to me, but I guess being there has made me so comfortable that I’d rather work than do other things, things that I want to do. And in a way, that’s kind of wrong.
Don’t get me wrong — I still love my job. But I think I have to step back a bit. After all, my job isn’t my life.
So again. What am I going to do about it now?
* * *
I was looking at my email drafts yesterday and saw this one email a friend sent me four years ago, when we were both fresh graduates. Talk about hitting the nail on the head:
I think you should pursue any dreams or goals as soon as you feasiblycan. Yes, two years can establish yourself, but in the end, travel, writing, missionary work and YFC may be the fulfilling thing. We’re young, if we don’t take risks now, we may never again. I mean, God will show you. If you listen, the signs will be there. I’m sure of it so I hope we both have the strength to interpret them and follow them to our destinies and our selves.
Four years. Can I take those four years back and start over? Do I want to?
* * *
I get my best ideas in the shower. Yesterday, after my short work out session, I was still mulling over these thoughts, and for the nth time, I wondered what I could look forward to in the near future. Something to stir up my passion and all that jazz about following your dreams. The only thing I could think of that is in my plans is enrolling for graduate school, but somehow, it didn’t make me feel as excited as I thought it should be.
And then it hit me.
World Youth Day in 2011. Madrid, Spain.
MBA degree can wait, just one more year. Give me 2011 to do what I missed doing in the past four years (especially in 2008).
Madrid, Madrid. I will see you next year.
I’m taking this email I got for Refine Me yesterday as a sign, too:

And today, it’s official (well, semi-officiail, since I have yet to finish the other registration details):

By God’s grace, I will see Madrid and Pope Benedict XVI, with my friends and with other youths in the world who also love Jesus.
I think it’s time to sing Great Adventure again.