Tacloban Astrodome Job Fair and Afternoon Stroll (Helping My Bro Achieve His Dream)

26 October 2024

After the recent typhoon wreaked havoc in some places in my country, which are still recovering today, our city government held a mega job fair at Astrodome to help job seekers easily land jobs in both overseas and local industries. My half-brother-half sister (he's gay) wanted to find a job, so I helped and told him to attend the mega job fair. He's a shy person at times and lacks confidence, so he couldn't do it by himself. As the older sister in the family, one of my roles is to push my siblings to pursue their dreams and do the right thing. My brother dreams of working abroad someday in the hospitality industry, so I asked him to collect work experience, particularly in a hotel setting.

We crossed the water on Friday morning, and the water was still uncalm, which made our boat swing in the water. The boat operation was suspended for a few days because of the typhoon and was only resumed that day. Some remnants of the typhoon were still in the water: garbage, plastics, and some floating debris. Despite the wavy water, I spotted some fishermen doing their business and returning to their normal daily activities.

We were advised to put on our life jackets for safety purposes as per city Coast Guard protocol. Believe me or not, it was my first time wearing a life jacket, so I took some souvenir photos while wearing it.

We arrived at the Astrodome, and I expected to see a lot of job seekers since it was a mega job fair. It made my brother even more nervous as it was his first time applying for a job. He's supposed to be in school, but he prefers to work for personal reasons. One of the reasons is because he wanted to work abroad. Nowadays, people can work abroad even without a diploma. You only need skills and experience. For that reason, many Filipinos want to find greener pastures in foreign lands because of not-so-strict requirements and also to achieve their dreams. I have to admit that I am one of them.

There were overseas and local industries at the job fair hiring applicants for local manufacturing, IT, hospitality, education, and construction to overseas manpower sectors. I helped my brother find the right agency for him. When I spotted one of the local hotel's job posts, I immediately recommended it to my brother, who applied for it thereafter, and as of now, he's waiting for the call to start the training. I know he can make it, and I know exactly where to apply if he wants to pursue working abroad once he acquires enough years of experience and learns new skills. Agencies were hiring for overseas jobs, but I failed to find one hiring for my desired job, so I left the place without even using the resume I prepared for the event. I brought my resume with me in case I came across an agency where I could apply, but it didn't work out. What mattered was I helped my brother find a job. It'll be his stepping stone toward a better opportunity in the future.

Afterward, we went to Jollibee to have mix-and-match sets because we felt hungry. We had a little chit-chat over food and taught him a few things to know about working and other stuff. After eating, we strolled into the city streets to show him the right direction in going to the hotel because he was still confused about the streets since he seldom went to the city and studied in the province.

The hotel is located near my favorite Catholic church in the city, the Sto. Niño church. While walking by familiar streets, some memories kept flashing in my mind. They're something that cannot be forgotten.

After finding the hotel, I strolled around and taught my brother about the streets. Back in my younger years, when I was still learning to navigate the city, I preferred walking so I could hold a grasp of different directions and landmarks. I lived in the city from college until I landed my first few jobs after school.

We went home at dusk, but before going to the pier, I stopped over at a store to buy something for my niece this coming Halloween and had some street foods as requested by my bro.

That's how my Friday went. Happy weekend!

Thanks for your time.

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