It is five o’clock in the morning. My eyes are all lazy and still, my whole body motionless and heavy, and my hands wrapped up tight to my pillow while my mind is trying to get away with the irritating sound of the alarm. If only I could just have five more minutes of sleep to offset the hours I used to finish my Chemistry Lab Report, my tired body will forever be grateful. Unfortunately, the constant beeping of the alarm is just too much to endure. It is again time to stretch every dormant muscle, take a bath, feed my stomach and head straight to Farm Fresh to officially open the store for another day of seemingly “World-class Customer Service.” Or so does my life officially start.

 Up to this moment, my day-to-day activities revolve around two things, my work and more importantly my studies. At 6:00AM, I work as the opening cashier for two hours and it is my job to ring up every customer’s groceries and do all transactions as fast as possible . Right after the next cashier comes, it is time for me to head straight to the money room and do bookkeeping. Bookkeeping is not one of the most ideal jobs for me. It is a very big responsibility that mostly deals with money and sales. It is the job of a bookkeeper to make sure every department in the Front-end are fixed and all cashier shortages are searched for. So to speak, their problem becomes mine and I had to fix everything all by myself.

At 10:00AM, I go back to the register once again and for two more hours, I have to stand up trying to endure the cramps and pain of being still. To make things interesting, I get to meet two or more despicably offensive customers that certainly ruin such a precious day. But life goes on anyhow. With all the stress from work and rude encounters, it is time to shift to my main priority, academics.

With just only an hour before my first class starts, I still have to drive for twenty minutes before I reach school. Feeling all the stress I got from work and the deprived hour of sleep I tried to endure, it is only motivation and initiative that enables me to keep up with the class. After six hours of grueling classes, I have to go back home to do my household chores then back again to my room to get ahead with three more coursework to finish. Unfortunately still, I have to work the following day. So before I sleep at around midnight or past two in the morning, I have to make sure there is a power drink beside me. There is no time for fun, no time for hanging out with friends, no time for a personal time. With the same routine, the cycle continues.

For the past three weeks, questions linger within me as to when will this lifestyle ever end. A lifestyle I certainly aspired for since I realized the struggles and challenges I have to overcome in the future. I can only wait for the change five years from now.

Out of all the struggles and sacrifices I am giving to my current work and on school, five years from now, I see myself working as a successful Electrical Engineer in a renowned Engineering firm. Gone would be days when I have to forcefully wake up early in the morning and go straight to work. Gone would be the days when I have to be confronted with obnoxious and condescending customers. Gone would be days when I have to rush back to school alongside a very heavy traffic. Gone would be days when I have to drink three bottles of Red bull just so I can be wide awake until two in the morning to finish all my homework.

In contrast, I shall be waking up with my eyes eager to welcome the Sun. With a cup of coffee in my hand, I shall have more time to hit the sofa, watch the news and work-out for a few minutes. I will not be hitting two birds in one stone anymore. After I earn my degree, I do not have to worry about academic pressures. I can just focus on my work, an actual work I do enjoy and love. Things will be more flexible since my education will now be integrated with a work that I really want.

Five years from now, I will have more time for myself. I can finally enjoy other things life has to offer. I can finally feel the happiness of being surrounded with good friends, cousins and more importantly my whole family. I can finally go back and visit my country and contribute even for a little to improve the lives of my countrymen. Five years from now, I see myself reaping the fruits of my labor. The time spent to wake up early in the morning to work and the time burned to study until dawn, all of which being transformed into success.  All of these I wanted to do, but never have the chance with this current lifestyle I have.

Being full-time at work and full-time at school is not the best situation I can be in because I need to be like Superman trying to defy my physical and mental limits. But then again, it is the only way to do it now that I am on my own. And for this reason, this lifestyle is my life support to get the education I wanted.

While the life I wish to have is better than today, struggles are inevitable. My lifestyle in the future shall not be the case without my lifestyle today. I believe God has a good plan for me; I just need to be patient and be strong for years to come. In the meantime, all I can say today is, “Five years from now… Five years from now.”