GREAT OPPORTUNITY BUT THIS TIME, IT'S A NO

Yesterday, our Marketing professor was checking our attendance when our last semester's Galileo professor butted in. She announced the requirements needed for the Singapore practicum. Singapore practicum? Not again. The last time I've heard of it and DISCUSSED it with my parents and blockmates was last February, I guess. Our section is scheduled for practicum second semester this year BUT for those who would like to experience the out-of-the-country practicum, they may either take it first semester and become an irregular when they came back (just like what four of my blockmates did) or take it second semester but will not be able to attend the graduation ceremony on March 2011. Actually, just taking the practicum in Singapore would mean not being able to graduate on time or not being able to march during graduation because it would last about six to twelve months, depending on the hotel.


Hotel? Yes. For us tourism majors, airlines and travel agencies and offices would be the perfect place for OJT but in there, hotels are waiting for us, and what's the job? Either we'd be assigned in food and beverage or front desk. I've had my experience in food and beverage last semester when accreditors came to our college. So, the CTHM office encouraged, and even required us students to memorize our college's mission,vision, goals, and objectives because those accreditors might ask anyone from the CTHM students. I was one of the servers that time, so I was very, very nervous because I wasn't able to memorize it. I hated it, aside from thinking of our events management class, I'd still have to know those mission vision stuff, while preparing and serving them their meals. BUT, I loved the food. There were leftovers so we ate all of it, while chatting with Chef Sam who looks like Hitler, lol. 


Anyway, enough of the accreditation experience. I and my friends decided not to pursue our practicum in Singapore simply because of the following reasons:

• We want to finish college on time..Btw, we're the Quadricentennial Batch, there's a news that our names would be engraved in the time capsule (but not the one that's buried, lol)
• We want to march on our graduation, lol, because we believe of it to be a special day NOT ONLY for us, but especially for our parents.. especially to my mother.. I want to see her reactions when I come up the stage..
• We would definitely miss the moment IF we graduate with honors.
• The job in Singapore is not easy at all. It's a training, but in the hotel industry. And, they're work there is very exhausting, as what we're heard from others. Some cry during their first night. 

Lastly, we value having our practicum in airlines and other travel offices (most are located in Makati) for us to be familiar and engaged in the airline industry which is our target instead of working in the FandB (although it's also a job opportunity for tourism majors). I've discussed this to my mother many times already and she agreed with me that it's better that I graduate on time and work at once instead of flying out of the country. Now, I'm just hoping and praying that I would be assigned in a good airline and hopefully, they would like me and have me work with them. :)