Chronicles of a Selfless Woman

Chronicles of a Selfless Woman

I believe the best human satisfaction is to achieve you’ve always aspired in life. I, PFC Cuevas, am the last born and the only girl from an initial family of four. Ever since I was a kid, I have always dreamt of joining the military and serve the nation, especially in the marine. It was a scary dream since it is a male-dominated job, but deep within me, I wanted to achieve my goal. Thus, I maintained a proper diet, kept body fitness, and work hard in school.

Finally, the day was here, and I was supposed to leave for the boot camp. It was an emotional day of sadness and deep thoughts since I was leaving my mum and brother behind. Three months ago, my dad succumbed to throat cancer. It was a heartbreaking experience, and I felt life was not worth living. But my father would always remind me that I’m a strong girl. This would give me the morale to push on. The day he died was my worst day, my source of motivation was gone, and I felt lost and scared.

I was scared of what was ahead of me joining a male-dominated job, but it was time to leave for the boot camp.

ANA: Cuevas, I’m so proud of you. I want you to be the best sailor.

ME: I won’t let you down mom (sobbing)

Reynaldo: My baby sister, we will miss you, but I need you to make us and dad proud again.

ME: I’m a strong girl, that shouldn’t be the worry. The worry is that I won’t see you for some time I will miss you, big brother.

ME: I have to go now. Bye, mom and Rey. I love you (hugging while sobbing)

I was finally in the boot camp, feeling both happy and anxious about the training. The training turned out to be very hectic. We were required to wake up early at 5 AM, do some heavy exercises run for five kilometres, do the heavy lifting, and swimming to rejuvenate the body for the day. During the day we had to run again for some three kilometres, swimming, yelling and jostling during drilling, and attend classes. The instructors were rude and very authoritative. By the bedtime, I was usually tired, and all I wanted was my bed and a pillow to cry.

I would think of my family during the hard days, and the only motivating factor was to think of Opha, the first female sailor and my idol. I would always imagine if Opha went through the same training, then my duty was to work harder. One sunny day, woke up as usual, and I was ready for the day’s activity. However, everything that I did would go astray. I even slept in class, and the instructor was angry with me and sent me away. I went behind one of the tents and started crying, and someone came to me and my surprise it was Opha.

ME: Opha!!

OPHA: Yes, Cuevas. Why are you here and crying?

ME: I have had a bad day and decided to take a break… This is my dream job, and I feel terrible that I’m failing at it, but I still want to pursue it.

OPHA: Listen, there will be multiple bad days in the camp. It will help if you remain strong. I also went through this, and it was challenging. You should be proud you made it to this far. Many people do quit, but you need to remember why you are here.

ME: Thank you so much. You are always an inspiration.

The boot camp experience was robust, but I persisted until the end. I felt achieved and a selfless woman.