”I was working in a hotel in Singapore when I got my ”quarter-life crisis” so I decided to turn back home to The Philippines.
Back home I started working in sales but I realized that despite of the good salary, I felt really unhappy. I kept thinking: ‘what if this my last day? Will I be able to say that I enjoyed my life?’. So I did something unusual and quit my job. I was unemployed for one month, which in The Philippines is extremely long. I started contacting different non-profit organizations but since I don’t have the right educational background, none of them replied. Then, through Facebook I discovered a small NGO called ”Project Pearls” which provides meals and scholarships to kids in Tondo which is one of the poorest slums here in Manila. I send my resume and I got invited for an interview. The interview went well but I didn’t hear back from them. While I was waiting for a response, I started to doubt myself and I started to think that I had made a huge mistake by quitting my job. Out of frustration I applied for another job in sales. I got invited and immediately after the interview I got hired. Since I still wasn’t sure if the job was the right choice for me, I asked them for an extra day to think about it. I went to get a coffee, to sit down and think if I should take the job. All of a sudden I received an email from Project Pearls, saying that I could start the following week. That was the best day of my life.” (Manila, The Philippines)