I want to be a diplomat

I cannot exactly recall how and when I knew of the Foreign Service Officer (FSO) exam. All I remember now are bits and parcels of my dream to be a diplomat. There were times I searched for the exam schedule only to find out that I missed it by a few months already. I once asked an officemate who took the exam a few years back. He told me a brief overview. Then I saw a review class for it. I inquired through e-mail a few weeks before it started only to be answered by the coordinator a few days after the class began.

I attended a meeting once where I met someone who knows a former schoolmate who works for the Department of Foreign Affairs. She told me that my schoolmate, a licensed FSO, has already been posted abroad. I searched for my schoolmate's e-mail and sent her one promptly. I told her that I am inspired by her achievements since high school graduation. She promptly replied and told me to take the FSO exam.

That was when I literally became obssessed with it. I looked for information about it on the internet. Now I know that the FSO exam has a 90% mortality rate. This is even higher than the bar exam's mortality rate! the exam is divided into 3 parts. I learned that yearly, an average of 3000 applicants take the first exam. It is an SAT type but at this early stage, only around 300 pass to take the second set.

I saw blogs of 4 Pinoy diplomats. One posted rephrased questions which were given in 2006. The other 3 shared their lives as FSOs.

From then on, I subscribed to a newspaper, bought an SAT reviewer, read whichever is the better issue between Time and Nesweek magazines for the week, and regularly visited the Web sites of the World Economic Forum, ASEAN, and World Trade Organization. I likewise stopped watching sine-serye because the time I have to read and be updated about all possible exam questions is never enough. Now, I literally have no idle time among working, preparing for the FSO exam and my part-time job.

I told my friends about it and I'm overwhelemed by their support. For example, my friends and I still talk about trivial office and showbiz gossip once in a while but now our conversation topics focus more on world and Philippine affairs.

As I become more updated with Philippine political news, my desire evolved from being a diplomat to helping the Philippines in all ways I can. It could be that I am already thinking of an excuse should I fail the SAT type of exam but I am truly saddened by the turnout of most of the events in the Philippines. I sincerely want to help improve Philippine society as I feel that Filipinos can excel in any field of his/her choice. I want to market the Philippines to the world that we are a race of brilliant minds and loving hearts.