By: Miss America

I came to PeopleSupport aka PS Cebu on the 3rd of January this year and started training immediately. I am currently on my last week and last day of training. I know I should be relieved with this information but I am not. I am so stressed out, I have dark circles under my eyes and because of the graveyard shift, I am socially-dead. I am not complaining though because apparently it is my choice to be a part of this great company and I am glad to be here in PS Cebu.

As emphasized by admin and our trainers, we came in at a very opportune time because PS is expanding, which means that there is a lot of room for growth. I can’t wait to apply for a higher position. I’m trying my best to qualify for any job opening and I pray that the Good Lord will grant me this specific wish.

Life in Training is like a roller-coaster ride. It’s also like a play. We have all sorts of characters in our batch and I’ve made so many good friends. We have shared stories on how we ended up in PS Cebu and how much we all needed these jobs.

In Expedia, it’s funny how the world seems so small when it’s basically at your fingertips… on the monitor, I mean. Training as an Expedia agent is not the easiest job in the world but it is a challenging one. I still can’t imagine myself with other accounts since I am not very keen on the technical side or on credit issues.

Sometimes I just want to sleep forever because I feel so exhausted every time I get home from training. It is in reality, Information Overload. And apart from the taxes that I don’t seem to comprehend why they are deducting so much from my payroll, I am still struggling and learning how to budget my finances. As you can see, I am away from home, trying to make it big on my own. But that’s life… it is unfair as always. But life, after all, is what we make it. And by overcoming such obstacles (or with flights, I’d say, ‘experiencing turbulence’), I have become a stronger person. One that is equipped with important information (shouts to the trainers!) that will allow me to give all my best shot on the field or floor, for that matter.

Being trained to become a Universal agent has its ups and downs. The good thing is that we are prepared better off and more eligible to apply for higher positions than those who aren’t trained for everything else. The bad thing is that sometimes I get a mental block. It’s like back when I was a writer and whenever I have a deadline to meet, I’d be stuck in a rut - not knowing what to write, or what to say. And it’s so retarded! But hey, what are those spas for anyway? Correct!

I would like to think that this kind of training is not working. Why? Because it involves so much stress that so many factors in my life is affected - even my hair, it’s so dry. Whenever I have a BF (you know, b*tch fit) and I literally throw a tantrum, then my mom would remind me. “Mai, in your own words, you said, the weak will be annihilated. It is the survival of the fittest! If you quit, then you are not what you say you are. You will never be the best if you don’t try!” You remember the weakest link?

All right, moving on. Let me just write ten things about training:

10) Training is a good thing.
9) Training shifts are messing up my body clock and my social life.
8) Training is fun;
7) although training is cumbersome,
6) but the trainers were awesome.
5) Training should be extended for 4 more weeks. Especially for exchanges and packages.
4) Training retakes are absurd. Only twice?
3) Training room is cold. J Sometimes it stinks. L
2) Training is essential. If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.
1) Any training that does not include the emotions, mind and body is incomplete; knowledge fades without feeling. So in the words of Charles Darwin, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Overall, it’s been a pleasure - a great learning experience… The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. To be able to say “Thank you for calling Expedia. My name is Lydia…” knowing I am Miss Universe, errr, Miss Universal Agent. Now, doesn’t that feel good?

Copyright 2005 © Maria Cecilia Tan Velasquez