October, 10th month of the year, my favorite month being my
birth-month.
But this year
was different. I was worried about October's coming. I was so worried i wouldn't
be able to survive this month financially. I was practically
broke.
I just came from my annual
leave in Philippines and as is normal for OFWs like me, we tend to spend all our
hard-earned money, savings and all, on our family and friends. But I'm not
regretting having done it so. I saw and felt how my family enjoyed our
out-of-town excursions and adventures.
I went back to Saudi Arabia with only a few hundred riyals in my shallow
pocket to last me a week.
But God must
have heard my plea and he used my work and my friends to gracefully get through
this month.
First week of
October came and I was aboard a plane to Dubai for a 2-day training. That means
free travel, accomodation, and food. And who said one needs to have personal
money to enjoy the perks of a 5-star hotel in Dubai? You just need to be capable
and trustworthy at work and add several dashes of good luck of course. Deligence
and hardwork pays off.
And while i
was in Dubai, my good friends and cousin took good care of me. They treated me
to a Dhow cruise and gave me a taste of one of Dubai's best bars, Barasti where
we had fun at an Oktoberfest party. I never spent a dime.
I went back
to Jeddah with a couple of hundreds of riyals left in my pocket, I reckoned I
gotta do something or starve my self to death.
When second
week of October came, days away from my birthday, I received a call from a
client requesting for my photography service. I earned enough to last me two
months, Haha! God is great! But it wasnt until the end of the month that i was
able to collect my paychecks. 6-month house rental paid in full ;)
At the onset
of October's 3rd week, my company sent me out to Riyadh and Khobar to train our
sales teams for 4 days. Again, this business travel saved me from spending my
own personal money. A stay at 5-star hotels, needless to mention free
breakfasts, is just way too much a treat for a broke guy like me.
Just five days before October bade goodbye, I found myself aboard a Cathay
Pacific flight to a holiday destination in my own native land, courtesy of a
generous and satisfied client, for a week-long all expense paid leisure trip.
Our 9-day Hajj break came in perfect timing.
Looking back,
October appeared like a bad nightmare looming in my horizon but it eventually
turned into an almost unbelievably fantastic sweet dream.
I hope every
month that follows will be just like this October.
So November,
what do you have in store for me?
