Hello there guys! Sorry for the late blog post about my Manila trip. I wasn't really excited to do this because I don't have even a single photo to show you. I brought my camera but I think that wasn't the perfect time to chill and have some fun. This is gonna be wordy and boring but I'm gonna share what happened anyway. For some who would care to read this, thank you! :)
1st day
THE SEARCHING
Mama and I took the 11:55 am Cebu Pacific flight. There are only 2 scheduled flights in Roxas everyday, PAL (which was overly early) and CebuPac. We arrived in Manila 16 minutes ahead of schedule. We went straight to YMCA Makati, had a room reserved there thinking it was a block away from Trident tower, where my exam center is located. It was really tough searching the place, we walked by the side street like we were lost kids finding their mommies. Putting the shame behind, we asked a couple of guards for the direction. I'm no good in tagalog plus I have bisaya accent, it made everything a challenge. It's just that whenever I go for vacay in Manila years ago, my cousins and I talk in bisaya.
2nd day
SHOP TIL YOU DROP
Instead of going to Trinoma, we opted to shop at SM Makati cos it has Forever 21 in it (only SM Makati and Mega Mall have Forever 21 in Manila as far as I'm concerned). I do feel good when I buy something new. Just to condition myself for the following days' exams, I bought a connector dove ring and a tube dress from Forever 21, Jeggings from Bench (I couldn't find jeggins elsewhere) and a top from Molecules for my brother. Mama did her own shopping as well. Before the day ended, just across YMCA, there's the Sacred Heart Church, we heard mass to ask for God's blessings.
3rd day
NCLEX
I woke up just in time to cope up with traffic. I arrived in the testing center a little early but it was better than being in a hurry. We started the exam 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled time. I wasn't really nervous but my hands were a little shaky. During the exam, I was trying really hard not to go blank and to remember the concepts that I have learned during the review. I wanted to cry because I was always down to two choices and it really sucked that the statements were similar, making it difficult. What I feared the most was the Select All That Apply questions, I really don't do well on that type of question. Luckily, I just had less than 10, I guess. My basis was the priority questions, you're like getting a clue that you passed if you had tons. THIS IS JUST MY THEORY, DOESN'T MEAN IT'S TRUE. I got a smile on my face everytime a word was highlighted on the question (it means it's a priority question) and felt down whenever I got an objective question. I had my mind set to stop at 75 but unfortunately I didn't. I had a mild panic attack, I was like 30 minutes past 2 hours and I'm still on my 76th question. Thinking I was gonna be short with time cos I expected I had to go all the way to 265, I doubled my time and didn't totally read the entire question and choices. I lifted everything to God. After the exam, I felt really bad and looked lifeless. I answered mama's questions in one word, that's me being depressed, in deep thoughts thinking of what ifs. I heard the 6 pm mass, prayed for God's grace, keeping my hopes high.
4th Day
HAAD
I took this exam on the same testing center. The questions were fixed (150) unlike NCLEX that it can shut the computer down anytime after 75. The exam was easier, you can even sleep and do cart wheels while taking it but of course, you can't really do that inside the testing room. Luckily, I PASSED the exam but didn't really cover up the depression I felt the previous day. I'm happy but not really the kind of happiness that I will feel if I passed NCLEX. We headed to SM Mall of Asia to buy Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for my brother, it has been our favorite. I wasn't able to buy for my friends though cos I had 7-kg baggage limit. We went back to our hostel then, to pack up our things. It was Mama Mary's birthday so we heard mass before dozing off.
5th day
Home Sweet Home
We took the 10 am CebuPac flight. Had lunch at Gaisano Roxas before heading home. I turned on the internet and did the Pearson vue Trick. I got the good pop up and I'm really hoping that it's true. So far, I haven't read any testimonial that it failed so fingers crossed. 4 weeks til I get my mailed result but I guess I just have to call the board of nursing after 2 weeks to cut this anxiety. Waiting for the exam results is the worst feeling.
Continue praying for me friends. Thank you!
NOTE:
I DID NOT DIVULGE ANY CONTENT FROM THE EXAMS. I STATED MY EXPERIENCE AND HOW I FELT ABOUT IT BUT NEVER DID I INCLUDE TOPICS OR ANYTHING THAT COULD LEAD TO LEAKAGE.
If you have a problem with this post or I have violated a rule that I'm not aware of, please inform me ASAP by sending me a message on my facebook account. Just click facebook icon on the left side bar. Thank you! :)
