As a kid growing up, I really admired the sky. I enjoy and love looking at the stars and forming weird constellations. I always looked up at the beauty of the moon and wondered why it was chasing me as I walked. I remember that I used to stay up late on our roof everytime I heard there was a meteor shower in the news. This caused me to be late and asleep in class. Also, there was a time when I asked my mother where the sun goes when it sets and why sometimes there's a moon in the sky even if it's a day. I was a curious cat. I already learned the answers to these in grade school and high school. Still, I'm hungry for more knowledge about space and the celestial bodies above.
Aside from watching Disney and Nickelodeon cartoons, I spent my free time watching Discovery Channel and National Geographic shows when I was younger.I learned more about science, the animal kingdom, technology, and, of course, about space and even NASA.
My interest in space grew as I learned more about it and also about black holes, theories of the origin of the universe, exoplanets, and more from school and television.
When I was eight years old, I realized that my dream was to work at NASA, either as an astronaut exploring space or as an engineer who's a part of the team building spacecraft to be sent into space.
Every first day of classes, talking about my dream of working for NASA is something I shouldn't forget when introducing myself in front of my classmates.
There are people who support me and are happy for my dream, especially those who know how I have really admired the sky and space since I was a kid.
Of course, there were people, even my relatives, who laughed and demotivated me. They thought I was not able to reach my dream as high as the stars and said that I was too ambitious.
Time was fleeting as a meteor in the night sky. After hard work and sacrifice, I'm finally at NASA.
I think those people are wrong at some point. I made it this far.
"Hey, are you listening?" asked the man in front of me.
I've been stuck in my deep thoughts for too long. "Yes sir, I'm sorry."
Then, he explained what I needed to do, what my tasks were, and which areas I covered.
With a mop in my left hand and the other hand holding a container with cleaning tools, I started to walk to the fifth floor, the floor I'm assigned to. Today is my first day here as a janitor.
I've dropped out of college because of financial problems and failing multiple subjects I'm not good at. Now, I'm just a frustrated NASA engineer and astronaut.
I might not be an engineer or an astronaut, but I am still proud that I have a job that helps my family, a job that is not illegal, unethical, or immoral. After all, being in this job doesn't make me less of a person.
Soon, the mop in my hands and cleaning materials will be replaced by blueprints and tools. Instead of operating cleaning apparatus, I'll be operating machineries or in the cockpit. Maybe, instead of wearing this uniform, I'll be wearing a white hard hat or a space suit. I need to work harder, study and be patient.
I haven't reached my dream as high as the stars. But I'm almost there.
