Admission Confirmed!

God has blessed me tremendously again today! Medyo maghanda na kayo ng mimiryendahin at iinumin while you read this sharing, hehe, kasi medyo mahaba na naman ito.

First of all, I got a response to my email to our parish priest saying that we might be leaving the parish this summer, and requesting for references for the boys as they apply for a Catholic school in Cambridge. Importante ang recommendation ng parish priest because it is the only way the school can verify that we are indeed practising Catholics, which would increase the chances of the boys' getting places. I got more than I asked for, because not only did Fr C promise to write reference letters for the boys, he also mentioned that he is friends with one of the priests (the parish administrator) in the Cambridge parish we will be moving to, the same parish which supports the Catholic school that we'll be applying to. As in, magkatabi ang school at ang church. Hopefully, Fr C's reference letters will help the boys.

Next, I got an email from Schlumberger Foundation inviting me to come to the Faculty for the Future Fellows European Conference in Paris this Sept/Oct--- with all travel and hotel expenses shouldered by the Foundation! Nagpaalam ako agad kay O and he was quick to say yes, kasi he wants me to embrace each opportunity that I am given, and he is also excited for me. He assured me that he and the boys will be fine while I'm gone. Hindi naman sila pwede sumama kasi for women only yung conference, and besides, the boys will be in school by that time... Wow, I'll be in Paris for a week just before term starts in Cambridge! And for free. WOW!

Last but not least, after so many emails and complications back and forth, and lots of prayers, moments of trusting quietly and asking the Lord to convince the Board of Graduate Studies that my one-year fellowship (with the possibility of two renewals) is enough evidence of funding for a three-year PhD, well finally, the Lord wielded His power and showed that for Him, nothing is impossible: I have just received confirmation of my admission as a Graduate Student in Cambridge, one of the best universities in the whole world, second only to Harvard! I feel both excited and nervous, because this is the biggest challenge I'll be facing thus far (aside from giving birth twice without medication hehehe).

Alam nyo, when I stop and think about it, everything was against my getting in from the very beginning:

-I don't have the equivalent of a UK bachelor's honours degree

-I don't have a completed master's degree

-I have been intellectually stagnant for 7 years!

-As far as I knew, I did not qualify for internal funding

But one by one, God showed our family how He purposely overturned every single obstacle that stood in the way:

-I was led to a very kind, compassionate and genuinely concerned PhD supervisor, Dr C, whom I have yet to meet in person! She lobbied for me when the BGS said my Philippine qualifications were insufficient.

-She encouraged me to apply for the Schlumberger fellowship, even if I was not strictly qualified for that either. She wrote a recommendation letter for me in support of my fellowship application, even if she had not yet met me, but just basing her letter on my past performance and future potential.

-She has already planned on how to support me as I ease back into the academe, explaining to me that she will put me in a research group so that I can have support and won't be left too much on my own in the first year.

-She used her influence to make sure the BGS processed my admission quickly, so that I can use my admission letter to secure a flat and apply for schools for the boys. She is such a great blessing, and I can't wait to be under her mentorship for the next three years.

-I was selected as a Fellow for a grant meant for women in emerging economies, even if I am no longer living in the Philippines! I see God's hand at work, and I cannot claim ANYTHING for myself, because I know that to have been chosen as one of 29 grantees out of 180 women who applied from all over the world, well, this is nothing short of a miracle.

In other words, my dear family and friends, may ginagawa talaga si Lord sa buhay naming mag-anak, and I can feel in the deepest part of me that there is something being done here which is bigger than just me or my lifelong dream of doing scientific research. He is forming us and positioning us. Feeling ko, we are only a small part of the bigger picture. For sure, God is doing something marvelous and ineffable, na hindi pa namin nakikita sa ngayon. So we will follow His lead and bloom where He chooses to plant our family.

Yon lang naman ang sharing ko for today :) Please praise the Lord with me and give Him thanks for all He is doing in us and for us.