It's Time!

by Tara Arevalo

I’ve always been a segurista.

I am never without an umbrella. The thought of traipsing all over the city in a pantsuit, oops, wet pantsuit, was never appealing to me. That or have a driver at my beck and call —-

then again, an umbrella is much more doable.

I am never without stocks of candles, instant food, batteries and flashlights. The rainy season in this country almost always translate to floods and brownouts.

I can probably go on with no TV but not without light. Or sustenance.

My OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) starts to kick in every time June starts. Rains and floods can be inconvenient, but their effects are a real pain. It is in these times that I begin inspecting my house’s ceilings for possible leaks as well as electric connections in danger of being damaged by rains.

What is my point, you ask? In a chitchat with friends over dinner last Friday, I realized that no matter how much effort you put into preparing, there are things you just can’t prepare for overnight. It was enough to throw me in into a fit of panic.

You see, my friend Anya recently got married. As they have slowly been easing into the cozy comfort of married life, my friend got pregnant and is now nearly the mother of a baby boy. She started talking about the expected expenses of having a kid. So I nonchalantly asked where she intended to send the baby to school. Since the dad was an Atenean, she said, the kid would have to go there, too.

Me: Would you need to sell everything by then when Siopito [my nickname for her little boy] goes to school

Anya chucked me a brochure with a charming kid’s face on it.

Anya: No, silly. We have a plan.

Me: How do you plan for something like that? Do you now how much tuition fees increase every year?!

Anya: Well, I came across Sun MaxiLink Bright, a real life-saver. First, It provides life insurance protection so at least my baby is secure no matter what happens to me,. then, it enhances my money’s growth potential so by the time Siopito has to go to school, I would have accumulated funds to cover his education

Me: [Here is the part where I sink in to a state of panic.] Gosh! I only have a number of years before I myself settle down and have a kid of my own to send to school! Is it too late for me?

Anya: When you finally have a kid of your own, you too can save for his college education through Sun MaxiLink Bright. It’s payable for as short as at least five years…so, no, it’s really not too late for you.

Me: [sighs] But it’s never too early to start either, right? Since I’m bent on having my own baby anyway, I might as well get a Sun MaxiLink Bright myself! And right away, too!

Now I know what the word segurista really means. Ultimately, it’s really about preparing for rainy days (literally and figuratively).