Experiences are our best and foremost teachers when it comes to life. It is a constant trial and error method and a life-long process of learning from our mistakes, healing scars on our bodies, basking in the glory of our achievements, and meeting different people from all walks of life, that have contributed greatly to who we are as human beings today. Each person has a story that makes them who they are, and we are still constantly changing from our experiences more and more each day. For who I am now and for who I will be, I owe to my past 15 years of existence. This is a 2-page in-a-nutshell summary of an aspiring Atenista and how he came to be.
I was born and raised folded on the pages of storybooks, delving on classic fictional web of worlds of like Hogwarts, Narnia, Wonderland, and Oz. Even as a child, I have grown an odd fascination with storybook villains. I have always been fascinated with people a little damaged, and was always captivated by people a bit stranger than the normal crowd. It taught me to love people that’s a bit rough around the edges with untold stories and unheard cries. My parents taught me to form bonds with paper characters that would soon shape my existence, and later develop my love for literature and compel my fondness for writing.
Being raised as a family-oriented child, my vague childhood memory can recall watching classic old Filipino telenovelas on our old thick television like “Dyesabel” and “Mara Clara” with my family on Saturday nights. It was with literature and this kinds of telenovelas that my imagination flourished. I would still remember my sister and I playing elaborate games of pretend, role playing scenes from these soap operas and acting on roles like the long lost mermaid from “Dyesabel”, or a spoiled brat from “100 Days to Heaven”. It was then that I realized my knack for acting and taking roles, which developed my passion for drama and theatrics.
I transferred to a Catholic Paulinian institution when I was 4th grade. I live in Cainta and the school was in Antipolo so my sister and I were required to take the jeepney everyday. Sometimes, she would go home late due to clubs and extra-curriculars, so I had to go home alone. It was at this age I was exposed to using the mode of public transportation alone. For a child who have been raised in a priveleged safe space bubble all his life, the experience was, in itself, a challenge. This was where I learned about independence, and how to take care of myself at a raw age of 9.
High School was a completely different arena. It was a much bigger hallway with a much bigger responsibility. If my life were written as a book, we would be at the climax. It was difficult to be an achiever in a room full of achievers too. I turned out to be a silver in a room full of gold, but still tried my best to be one of the diamonds. Aside from a new set of teachers, and heavier workloads, I knew then that I would have need to work better on my grades as this are the ones that would matter when applying for different colleges and universities.
When I was voted for the Class President when I was in grade 7, It was by then that I was able to properly grasp the concept of “leadership” as I was forced to act on the responsibility of someone to look up to. It made me work on my leadership skills, and develop efficiency and organizational prowess for the position I am holding. It taught me on how to not think as a mere individual, but as a part of a whole, as leaders should always put others above themselves. It was also this year that I first joined writing for the entertainment and editorial section our school newspaper, The OLPSian Times. It was there that I learned the true meaning of “teamwork” and how to work with grace under pressure as our team missed sleep, laboring for days in order to get our literary portfolio to the editor-in-chief in time. It taught me the importance of deadlines, and how to function as a team without verbally communicating. That year also elucidated the beauty of earning something that you’ve worked hard for, as I was the only one in my batch to receive the Subject Proficiency Award in English Excellence. At the near-end of the school year, I was also recommended for a student council position, but I refused to run for the thought that I’m not yet ready for such big responsibility.
When I was in grade 8, I became an active member of the English Club. It was one of the clubs where I truly felt that I belonged, as my skills and talents were fit for the responsibilities being handed to me. It was also by that year that I truly valued the importance of academics, earning me a sixth in the ranking of my overall batch. I was able to experience first-hand being an active member of the Public Relations Unit which serve as ushers and usherettes on different school activities, particularly during holy masses. Serving as an usher for the P.R.U for almost 3 years, it trained me very well on how to be a people person. Meeting people from different walks of life, and learning on how to properly communicate with each one, is always like a game of tic-tac-toe. I was also trained to properly serve during Holy Eucharistic celebrations, and it was only then that I truly realized the beauty and complexity of The Holy Mass, as each celebration reminisces God’s sacrifice for humankind. It made me a little closer to him, as serving during masses strengthened my faith to Jesus Christ.
Growing up, I’ve realized I have been taught to fall in love with only a specific type of person, with people constantly telling me on how I should act. But as my knowledge of what colors I could take on evolved, I became another color altogether. I became a part of a wider spectrum. A member of a wave that refuses to go by the grain. That’s when I learned that I can love whom I want to love, and be a part of a community of many colors stitched by love.
I had my first taste of homophobia when I was in 9th grade, when I was sexually assaulted and bullied in our school’s public bathroom. It was only then that I had truly learned to take care of myself, and be surrounded by people who loves me and actually cares for my well-being. By that year, I was elected as English Club President. It taught me on how to be a creative and critical thinker who is open minded about what will work best, and exploring alternative solutions to problems. Being the president also taught me to avoid being a perfectionist at all times, if it won’t help at all. That year also taught me about the fruits of hard-earned labor as I won second place in our high school’s feature writing competition and our team as first place in the online publication competition during the English Month. It was also by this year that I was chosen to run for the student council presidency. Considering my past experiences, I considered the option to run for such position. The whole month of campaign taught me on how to solve problems, troubleshoot issues, and find solutions in a short time as possible. It also trained my tactics on management skills on how to work best with different people. Although I lost the election, I’ve learned a lot about how a heartbreaking loss can be a part of success. Even though I didn’t win, the experience was all for the books. I’ve learned a lot about determination, and how a positive attitude can have an impact on our perspective. The most exasperating fact about high school is how different it is from the young adult fiction we see in books and television. I’ve always felt pangs of jealousy whenever I see fictional characters living a dreamy high school life because it had always been different from mine.
As I matured throughout the years and no longer did I attempt to pursue misguided dreams of becoming a fashion designer when I didn’t even know how to draw, and no longer did I fantasize about going to Hogwarts as I was not a wizard living in London. — A writer and a journalist, that was who I was going to be, and I believe Ateneo will serve as the best ladder to help me reach the stars. High School had its own fair share of ups and downs and as I go on with life, there are still many things that I do not know. Even until today, I’m still figuring out bits and pieces of myself as I go along the way. But looking back past my 15 years of existence while writing this personal essay, I can attest that this narrative holds truth about the accounts of history it contain. As I’ve said in the beginning, experiences are our best and foremost teachers in life. Never have I realized about how much truth that statement contains until now. This narrative represents who I am. And for who I will be, the future holds mystery.
Kommentare