Rhythms of Laws (Law School Series 1)

TRACK 1

Track 1
1L | August| 2024

The first day of your law school is the first day of your bar review.

Ito ang unang tumatak sa kokote ko nang sabihin ito ng aming speaker na si Justice Huarez para sa unang 1L orientation namin. Napuno ang gymnasium ng halos lampas limang daang estudyanteng nakapasa sa law school ng Universidad De Isla.

How can I forget this day, it's the same day where I got this stupid realization that law school might not be for one of the weakest of hearts. If you're wondering where the stupid part is, it's me enrolling in law school.

Nakilala ko ang mga magiging ka-blockmate ko sa karamihang mga course na kapareho naming mga nakauha para sa bagong semestreng ito. I wasn't always good with socializing and was never in between being introverted and extroverted. I can be extremely extroverted in front of many while introverted if I don't know anyone.

"We won't survive in law school without friends," Alivia whispers behind my ears. Nakasandal siya sa balikat ko habang pareho naming tinititigan ang isang grupo mula sa kabilang table.

Kung hindi pa kami aakayin ni Janella sa table na iyon ay mukhang uuwi kami pagkatapos ng orientation ng walang blockmates na nakikilala. Kaya naman pareho kami ni Alivia na parang basang tuta na naglakad at nakipagkamay sa kanila.

The three of us have been friends since our college years. Four, if we'll include Peter who didn't make it to law school—but that's a whole lot of story I don't want to open up. I don't want to spoil this first day with tears from my past. It would be an ugly opener.

Most of the law students we've met are all working. Some of them were already experienced paralegals, had their work and expertise in corporate jobs, and the others have family who own law firms and wanted to be part of the field.

Aside from how everyone looks so professional and has decent etiquette, I was quite surprised by their backgrounds. We have fellow law students who are in their late twenties extending up to late forties already. Age is one thing, but their dedication to continue studying is what amazed me.

Saka ko tiningnan ang mga mukha ng mga kaibigan ko na kakatapos lang gumraduate wala pang isang taon ang lumipas. We're in our early twenties, confused, don't know where we are going. Yet here I am, slowly feeling the imposter being born out of this 1L orientation that wouldn't stop reminding us that we're entering inside a lion's den. And if that's really certain that law school is a lion's den, who would the lion be?

Applying to law school is already a leap of a step, then a whole new life awaits from me after passing the test and application. Now, I found myself where this fate has brought me— running, kasi late na ako sa first class ko sa first day ng law school.

Constitutional Law I, sa dinadami-daming pagkakataon para ma-late ako, sa course pa talaga na ito. Admittedly, it was my fault to spend my Sunday night club hopping with my fair-weather college friends. I was too complacent that I'd wake up before 5 p.m. which I did not, now I am rattled to my 7 p.m. class carrying my new empty notes and laptop.

Simula ng orientation last week, hindi na ako tumigil na igugol ang aking natitirang oras sa bakasyon para maghanda sa first week of classes. Constitutional Law, based from the things I've researched, is the most important of all laws since it is the foundation.

Hindi naman bago ito sa akin, pero aminado ako na kahit HUMSS student ako at nakapag-aral ng kaunti sa batas ng Konstitusyon mula sa Philippine Politics and Governance, hindi pa rin maayos ang pundasyon ko rito. Wala na nga akong maalala sa subject na 'yan. Ang natatandaan ko lang na ginawa namin noon ay ang pagkakabisado ng Preamble, na hanggang ngayon, nakatatak pa rin sa aking ang unang linya: We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God...