Sometime, Somewhere, Under the Heavens

III. Sometime, Somewhere, Under the Heavens

Sunday’s my most hated day of the week because it’s the day of going back to the boarding house.

Every time I was riding a jeepney, thoughts of reality –swamped with school works and activities lingered my mind. But everything became smoother and lighter when I slowly embraced that terrifying fact.

I realized that •••• ••••••• State University was a deep ocean. I need to learn how to swim in order to save myself from getting drowned.

Gradually, as days passed, I could see that everything became crystal clear. I was able to make friends with some of my classmates and some of them became my better support system.

Although we were stressed out with school work loads, we were still able to find time to enjoy and lift each other up whenever we were feeling down. 

Rica Ann, our homeroom chairperson, was only one of those people who changed my world. With her unending words of encouragement, I was able to rebuild myself and find beauty in everything. Her magic word, “Padayon” was my daily dose of strength in order to keep striving, amidst the difficulties I had encountered, as I continue my journey.

Together with our circle of friends, the “Bubbles and the 7 Dwarves” and my best friend Norway Jean, who would help me in academics and such, I felt beyond blessed.

They were the torches that gave light during the darkest moments of my life, most especially during the first semester. Seeing their genuine smiles and hearing them cracked some laughter, gave me energy to keep going on.I couldn’t imagine my freshman life without their existence.

With tears flowing from my eyes, I felt comfort; I felt happiness, once more. I was renewed. I knew, even without looking up, I felt the sunshine, the universe and the heavens were smiling back at me.

As I was writing on my journal, one day, the thought of my experiences during those times won’t fail to turn my tear ducts into a waterpark. It was a major turning point of my life which made me felt nostalgic. That was deeply etched in the nerves of my brain and in the veins of my heart.

Despite those horrendous feelings it had made me feel, I would still savor the lessons it taught me. The valuable lessons that ignited the burning flames of passion in my heart; that pushed me forward, closer to my dreams.

The achievements and recognitions I had received during high school didn’t matter because the race went back to zero and the rules of the game changed.

From that very moment, I knew I still need to go a longer way. Even if it was just the first semester of the academic year, reality had slapped me brutally with its bare hand. And that made me woke up about the true face of life, of the real world --harsh and cruel. It was a race where I got trampled because I wasn’t careful; I was too impulsive. When such things happened, I realized that all of my achievements hadn’t helped me.

It was my optimistic attitude, perseverance, flexibility, and faith that had kept me moving forward; which helped me endure that challenging moment and still look at life with silver lining.

With my hands clasped together, I prayed that one day, I would be able to look up again at the heavens with a grateful heart, saying:

“I did it!”