So this is it
I can't believe it. Graduation is finally over. I just came home from a graduation party hosted by Jacqui. I came home earlier than planned and so I'm still pretty much awake. The car ride home made me realize that I am driving (or rather, being driven, as I'm not doing the actual driving) away from the people who have made the past four years exactly what it was. These are the people who I may or may not see sometime soon, some of whom I may never again cross paths with (God forbid). My college life isn't perfect, but then again, we rarely realize what perfection is at the exact moment that it occurs. Only in hindsight do we realize that there was actually bliss, even at only one point, in our lives.
Stepping into the Ateneo, I had very low expectations. Not because the school was ordinary, but because I couldn't imagine another school becoming home to me. Not after high school. It turned out that Ateneo became even more of a home, and slowly, I turned into what I feared the most... an Atenean. There are so many misconceptions about the typical Atenean, and dare I say, I didn't want to be the living embodiment of that. Only in experiencing what an Atenean really is did I see that these misconceptions are simply that--misconceptions. And not to defend the blue bloods, but I think that a lot of the time, they are simply misunderstood.
It was in Ateneo where I met people of different passions, no matter how absurd or extraordinary. It was likewise the place that unearthed passions and interests that I never thought I had. In its halls I met great thinkers, inspiring teachers, and remarkable peers. It's the place that helped me grow in confidence and character. I really wasn't expecting much from a college education. I thought that earning my degree would simply be about major subjects, specializing in the field we'd want to pursue, things like that. I got more than what I bargained for because of the experience that came with learning. Learning not just within the walls of the classroom, but outside as well. In the beginning, I struggled to understand why we must take so many units of subjects completely unrelated to my course (hello 24 total units of Philosophy and Theology combined!). In the end, I realized that college isn't about specializing (we've got Master's Degree and work training for that!), it's really about learning. It's the time of self-discovery. A time to explore and experiment with reckless abandon. The "useless" subjects serve not just to broaden our perspectives, but truly help us realize what we love, what kind of knowledge we love, and what kind of learnings we truly cherish. I don't think Ateneans ever stop philosophizing (not after excruciating hours spent studying for a minimum of 8 oral exams) whether for life-changing decisions or everyday circumstances. Yes, they complicate life, but they also make it much more interesting.
And of course, what would college be without the people? Being separated from my high school barkada has made our friendship even stronger. Some of my dearest closest friends have already migrated (and I haven't seen), and though it would seem that the distance would bring the relationship to an end, it doesn't. It only makes it stronger because we come to realize who we'd truly like to keep in our lives. Now, after four years, another friend is leaving. She's someone I've only come to know for four years--4 years worth of slow discovery, might I add--but someone I've grown quite attached to. She will be terribly missed, but I am confident that this isn't the end. The people can never be too far away. The Internet is there to make sure of that. And although our generation has grown past communicating through landlines, it's nice to receive a "real" phone call every now and then. Separation is a test, a sort of filter, might I add. It leaves us with the people closest to us, the dearest ones who may actually stay for all time.
I am honestly going to miss all the work that this school imposed on us. From them, we developed some form of endurance, discipline, and of course, strengthened our character. I am going to miss the all nighters, the headaches, sleeping in the library. I will never forget the anxious feeling that comes half an hour before a philo oral exam. The feeling of awe that is created by passionate teachers will remind me, as a form of inspiration, of what greatness, combined with passion, can achieve. There are so many things to leave behind as part of moving on. I hate moving on. I don't like change. I'm not very good with change. Despite it, however, it is something that I undergo as well, though without realizing it perhaps. It is only when we reach new shores that we realize how far we've crossed, how far we've traveled. The journey is never something we are fully aware of, because we are much too busy being engrossed by it. It is true, the journey is the destination. The destination simply signals a pit stop, never an ending.
(all pictures can be found here.)
Stepping into the Ateneo, I had very low expectations. Not because the school was ordinary, but because I couldn't imagine another school becoming home to me. Not after high school. It turned out that Ateneo became even more of a home, and slowly, I turned into what I feared the most... an Atenean. There are so many misconceptions about the typical Atenean, and dare I say, I didn't want to be the living embodiment of that. Only in experiencing what an Atenean really is did I see that these misconceptions are simply that--misconceptions. And not to defend the blue bloods, but I think that a lot of the time, they are simply misunderstood.
It was in Ateneo where I met people of different passions, no matter how absurd or extraordinary. It was likewise the place that unearthed passions and interests that I never thought I had. In its halls I met great thinkers, inspiring teachers, and remarkable peers. It's the place that helped me grow in confidence and character. I really wasn't expecting much from a college education. I thought that earning my degree would simply be about major subjects, specializing in the field we'd want to pursue, things like that. I got more than what I bargained for because of the experience that came with learning. Learning not just within the walls of the classroom, but outside as well. In the beginning, I struggled to understand why we must take so many units of subjects completely unrelated to my course (hello 24 total units of Philosophy and Theology combined!). In the end, I realized that college isn't about specializing (we've got Master's Degree and work training for that!), it's really about learning. It's the time of self-discovery. A time to explore and experiment with reckless abandon. The "useless" subjects serve not just to broaden our perspectives, but truly help us realize what we love, what kind of knowledge we love, and what kind of learnings we truly cherish. I don't think Ateneans ever stop philosophizing (not after excruciating hours spent studying for a minimum of 8 oral exams) whether for life-changing decisions or everyday circumstances. Yes, they complicate life, but they also make it much more interesting.
And of course, what would college be without the people? Being separated from my high school barkada has made our friendship even stronger. Some of my dearest closest friends have already migrated (and I haven't seen), and though it would seem that the distance would bring the relationship to an end, it doesn't. It only makes it stronger because we come to realize who we'd truly like to keep in our lives. Now, after four years, another friend is leaving. She's someone I've only come to know for four years--4 years worth of slow discovery, might I add--but someone I've grown quite attached to. She will be terribly missed, but I am confident that this isn't the end. The people can never be too far away. The Internet is there to make sure of that. And although our generation has grown past communicating through landlines, it's nice to receive a "real" phone call every now and then. Separation is a test, a sort of filter, might I add. It leaves us with the people closest to us, the dearest ones who may actually stay for all time.
I am honestly going to miss all the work that this school imposed on us. From them, we developed some form of endurance, discipline, and of course, strengthened our character. I am going to miss the all nighters, the headaches, sleeping in the library. I will never forget the anxious feeling that comes half an hour before a philo oral exam. The feeling of awe that is created by passionate teachers will remind me, as a form of inspiration, of what greatness, combined with passion, can achieve. There are so many things to leave behind as part of moving on. I hate moving on. I don't like change. I'm not very good with change. Despite it, however, it is something that I undergo as well, though without realizing it perhaps. It is only when we reach new shores that we realize how far we've crossed, how far we've traveled. The journey is never something we are fully aware of, because we are much too busy being engrossed by it. It is true, the journey is the destination. The destination simply signals a pit stop, never an ending.
(all pictures can be found here.)
hugs, 
@ 12:19 AM
2 Comments:
At 1:33 PM,
Anonymous said…
nice entry sana eto nilagay mo sa guidon article!!! hahaha touching touching
At 11:42 AM,
camille said…
Haha, syempre when I wrote sa guidon hindi ko pa lubusan feel ang graduation! That was like weeks ago! =p
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