BY AUBREY ROSE ALEJANDRO
“I CAN’T wait to proceed to college. I have this feeling that the following years will be full of lessons and fun with my friends. I will make sure that I will give myself time to unwind and have fun after every long week of studying for the exams. I’m just so excited!”
This was me exactly four years ago.
I was so ready for college. I told myself that I would give my 100% and not waste my time for unimportant things.
I was ready.
I was excited.
Little did I know I was unknowingly preparing for this…pandemic!
I was in the last semester of my second year of college when the city mayor announced a one-week class suspension in all levels. As one of those exhausted students due to tons of school work (it was our final exam week), I got excited.
I told myself it was a blessing in disguise from the universe. Maybe the universe knew how tired and drained we were.
Friday came and so I went home to the province. I finally had a good rest and good food that I knew I deserved.
That one-week class suspension was followed by another week due to COVID-19. Again, I felt relieved because that meant another week free from school work.
To be honest, I didn’t take this pandemic too seriously at first. My friends and I were expecting it was just the usual outbreak and would only last for a week or two.
But that one week became two weeks, then months, and the months turned to over two years.
Yes, it has been two years already since I last set foot in our classroom. I didn’t expect to spend half of my college years online.
It was very challenging. I had a very hard time adjusting. I didn’t know how online class worked and I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. I’ve spent most of my life as a student discussing face to face with my professors and classmates and all of a sudden we’re doing everything virtually.
Hard lockdowns and community quarantines were implemented all over the Philippines. It wasn’t just my student life that was affected but also my life as a normal citizen. Everything changed as fast as a bullet train.
Doing my household chores, part-time job and school work simultaneously was exhausting. Most of my nights I was dealing with sleep paralysis. I was three times exhausted than before. I came to the point where my coping mechanism was to cry.
I don’t like opening up on things that I’m going through to people, especially those who would tell you how small your problem is compared to others. We all have different experiences and coping mechanism. Every problem, no matter how small or big, will always matter. That is one of the things I’ve learned from this pandemic.
I believe this pandemic happened for a reason. Despite everything, I’ve learned how to always find a solution in everything. If Plan A doesn’t work, make sure there’s Plan B to Z.
Today, I am giving myself a pat on the back for staying resilient. I know I have a long way to go, but this, I can say, is a good start./PN
