Just kidding!

I was talking with a fellow blogger whom I have been following for a long time now, since my old handle/s pa; so while I was typing out my super long comment, all my college memories came rushing back, and it honestly felt overwhelming. I was not ready for a trip down memory lane.

College is supposed to be four years. I took five, and it was awesome.

I started in School #1 as a BS Accounting major because, without any real plan (thanks to some high school trauma, story for another day), I figured I would follow in my mom’s footsteps. But it turned out Accounting was not for me. Two hours of silent accounting lab work, no talking, all analysis? It broke me. Hindi ko kaya ang ganung klaseng katahimikan (I couldn’t take that kind of quiet!!!)

So, I transferred to School #2 and shifted to Arts and Letters. I thought I wanted to write! But during the semester, I met some friends in one of my Psychology minor classes, and I thought that maybe another shift would not hurt. Besides, my Psych 101 professor had advised me during my Accounting year that my personality would fit better in Psychology (the unsolicited advice was probably a ploy to ‘pirate’ me—maybe I was his favorite. Who knows?). So I shifted again. It was a Clinical Psychologist’s expert opinion after all.

My first two years of college were fun, too fun. I partied more than I studied. I met celebrities, rubbed elbows with the so called “it crowd” of the Philippines, and even partied with my then celebrity crushes. My bff and I even had a small part in one of the most watched reality TV shows at the time.  Imagine watching it weekly and suddenly getting called in to join. It was wild!!! That show may not have been syndicated, but it produced at least two celebrities who’ve had their fair share of the limelight. The show delivered an unforgettable OST. College students back then were crazed over that original Filipino song.

My bestie and I also went gaga over this university-hosted platform where you can discuss everything under your preferred pseudonyms (this was when internet started running the lives of PH students). We had a lot of fun and we became notorious. Our very own circle of friends would discuss about us without knowing it was us! It was freakin’ hilarious! I miss when we could discuss and argue about all kinds of things yet still maintain decorum. No one was bashed or cyberbullied back then; we all had thicker skin.

Surprisingly, I still had good grades because I had good study habits. I even made it to the Dean’s List. But then, in the mid 2000s, I met someone and dated him for almost a year. For some reason, he acted completely different around his friends, and it tore me apart. Our circle was small, so the embarrassment hit hard. I felt that I can no longer show my face since I thought I was being laughed at. I felt broken. I had to credit this with the high school trauma I indicated earlier in this post.

Thankfully, my best friend introduced me to books that brought me to reality, not the fantasy I built from reading *Love Stories“.

I took a break from school. I went to Riyadh for a semester. It was refreshing, necessary, and honestly, fun. I missed my family!!!

When I returned the next semester, I had new friends and a new vibe, my so-called Avril Lavigne era. I met so many musicians in campus fairs, some of whom are now mainstream, while others have since retired, some have passed on.

BUT realizing how everyone else was graduating at that time, I kind of panicked! My changing schools, shifting 3x and the break I took all sank in. I got left behind!

As SY 2002 to 2003 approached, I literally crammed. I was not stupid, I had just acted like one for a while, but at that time, I was terrified. I could handle being delayed by one year, but that was my limit.

I cross-referenced my old and new syllabi, the subjects I took during my first year, although differently titled, were essentially the same as the ones booked for me. I managed to have about four subjects crossed out. But some subjects would not be offered until the next school year. I refused to wait!

I spoke with the Registrar, arranged cross enrollment, took an overload in the first semester plus OJT, then handled three subjects in my final semester. One was at 8 AM, one was at 2 PM, and one required me to literally follow the professor to whichever school she was in. I had long days but that’s what it took for me to graduate that SY.

It was the toughest school year of my life. But somehow, miraculously, I finished school only one semester late, despite all the blunders & detours. Not counting my break, because it was a legitimate stop.

God has been good to me perhaps because He knew that despite all the mess, I’ve always had self-control.

*the book series and not the genre