Old school memories: Graduate

Four and a half years and three different courses since I entered college and finally I had a degree - BSBiology. Prior to my graduation I received an invitation to connect with East Visayan Academy in Cebu City and immediately after finishing the requirements for the finals I took the boat to the island of Cebu.

This place was rather familiar to me, because I was born here and my parents were former educators in this school. Now as a Biology and Chemistry teacher I was excited to get on with my new job. The job itself was challenging and more so with students who had a different upbringing than mine. These were city kids and fun for them apparently took a different meaning, therefore some time was needed to adjust to their style, but I had it all worked out. 

Like any SDA academy there were a lot of restrictions including going to movies and drinking in parties - something that I didn't take pains to conceal and somehow word leaked out among the students that sir "Moring" loved prohibited stuff and some guys started to gravitate toward my direction. There was once when 14 of them were caught inside a cinema watching a movie and the punishment was to "dig a hole without suhol" (no pay). They were the butt of the jokes for the rest of the students as they worked on their punishment. These kids did me a good turn by not reporting my presence inside the cinema or I could have been the only teacher with a shovel digging the hole with them.

A weekend and school break activity that I loved while in Cebu was driving a public passenger jeepney in the city. The routes that I did were Talisay - Colon and Lahug - Carbon. These jeepneys had loud stereos blaring the hits of those times by the Bee Gees and the sound track of Grease by John Travolta, and choosy passengers avoided jeepneys that didn't play good music. Ladies also were choosy with regards to the driver, because they knew that "basta driver, sweet lover" and we drivers reminded them that "God knows Hudas not pay."

At this time I was also waiting for the results of the MCAT exams that I took earlier and one day I got the acceptance letter from the Southwestern University (SWU), which had instructions for me to submit my downpayment of 1,000 pesos so that I could be included in the next batch of medical school freshmen when enrollment time came. I had a cheque for the amount done and was about to send it in when a letter arrived from my mom in Bukidnon telling me of a school in Davao that was offering late exams for prospective medical students. She wanted me to try out Ateneo de Davao University first before finally committing to SWU.

This changed the plans that I was pursuing at that time and life took a fateful turn for me.

Next: Medical school stories. OMG.