College Flashbacks

Ang mahal naming pamantasan....

I went to my old university this morning. It felt a bit strange, walking down the old halls, seeing old familiar faces. I remember the first time I stepped into that school. It was my entrance exam and my stomach was very upset because I was so nervous. I felt like I was going to vomit. Hehe. That was in 2002. Now, I returned as an adult. It felt very different.

Field demo day.. I had to dance!!

I actually anticipated my return there this morning. I had bad memories with the staff there. Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila is a government school. The admin knew that their taxes paid our tuition, so they did not treat us so kindly. Even the security guards at the gate were very harsh. When I was a student, one guard yelled at me because my ID was not put on correctly. That time, the lady at the registrar often snapped and would glare at me through her thick eyeglasses. It made me feel very small.... but this morning, when I returned, everything was different. The guards politely addressed me as "ma'am". Even the same old registrar was very nice and did not frown at me at all. We were all on the same level. Hardworking citizens of the country, trying to make a decent living.

School fair! The best! :D

While I walked down the school halls, a wave of memories washed over me. I remembered how we quickly finished our projects outside the library, every time we crammed. I looked at the field and recalled the countless times I sat there with my classmates during softball practice. I can never forget the time I hit a homerun. It was my first...and last. I never played softball again after that.... I remembered our hangout at the UTMT (Under the mango tree) where my friends and I often sat to talk, study, and talk more. I remembered old professors, young professors, cool professors, not-so-cool professors. Even the professor who made us cry with inspiring speeches on nationality, the professor who threw our project out the window from the 5th floor--only because some of my classmates were noisy. Then there was that professor who gave me the creeps. He chatted with me once and said "Ms. Maramara, you're very cute". My friends never stopped teasing me for that. His name stinks too. *Shivers* There was also that old old professor who was so old we could not hear his voice when he gave a lecture. I feel sorry for the old man. He fell down the stairs once and returned to class in a wheelchair. Fine journalist, that man was. 


As I walked around the school, I marveled at how so many things also remained the same. The old computer in the lobby was still there, the old nurse was still in the clinic, the toilets still had no flush, and the mango trees were still standing tall and spreading wide.

Mirror effect: our favorite photo style

I miss being that kind of student. When the biggest challenge in life was a deadline. I miss the plays, the music videos, the teamwork, eating at the cafeteria, shooting short films and documentaries...and friends! Friends come and go, but school friends have a special bond that's hard to break. Especially if you cry together because of the hardships you go through. Not that I cried with them...I usually just smiled when they cried. I do not like to cry in public.


My four years at that university changed my life. It gave me knowledge and experiences I will never forget. Yes, there were bad memories there. But the good ones far outnumber the bad ones.

Graduation day....the end of our journey...