Chapter VII: Batchmates, Part 1
It's another day at the campus, and I walk across the pedestrian again. Tricycle divers sometimes don't value the safety of passengers, especially to their own destinations. Albeit mine, it is supposed to be the school gate, yet it's the other side of the road. Having no choice left, I had to accept, what should I do? I wait for other at the pedestrian lane like other students and teachers or staff so that it can be guaranteed to cross it just like crossing pedestrian lanes in major cities like in Manila and Baguio.
For today, we are not meeting our instructor since there was a memo sent to them that there is an event at the Marcos Hall or the university gymnasium, stating that all second years are required to attend. I arrive at the venue at exact time plus an addendum of 5 minutes due to traffic. However, as I locate my classmates, I see that they are at the right bleachers and that's I go there. As I settle into my seat, I'm thinking that the program would start at the exact time. However, Filipino Time hits hard. We wait for 1 and a half hour until the program finally starts. Amidst the program, my bladder isn't corresponding to the suppose-to-be-dormant condition during the event. I stand up from my seat, and take my sling bad and go to the nearest comfort room.
In my previous school, the comfort rooms are always open during an event, either if it's just a whole grade level, or the whole department. However, as I got to the comfort rooms just at the left side of the gymnasium, it's locked. I almost panic since I'm almost about to burst. I can't go out of the gymnasium because criminology students always lock and guard the exits during an event. Then a thought comes to mind which is a second male comfort room is possibly nearby. I go upstairs and near the left bleachers, there's actually one. The bad news is, it's looking kinda abandoned. Good news is, it's open. I go there and do my business. After relieving myself, I go down, and ascend the stairs to the bleachers. As I'm almost to my classmates, suddenly,
"Mar!"
Someone calls out my name, and I turn my head, finding who called my name. I turn and rotate, until I see a familiar face beside me. It's Angelo, one of my classmates back then in Senior Highschool. I raise my hand a bit and smile at him, and say,
"Huy"
Most programs in the university is like this, and I often saw them, my good old classmates.
Back then, when we graduated from Senior Highschool, all 18 of us didn't maintain in Ilocos Sur. About 5 of my classmates, went to Baguio. One went to Ilocos Norte. One went to Australia. One went to a private college, yet still in Ilocos Sur. And the others and me, remained in Vigan. None of us stayed in DWCV, but our science teacher, the former dean of SLU Baguio, said to us,
"You will go prestigious university, you are the Special Science, all of you are brilliant young people"
Some maintained in the field of science, like in medicine, the others went for communication, and me, the only one who took engineering.
Every event or program concerning the other colleges within the university, I often see them. When I see them, I would often call their names and they would notice me. That was just after I broke up with Maldita. The Maldita restricted my own socialization and self-confidence making me so negative. She made me astray from my classmates, and as I go back to my old self, I always wanted to pay back my former classmates in a way possible.
Oh, how I remember all of it. The time we went to Baguio at the SVD Retreat House, and the time we all went to SM City Baguio. Not just Baguio, but I can classify it as a reminiscing and memorable adventure. Why adventure? There are many adventures we all went to before the conclusion of the pioneer class of the Special Science.
One time, just to shoot for a video for our Media and Literature, we went to different places, one place at a day. There was the time we went to the San Mariano view-deck to shoot some fun clips there. I remember it was splendid and so nice.
"Mar...", someone called by name.
"...we're gonna roll now", the girl who was my seatmate was the one saying that.
We went down the view deck, and unto the road. The road to Abra was almost complete, but there was no bridge up until this very day, The road was wide like a highway, and we went there running around. Riding the jeepney we rented with arms outward, while other ride on their motorcycles and others as back-ride with them.
Another scene that we shoot was when we went to Sta. Catalina Beach, where the groins have already been built recently that time. We didn't go directly to the beach, but to the resort by the seaside that goes by the acronym, PDS. We set our bags inside the picnic area of the resort. Then we all went for a swim in the pools and we shoot our memorable moments. After that, we dried off and went outside of the resort to shoot for another clip and it is the fun-time at the beach. Daniel strummed his guitar to the song, while we all vibe around sitting on a large log. As we finish, others would still remain at the resort. I on the other hand did not stay. EJ and Daniel already went home via EJ's motorcycle, and since that was night, there weren't tricycles. In doing so, I had to resort on walking about 2 kilometers straight from the resort to Sta. Catalina town proper until I got a tricycle in front of the church going to Vigan. Final scenes of our output were shot inside the campus, making funny moments, with Angelo and the Class President being the lead characters. Although they might have been the lead characters, we were all the main subjects of the music video.
These memories if kept in an album, I would name it as 'Castle on the Hill'. Why do you ask? 'Castle on the Hill' by Ed Sheeran is not just a song, nor the background music that we'd used in the music video. It is an album of collected memories between the 18 of us. Castle on the Hill defines the adventures of the pioneer Special Science and Special STEM of DWCV, and answer to the question, "What were the adventures of the Special STEM back then?" that will tantamount to an exclusive expression through timeline and generations.
Saying we are the first, the pioneer is a reminder who started it all, and who finished it. It also reminds me of my late grandmother's saying,
"Finish what you have started."
The glimpse through the adventures zoom out and I'm still walking back to the bleachers.
ns216.73.216.67da2
and then Add to home screen.