According to the ever reliable Time Table that they gave Freshies on the first day, my TTh classes don’t start until 9. So I got up at around quarter to eight, confident that I would even arrive there early. When I got to CEM (people here pronounce it as SEM, mahahalata nilang Freshman ka kung C-E-M mo sinasabi at ayaw mong malaman ng mga higher years na Freshman ka) I looked around for my room, CEM 204, it was. I went around the place a couple of times, not really considering asking anyone because of the stories that I’ve heard (Ingat ka sa pagtatanong sa higher years, baka pagtripan ka non!) but when I’ve finally decided that it would help, I asked a person there, a janitor he was, I think. He told me that the room was being renovated and that sections that were supposed to have their lecture there were meeting in the Computer Science building – which was a long walk from CEM. So being the obedient little sucker that I am, I gathered my stuff and began the walk (noticing that my watch said it was already 9:10). I walked around the CS Bldg and found no such class so I decided to head back to CEM and ask again. So I did – I didn’t ask the same person of course – and this man showed me a schedule which showed the sections and after learning where I was supposed to go, I also learned when I was supposed to arrive there. Great! I thought, not only do I lose my way to my first subject, I would also come in an hour late! I entered the classroom and thanked God when I learned that our professor was human, not a demon wearing a mask.
After that, I had another class which exactly followed so I ran over the DevCom building. The lecturer got all of us acquainted and I met someone who was also in my Math 11 class. Ayos! At least di na ako magmumukhang loner sa Math 11. Pagdating sa Math 11, binigyan kami ng Diagnostic Test at dahil mabait akong estudyante, nakalimutan ko na ang mga ito. Sa loob loob ko, tinatawagan ko si Mrs. Tiburcio, parang pinipilit kong makipag usap sa kanya telepathically, “Ma’am,” sabi ko, “paki sagot naman ‘to”
Natapos ang klaseng ito at tinignan ko ang aking mapagkakatiwalaang schedule, sabi dito, ang susunod kong klase ay 4 pa daw. Sinilip ko ang aking relo, nakatutok ang maliit na daliri nito sa 1. Magaling! Napakagaling! Ano naman ang gagawin ko mula 1 hanggang 4! Dahan dahang umusad ang mga kamay ng relo sa alas kwatro, at makalipas ang isang siglo, naglakad na ako papuntang Hum 2.
Pag pasok ko sa aming room, nakakita ako ng cage sa isang sulok, na parang kakasya ang isang unggoy. Inexpect kong sabihin nung prof naming pagpasok nya, “Good afternoon class, ako ang batas dito! Ang sinomang unggoy na hindi sumunod sa lahat ng aking ipinaguutos ay ikukulong sa kulungang ‘yon” Yun ang kinatutuwaan ko nung pagkakataong yun, tapos bawat bukas ng pinto, akala namin dumating na ang batas. Pero makalipas ang 45 min. walang dumating, at dahil nasa kolehiyo na kami, lumayas kami ng room.
The next morning, 10 yung nakalagay sa schedule kong una kong klase. Dinobol check ko, baka mali na naman. Tama. Dumating ako dun sa room na nakalagay sa schedule – Gallery 1 sa New CAS. Natuwa ako ng konti, maganda ang room naming, malinis, may aircon, bago! Dumating ang aming professor, isang taong sa unang tingin ay parang blanko ang mukha, parang nandoon sya pero ang kanyang isip ay nasa ibang lugar, at sinabing hindi raw dito ang aming classroom, kami daw ay lilipat sa old CAS, sa old classroom. Parang sinabi nya na ring, “Okay class, pack your things and take your final glimpse of daylight, we shall be transferring to a dungeon where I am more familiar with the smell of decaying flesh.” Oo, aaminin kong medyo exaggerated ang aking sinabi, kasi maayos din naman yung room sa OLD CAS.
Nagpakilala ang aming professor (For safety purposes, mostly for mine, I will not mention his name here) maya-maya, sinabi nyang hindi raw iyon ang tunay nyang pangalan. Ang tunay nya raw na pagkatao ay masasabi nya lang sa amin sa pamamagitan ng pagsabing ang kanyang ina ay isang birhen at ang kanyang ama ay isang karpintero (sa susunod pa naming klase ay sinabi nyang dati raw ay taga-Galilee sya at nakapaglalakad sa tubig at gumagawa ng iba’t ibang uri ng mirakulo). Sa isip-isip ko, napaka-blasphemous naman ng taong ito. Biglang tinanong nya kami kung blasphemous daw ba ang kanyang sinabi? At dahil kaming lahat ay Freshman – at nagpapakabait pa sa mga professor – wala na lang sumagot. Naisip ko, ano kayang mangyayari sa taong ito? Pero hindi ko na muna tinuloy ang aking paiiisip kasi inannounce nya na may kailangan daw kaming basahin at gawan ng reaction paper for the next meeting. Wonderful!
Natapos ang aking araw at ang aking unang linggo sa Unibersidad at sa Los Baños ng nagiisa. I was longing for tomorrow, when my family would come visit me and would also bring the computer along (para may magawa na ako bukod sa pagkausap sa pader at pagbilang sa napatay kong gamo-gamo).
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