Skip to main content

Two Years Since

How time goes by so fast?


It soars like an eagle spreading its wings mightily in the wide blue sky.

It springs up like a flower in the wild.


It escapes the imagination unnoticed, like a rebel unmindful of the consequences, so much like the shadow hiding impassively behind.


Still vividly playing in my memory, the days when I first came to SEAMEO RECSAM as a course participant. Those days render the turning point of my life. The experience opens a whole new opportunities for me and gives me a different perspective on my teaching.


Life has never been the same way since then. I have been to my best and worst days. I have been subjected to the most ridiculed. I have been considered good-for-nothing. Even the people I deemed my friends, those I believed would understand me, had been distant. How frustrating has it been upon knowing that the people closest to you had bitter words against you? Oh, I might have been wrong perhaps. Maybe, just maybe, they have not regarded me as a friend.

But when a door closes, another window opens. As these gloomy events unfold, ironically, I received my first award as an outstanding teacher. Huh, somebody might have raised some eyebrows! Let them. Just the same, life has never been a box of chocolates for me. You give them a piece and yet you will never satisfy them with what they get.


Lilia and Eddie were with me then. We were the three lucky Filipinos chosen to represent the country in the batch. Lilia is from Cebu and Ed is from Zamboanga. Call this a nationwide search.


In the math group, there were 8 of us: Achita from Thailand, Khamla from Laos, Mekar from Cambodia, Phuong from Vietnam, Soelwin from Myanmar, Zust from Indonesia and Meslina from Brunei. Dr. Cheah was the course supervisor with Dr. Ida as one of the facilitators.


The days we spent in RECSAM were days of self-discovery. To discover ourselves is to define meaning in what we do as teachers. To reflect on how we can make ourselves better that in turn we can produce better students. The impact we leave our students is the standard to which these young minds measure up life.


As I look back, I could not help but see myself then. Great things have come to pass. Some leave scars. Some were inspiring. Yet no matter, what had happened, things will always look up for the better.


Now I am back in RECSAM not as a participant but one of its professional staff. I share with the other teachers what I have been given.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Swimming

We went for a night swimming. My friends and I enjoyed the cool breeze of the starry night in Alroa (that's the name of the resort). Well, I did not exactly go for a dip but as I said I enjoyed the night and the thought that I was out of home. I rarely get out of the house since vacation started. I just don't know but I was actually afraid of leaving home after that 'incident' that happened a week ago. It frightens me til now. Having survived that, I believe it was kinda life changing. It made me change the way I look at my life now. It feels weird but I really enjoy being at home, with my mom and being alone with myself. But I had to admit that it is suffocating at times. I need to get out to breathe some fresh air and enjoy a refreshingly new environment. I believe that everyone of us, once in our life, well, maybe more, experiences that kind of imprisonment. We feel we are being burdened by our loneliness, that it is okay to be alone. But hey, one day, we will wake u...
Post a Comment
Read more

How

It was already late. Sleep never wanted to disturb me from thinking. It never wanted to liberate me from the pain I was going through. I kept on thinking, thinking til I was numb. I could only feel the throbbing pain that's left after. I would have wanted to free myself from this misery. That early dose of sleep would be quite a relief. But I could not find any of that. My body was begging for some well deserved rest after a long day. Yet the day was made longer by my petty foolishness. This has been difficult for me. I know there was nothing to expect. I did not expect for your message, your email, your sms, your visit, any of that. I did not expect you to greet me on our special day. I did not expect you to show up. I did not expect you... And I expected myself to be this lonely. There was nothing I could do but to allow the tears washed the stain on my cheeks. It went down to even wash the dust that covered my neck. Til it refrained from further flowing down...the tears stopped ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ash Wednesday

Today Lenten season begins. Together with the Filipino participants, I am going to attend Mass for the traditional ash-marking in the forehead. Since I am in a far away land, it is an opportunity for me to look back and reflect on how my life has been. I know I have a blessed life. I have been given so much. And I am thankful for all that come my way. There were good memories. There were sad memories even painful ones. But even the littlest detail of my life has been a lesson learned. When I picture the people who are always there for me in my mind, I just can't help but ask, have I been there for them ?In the process, there were those who came and left their marks behind yet there were those who came and left scars in my heart. Nevertheless, somewhere in my life, I have been me. I was touched. I was hurt. And nothing compares the pain of loneliness, of emptiness, of being ignored. As the season unfolds, let it be my resolve to look back and let go of the heavy burdens in my load. ...
Post a Comment
Read more