Dear Twenty-Two

Dear Twenty-two,

This letter is late. 

I was supposed to write and send you this letter last May 7, the day of your birth. But I think you know why I couldn't write you a letter.

But in the end, you have arrived. And we are all thankful.

Yes. Thankful. You've learned a lot about being thankful. You have learned how to count your blessings and use those to your advantages. You have learned to fight tooth and nail for your goals. You have learned that hard work and perseverance can take you very far; and the laziness will get you nowhere.

Above all, you have learned how to accept.

You started, endured, and finished your Thesis project under the advise of one of the most brutally honest teachers you've ever had. There were a lot of times when you felt like a failure, and you didn't know what to do. There were times when you felt like you will never be good enough, that design will never be your forte, and that you would fail your client, adviser, and self. 

After five years in UP and one year in post-op hibernation, you have finally graduated from beloved UP.

You applied for an exchange program under AIESEC, not knowing what would happen, not really expecting much. After some interviews and a few emails, you got into a job that sounded like fun. You will be teaching kids about the Filipino culture... in Hungary. 

You were actually supposed to emerge in Hungary. The project should have started on May 5. But delays due to technical and distance problems emerged, and you thought you couldn't go at all. If not for the kindness and grace of the Belgian embassy in Manila (THANK YOU!!!), your family, and your hosts abroad, the trip would not have been possible.

So you are going to Hungary on Monday. You are going to Europe for the first time, and you are going alone.

You, Twenty-two, have entered the world at a point of personal uncertainty. I understand that this year is going to be restless. I just hope you do not forget about me.

I hope you have a great time during your existence, Twenty-two. You went off on a rocky start, but there are exciting things up ahead. I cannot promise you that nothing bad will happen.

But whatever happens, your life will not be boring.

Love from,

Twenty-one

Fresh

A hug from the Dean :)

Last 28th of April, I graduated.

It was anticlimactic for me, climbing that stage and receiving the diploma. Yes, it is a symbol of a job well done, a ceremony to honor what we have accomplished after 5++ years.

I'm not saying it was not meaningful, because it was. My family was there to cheer me on, the ceremony itself was meaningful (though the venue could be better), I graduated along with my cousin, who finished her Molecular Biology degree from the same university, and of course the friends and batchmates were there.

But after passing each requirement, after going through the thesis deliberations, after having our books signed and after getting our grades, I feel like success was handed out to me in small doses. Graduation was just there as a culmination, something that symbolizes the end of a six five-year frolic in UP Diliman.

I was sad to leave of course. I will miss college life: the camaraderie between classmates, the guidance of professors, the times spent with friends, and the chance to meet people from random colleges and sectors that one can learn things from. But I know for a fact that UP is always there.

I end this post with the lyrics of our university hymn, UP Naming Mahal, by Nicanor Abelardo. Yes, it's cheesy to end the post this way, but it totally sums up the way I feel about the university as an alumnus.

U.P. naming mahal, pamantasang hirang

Ang tinig namin, sana'y iyong dinggin

Malayong lupain, amin mang marating

Di rin magbabago ang damdamin

Di rin magbabago ang damdamin.

 

Luntian at pula, sagisag magpakailanman

Ating ipagdiwang, bulwagan ng dangal

Humayo't itanghal, giting at tapang

Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!

Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!