Highschool Graduation 2004The Ultimate Question
When i was still in my first year of college, I guess, the most intimidating question I have encountered from my classmates was, "pumupunta ka ba dati sa mga soiree?" Everytime someone asks me that question, I literally freeze. To be honest, I HAVE NOT BEEN IN ANY SOIREE. Although I have been in one interaction with Don Bosco Makati Students when I was in Grade 6, and another when I was in my high school, still the exposure was not enough.
My Highschool Life
My highschool was a very strict school. It was ran by Agustinian Recollect sisters and my goodness, we were literally forbidden from going outside the campus unless it was dismissal time. Well, it has its security advantages but we were like prisoners in that school. All students saw themselves as future nuns. LOL. It is an exclusive school for girls and the practices inside the school are very typical. We were required to pray the rosary before and after every class, recess, and lunch break, we were required to have Monday worships on the auditorium, class worships on other weekdays, write reflections everyday, and a lot lot more. I honestly don't have much complaints about the practices because somehow we were trained to be very patient ladies.
What I wished was taught to Us
Since my high school is very strict, and the Nuns there see Men as "aliens" (Their eyes literally expand up to 2 inches wider in radius as if they have seen a human PEST in the campus), soirees, interactions, and guy visitors were not allowed. THESE WERE ALL FORBIDDEN, well during my time. Anyway, since "pahirapan bago kami maka-experience ng interaction with another exclusive school for boys", we lack the exposure on how to deal, interact, or socialize with the opposite sex, which became a total weakness and disadvantage for most of my batch mates. How we all wished that they gave the chance to be more exposed to socializing do's and dont's. These kind of things can help us be more prepared for college and so we won't end up being the quiet introvert in the block who's allergic to other kinds of humans and sexes.
My Art Legacy in highschool
They said we were Planted Roses
Ever since nursery, they have been reciting to us, over and over again, what the school philosophy is, what the goals were, what the mission and visions were, and what was to be seen as our sole symbols. They said, that we were like Planted Roses. I forgot the whole story. The only thing stuck in my mind is that we symbolized roses and every characteristic of it. For me, though this is part of our school culture and values, it still gave us no direction in life. It did not even give is a good standing of what we can be in the future, aside from being servants of God. In my opinion, anybody can be a servant of God, whether that person is a priest, a nun, or a simple civilian. I think that with the use of these philosophies, mission, visions, and other symbolic stories that were instilled in our minds, we were only brought up to be very feminine, and conservative ladies.
When I was in college, I have realized that knowing I was like a planted rose won't contribute to any part of my life as a teenager who will graduate soon and compete with other people of different sexes for a stable job. Being compared to a rose did not give me a strong foundation of what I can be as a woman, except for being tied to the ground -- being a humble person.
How I wish I can go back to my high school life and try to change everything. I wish I can share with the A.R. sisters all my suggestions in making the school a better educational institution which prepares its students to be very aggressive, goal driven, physically active, and not too idealistic in life, because life is very tough. By simply knowing that they are roses won't make them any stronger. It just makes them more naive about the cruelty of the real world. It also makes them more blind from the reality that 50% of the cruelty they will encounter has something to do with their sex and gender.
Its a wild wild jungle out here and this world is not a place for roses. Its a good thing my siblings and parents taught me how to deal with all the cruelty.
My Highschool Life
My highschool was a very strict school. It was ran by Agustinian Recollect sisters and my goodness, we were literally forbidden from going outside the campus unless it was dismissal time. Well, it has its security advantages but we were like prisoners in that school. All students saw themselves as future nuns. LOL. It is an exclusive school for girls and the practices inside the school are very typical. We were required to pray the rosary before and after every class, recess, and lunch break, we were required to have Monday worships on the auditorium, class worships on other weekdays, write reflections everyday, and a lot lot more. I honestly don't have much complaints about the practices because somehow we were trained to be very patient ladies.
What I wished was taught to Us
Since my high school is very strict, and the Nuns there see Men as "aliens" (Their eyes literally expand up to 2 inches wider in radius as if they have seen a human PEST in the campus), soirees, interactions, and guy visitors were not allowed. THESE WERE ALL FORBIDDEN, well during my time. Anyway, since "pahirapan bago kami maka-experience ng interaction with another exclusive school for boys", we lack the exposure on how to deal, interact, or socialize with the opposite sex, which became a total weakness and disadvantage for most of my batch mates. How we all wished that they gave the chance to be more exposed to socializing do's and dont's. These kind of things can help us be more prepared for college and so we won't end up being the quiet introvert in the block who's allergic to other kinds of humans and sexes.
My Art Legacy in highschoolThey said we were Planted Roses
Ever since nursery, they have been reciting to us, over and over again, what the school philosophy is, what the goals were, what the mission and visions were, and what was to be seen as our sole symbols. They said, that we were like Planted Roses. I forgot the whole story. The only thing stuck in my mind is that we symbolized roses and every characteristic of it. For me, though this is part of our school culture and values, it still gave us no direction in life. It did not even give is a good standing of what we can be in the future, aside from being servants of God. In my opinion, anybody can be a servant of God, whether that person is a priest, a nun, or a simple civilian. I think that with the use of these philosophies, mission, visions, and other symbolic stories that were instilled in our minds, we were only brought up to be very feminine, and conservative ladies.
When I was in college, I have realized that knowing I was like a planted rose won't contribute to any part of my life as a teenager who will graduate soon and compete with other people of different sexes for a stable job. Being compared to a rose did not give me a strong foundation of what I can be as a woman, except for being tied to the ground -- being a humble person.
How I wish I can go back to my high school life and try to change everything. I wish I can share with the A.R. sisters all my suggestions in making the school a better educational institution which prepares its students to be very aggressive, goal driven, physically active, and not too idealistic in life, because life is very tough. By simply knowing that they are roses won't make them any stronger. It just makes them more naive about the cruelty of the real world. It also makes them more blind from the reality that 50% of the cruelty they will encounter has something to do with their sex and gender.
Its a wild wild jungle out here and this world is not a place for roses. Its a good thing my siblings and parents taught me how to deal with all the cruelty.
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