Bisdak Babbles

From first to sixth grade, I went to a public school about a kilometer away from our house. At that time, there was still no uniform, so the students could wear anything and go to school wearing rubber slippers. The nearest city, Iligan City, is about 30 minutes away by jeepney. So, for the first 12 years of my life, I did not much have opportunities to go to “The City”.

When I entered highschool, my parents sent me to a private academy in “The City”.  But growing up in a rural area made it difficult for me to adjust to the new environment.  Throughout my highschool life, I’ve struggled with my timidity.  Often, I was seated in a corner, oblivious to everything around me, and so absorbed in reading novels I’ve rented somewhere. Even so, I did manage to gain a small circle of friends.

College days was a big step, too.  I was sent to a university in a bigger place:  Cebu City.  I thought that I became less timid, having been exposed to a more diverse environment, a place where the male students outnumbered the female students.  I had to shake off a little bit of my old self, or so I thought.

Some of my highschool batchmates also went to universities in Cebu.  I often went home on holidays and I occassionally came upon them in either the ferry or bus.  But in all of those encounters, the old me never failed to resurface.  Believe me, I tried hard to fight, but to no avail.  To cut the conversations short, the best excuse I could come up was:  motion sickness!