UA&P I AM S.T.R.O.N.G. : we dont ride carabaos to school

out of Krystle's head...




Have you ever wondered how it is to study away from your family? Some of you (those who are from the provinces) are Manila-bound for college in about 4 months time. We are posting this article to give you a glimpse of how it is to study here in Manila.

Writing from experience, our guest writer, VINZ studied at the University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod City before flying in to Manila to study at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) for college.

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Only a few graduates from the province get to decide where they want to go after high school. After getting permission to study away from home and promising they will be good boys and concentrate on their studies, they pack up their bags, say good bye to their loved ones, and take one last look at their own little paradise before they buckle up and prepare to go to college.

Being away from home is a traumatic experience for someone who came from the province and is suddenly transported into an entirely new world.Fear for our life and safety constantly bugs us after hearing rumors and never ending stories about robberies, hold-ups, rapes, street fights, taxi drivers who take advantage of our gullibility. Horrific stories scare our concerned parents living hundreds of miles away.Despite all of these, there are good reasons why we keep coming to the big city.

It is funny how some urbanized people educate themselves by asking people from the province questions like “Are there malls in your hometown? Do you have roads? How do you go to school?” some of us would answer purely out of sarcasm, wit and good intentions, “no. no. we ride our ever so faithful carabaos to school.”

People from the province stand out in the crowd; their funny accents are not hard to spot. They are the center of attention when they are asked by others to translate some of their lines in Tagalog or English into their own language and, all from the generosity of their hearts, they play along.

From the slow pace of their daily routine in the province, they experience an intense transformation and need to survive city life. Instinctively, they become survivors as they try to master riding in public transportation and getting familiar with the new surroundings. Given a month, they are able to travel more efficiently than some city people.

Some students cannot take life in the big city and after a few semesters, call their parents and go back home. Some become heroes when they go back home, successful and proud of their achievements. They serve as inspiration to those who still dream of studying in the big city with all its traffic, horror stories and skyscrapers.

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To all those who plan to go to Manila for college, don't be scared! You will find that it is actually a friendly place-- once you get a wind of it! =P Share some thoughts, ok? We'd be glad to know what you have to say! Cheerio!