Last Year in College, Here I Come

"First day of school is tomorrow. You better sleep comfortably and wake up early."

Those were Charissa's last words to me before going to bed. However, I was not ready to sleep just yet.

The last order of business before the new school year was to update my blog. In my latest article, I looked back at what happened over the summer and all the good and bad memories my body and mind endured.

I also wrote an article regarding my fitness routine. Upon weighing in that night, my weight stood at 155 pounds, which is 40 pounds less than my initial weight at the start of the break.

When I recalled what happened to me in my youth, it always sinks in every time first day of school beckons. This year was no exception, only this time, I became wiser and more determined to focus on the positives.

It was now five in the morning of Monday. The first day of school was about to begin.

Unfortunately, I was unable to set my smartphone alarm clock last night. So Charissa knocked on the door and I slowly walked my way out of the room.

Breakfast on that day consisted of pancakes, hash browns and tuna omelet. And since coffee was not my favorite morning drink, I opted for some lovely tea instead.

Typically Charissa would come to breakfast dressed in her office attire. But after resigning from her active duties within the news network, she came out rather casually in a checked shirt and skinny jeans.

It was a new routine that took me a while to get used to. But for Charissa, staying home may be a blessing in disguise since we would have more time to mingle and reconnect with each other.

After some breakfast, a morning shower and a change of clothes, I went down expecting Charissa to fetch me to school. Instead, she only gave me a pat in the back and some final words of encouragement.

"Christine, you're all grown up and I think you're more than prepared to go to school on your own," Charissa advised me. "From now on, I won't fetch you to school, and you are going to commute. But you need to be careful out there. You might encounter some bad people along the way. Good luck."

Charissa gently stroked my cheek, and after a heartfelt embrace, I left the comforts of home for school. But as I found out, commuting proved to be a terrible experience.

As I stepped on to the train station, a long line of passengers greeted me. It was as if a stampede took place with all the people sandwiched against one another.

Then a security guard announced that the ride was temporarily halted because of a system malfunction. My day was off to a bad start, but it only got worse.

I boarded a bus on the way to Pasay, and unfortunately heavy rush-hour traffic welcomed me. The slow movement of vehicles made me doze off and by the time I woke up, I was suddenly lost in Paranaque near the airport.

I frantically rode another bus to Roxas Boulevard, followed by another one on the way to Taft Avenue. It took me 150 minutes and 70 pesos of my own money to board three buses from home all the way to school.

It was now past 9:45 a.m. and my first class had already started. So I desperately chased my way to the classroom in hopes of catching up.

I entered class extremely exhausted and frustrated from all the travel. To make matters worse, one of the students decided to scold me for tardiness.

"You're so late, you're so late!!!", the student taunted.

Unfortunately, neither Michelle, Ella nor Carson was able to enroll on this class. Without them, I felt lonely, isolated and helpless from the rest.

"Stop it!!!" I shouted towards the heckling student. "It's already the first day, and you're making it worse."

I tried to ignore him, but he continued to harass me. All of a sudden I heard voices inside my head.

"Christine, always be strong and brave. Never let these bullies overcome you," the voice of Michelle suddenly popped into my memory.

So I moved into another seat away from the heckler. Perhaps the back of the room would be better for me to sit.

Five minutes later, the professor arrived. Fortunately I was spared because he also showed up late.

"Apologies for my tardiness," the professor greeted us. "Anyway let's get down to business."

After a short roll call of all the students, the professor promptly began his lecture on philosophy. Meanwhile, a student sitting beside me promptly decided to introduce herself.

"Nice to meet you," the female student softly whispered to me. "I am Corinna. You can affectionately call me Cor for short."

At first I felt a little tense meeting a new classmate, but Corinna confidently assured me that things will be just fine. I proceeded with a simple introduction.

"My name is Christine. Nice to greet you too."

It took only an hour for my first class to finish as the professor simply gave us a syllabus for philosophy. Not even exhaustion prevented me from staying calm and composed throughout the proceedings, but I knew that more difficult days lay ahead.

After class was dismissed, the heckler decided to taunt me some more. I promptly ignored him.

Corinna then approached nearby and thought about joining me for lunch. Unfortunately, I had another class coming up so we willingly exchanged phone numbers instead.

As I moved leisurely from one classroom to another, a familiar face cordially greeted me. It was my old pal Michelle.

"What's up dear friend? Long time no see," Michelle said positively as she walked towards me.

"Sorry if I feel tired today," my slurry voice responding to her. "I endured a hell of a morning."

"Don't worry about it," Michelle assured me. "The most important thing is you made it to school."

Michelle and I exchanged some hearty kisses and promptly strolled to a different classroom. But I was unsure if we would be in the same class.