Once upon a time, there was a kid named Jose.
Jose was in elementary studying in St. Joseph's College. He was in Grade Six when this story happened. His classmates saw him as the weird kid who was too strange for their own understanding and his teachers thought that he was misunderstood. He was too detached and too strange as a student in their classes. The teachers had probably thought to leave him alone as long as he doesn't get into trouble with others.
The bullies would torment him during recess by shoving and pushing him out of the canteen lines. After all, he couldn't defend himself against them. The populars were even more cruel. Their myopic eyes couldn't see that he exist. For them, he was way too backward to even pose a threat to their quest for popularity. These populars left him alone. However, when it was time for them to look for someone they could make fun of or look down to in order to please their ego, Jose was their favorite target.
His so-called friends - who were mostly geeks and loners in his class left him alone as well. After all, who would forge bonds with someone who wore shabby uniform going to school, who doesn't cut his hair for half a year and who doesn't take a bath every day? Their only form of contact only happens when these kids would need his assistance. After the deal was done, it was back for him to his own little world
Jose was in elementary studying in St. Joseph's College. He was in Grade Six when this story happened. His classmates saw him as the weird kid who was too strange for their own understanding and his teachers thought that he was misunderstood. He was too detached and too strange as a student in their classes. The teachers had probably thought to leave him alone as long as he doesn't get into trouble with others.
The bullies would torment him during recess by shoving and pushing him out of the canteen lines. After all, he couldn't defend himself against them. The populars were even more cruel. Their myopic eyes couldn't see that he exist. For them, he was way too backward to even pose a threat to their quest for popularity. These populars left him alone. However, when it was time for them to look for someone they could make fun of or look down to in order to please their ego, Jose was their favorite target.
His so-called friends - who were mostly geeks and loners in his class left him alone as well. After all, who would forge bonds with someone who wore shabby uniform going to school, who doesn't cut his hair for half a year and who doesn't take a bath every day? Their only form of contact only happens when these kids would need his assistance. After the deal was done, it was back for him to his own little world
Yet Jose didn't took seriously what his classmates thought of him - except this one time when he created a commotion in the queue during the flag ceremony. As the story goes, one of his classmates complained that he stunk. Others went closer to validate what his classmate had just accused him. In the end, everyone was telling him "ang baho mo. lumayo ka sa amin yaak!!" Jose, in his silence flustered out of embarrassment. Even the pupils from the other section avoided him that morning.
Despite Jose's tormented existence at school, he found an unusual solace in his solitude. His class ends at 3 pm. The school bus that would take him home leaves at 3:30. He doesn't often take the first trip going home, except if he feels watching Peter Pan on Channel 2 at 4:30. Instead, he buries himself under piles of books in the school library and he learned a lot from his readings.
At an early age of 12, he was already aware of the Greek, Egyptian and Roman civilization, especially their warships. He knew the different Dinosaurs that walked the Earth millions of years ago. In fact, he was way too advanced that he knew the difference between the Jurassic and Cretaceous era during those Prehistoric times. In those days, nobody among his classmates would have known that such epoch in the planet's history exists. Who would have known, it wasn't discussed in class.
He had read books about local folklores written by Maximo Ramos. Later in his life, such books would remind him after his professor mentioned some titles during their discussion in class. At Grade Six, he was cataloging the different house plants and medicinal herbs that he collected from his wanderings. The books in the library provided him the names of those plants he had sneakily pulled out from someone else's pot.
After his stay in the library, he would sneak out of school and walk several blocks to commune with nature in a place called Little Banawe. His classmates gave the place such name, but its residents, who were mostly artists in different fields called the place Cathedral Heights. It was a small community at the back of Saint Luke's Hospital. Being secluded from the hustle and bustle of E. Rodriguez Avenue, the place had a certain feel of tranquility in it.
In Little Banawe, Jose would pull little plants to put them in plastic cups filled with water before transporting it home. In just over several months, his baby milk formula aluminum containers that he used as pots had doubled. He became the envy of housewives who were avid gardeners in his neighborhood. At the same time, doubts began to float whether he was an effeminate kid who has a future of becoming gay someday or a simple kid who simply finds passion in Gardening.
The question would be answered many years later.
---
As Jose's snapshots of life showed, he never really had a good elementary life. He was a loner, a kid who was bullied and was laughed behind his back because of his strangeness in attitude and how he saw life.
However, despite the bitter memories he had in elementary, he remembers those days with wonder and humility because it was in his most tranquil solitude that he learned to enjoy being alone. He found out that he doesn't need company to become a better person; that he only needs himself to see life in angles his classmates in those days had never seen.
That's why two days ago, he decided to pay homage to the school which he still considers his beginnings. Things have changed with the passing of time, but his respect and admiration to those who had shaped his childhood simply grew stronger.
"My name is Jose maam, I was your student back in 1994," he said to Miss Chua as he presents himself to his class adviser in Grade Six who is now a supervisor in the Filipino Department.
"Ah oo nga, natatandaan kita. Ikaw yung mabait at tahimik na estudyante ko na laging nakaupo sa harap ng klase? Kamusta ka na?" Miss Chua said a few seconds later, after she tried to recall the face of the man who suddenly showed up in front of her.
"Ok naman po ako. I was nearby St. Jo so I decided na rin to pay a visit."
After a few more exchange in pleasantries. Miss Chua introduced Jose to her colleagues who turned out to be his other teachers when he was still studying in elementary. Looking around and reminiscing his early days, he whispered to his now aging adviser,
"Things have changed maam, but I'm so glad you're still here..."
Despite Jose's tormented existence at school, he found an unusual solace in his solitude. His class ends at 3 pm. The school bus that would take him home leaves at 3:30. He doesn't often take the first trip going home, except if he feels watching Peter Pan on Channel 2 at 4:30. Instead, he buries himself under piles of books in the school library and he learned a lot from his readings.
At an early age of 12, he was already aware of the Greek, Egyptian and Roman civilization, especially their warships. He knew the different Dinosaurs that walked the Earth millions of years ago. In fact, he was way too advanced that he knew the difference between the Jurassic and Cretaceous era during those Prehistoric times. In those days, nobody among his classmates would have known that such epoch in the planet's history exists. Who would have known, it wasn't discussed in class.
He had read books about local folklores written by Maximo Ramos. Later in his life, such books would remind him after his professor mentioned some titles during their discussion in class. At Grade Six, he was cataloging the different house plants and medicinal herbs that he collected from his wanderings. The books in the library provided him the names of those plants he had sneakily pulled out from someone else's pot.
After his stay in the library, he would sneak out of school and walk several blocks to commune with nature in a place called Little Banawe. His classmates gave the place such name, but its residents, who were mostly artists in different fields called the place Cathedral Heights. It was a small community at the back of Saint Luke's Hospital. Being secluded from the hustle and bustle of E. Rodriguez Avenue, the place had a certain feel of tranquility in it.
In Little Banawe, Jose would pull little plants to put them in plastic cups filled with water before transporting it home. In just over several months, his baby milk formula aluminum containers that he used as pots had doubled. He became the envy of housewives who were avid gardeners in his neighborhood. At the same time, doubts began to float whether he was an effeminate kid who has a future of becoming gay someday or a simple kid who simply finds passion in Gardening.
The question would be answered many years later.
---
As Jose's snapshots of life showed, he never really had a good elementary life. He was a loner, a kid who was bullied and was laughed behind his back because of his strangeness in attitude and how he saw life.
However, despite the bitter memories he had in elementary, he remembers those days with wonder and humility because it was in his most tranquil solitude that he learned to enjoy being alone. He found out that he doesn't need company to become a better person; that he only needs himself to see life in angles his classmates in those days had never seen.
That's why two days ago, he decided to pay homage to the school which he still considers his beginnings. Things have changed with the passing of time, but his respect and admiration to those who had shaped his childhood simply grew stronger.
"My name is Jose maam, I was your student back in 1994," he said to Miss Chua as he presents himself to his class adviser in Grade Six who is now a supervisor in the Filipino Department.
"Ah oo nga, natatandaan kita. Ikaw yung mabait at tahimik na estudyante ko na laging nakaupo sa harap ng klase? Kamusta ka na?" Miss Chua said a few seconds later, after she tried to recall the face of the man who suddenly showed up in front of her.
"Ok naman po ako. I was nearby St. Jo so I decided na rin to pay a visit."
After a few more exchange in pleasantries. Miss Chua introduced Jose to her colleagues who turned out to be his other teachers when he was still studying in elementary. Looking around and reminiscing his early days, he whispered to his now aging adviser,
"Things have changed maam, but I'm so glad you're still here..."
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