By: Jalyn c. Halili
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is”. —Ernest Hemingway
Life is like a continues spinning roller coaster. That doesn’t halt, it only changes speed but keeps moving. Therefore, you can either be placed on the higher part or the lower part. Yet either way you still need to keep moving forward.
This was all I can think of as I sat eating a piece of biscuit while watching the television. The reporter has just stated that there will be no more classes due to the fast spreading of the virus. A piece of me felt a bit joyous cause now I can get to stay more with my family. Yet at the same time for some reason my heart felt uneasy. There was this fear within me that I can’t seem to understand.
A fear that will be explained by the horrifying months to come. As the face-to-face classes was halted. The government didn’t act as fast as we thought they would. Ending for our country to suffer more than we should. The students were no longer going to school and many were sick. Lives were lost and the phase of life changed. The chaos came like a tsunami. The pandemic brought the unexpected misery that many weren’t able to surpass. Mountains of people filled the hospitals. Everything almost had a shortage. Education became less of a priority for most.
The yearning for a better future almost faded. At the first year no vaccine was available and only a little cure was there to save a few. The cascading numbers of countries without the virus was almost zero to none. Everywhere felt unsafe except for the four walls of my bedroom.
Time was passing too slow to some. And for me it was passing by too fast. The next year came and changes were made the old way of learning was replaced. The government gave two options Modular learning and Online Learning. Although sounding modern and fun these two options were much harder than they look like.
The Modular learning system was simple. Yet many struggled due to the compiling modules that was not easily understood unless someone explained it to them. Money was tight for many Filipino families. Food was more of a priority than wasting time on learning from Modules that will not give them money to help them afford food. Meanwhile the online classes were financially draining pockets. The expenses of online school and the slow internet didn’t help the students learn well. Only a few were able to pass with flying colors and can proudly say they’ve learned.
Just before everything seemed never-ending. A vaccine was made but still it was not a guarantee. Needing for a lot of doses of it to be injected to people for more safety. This vaccine was able to let a few teachers back to work on school. But life wasn’t the same as it used to be.
As I step in the school holding my bag, a blue facemask and a clear face shield covered my face for protection. Instead of happy smiling children greeting me. What I met in my room was silence, pure deafening silence. A dusty empty room filled with longing for pupils. A lonely escapade that felt like a dungeon amongst the school grounds. I continued working as I should, time pass through like a wind. A few months later new laws were made limited face to face meetings were now allowed. Until finally limited face-to-face classes were tried that made me smile. Everything came back to a normal with new specks. Students are now allowed back to school happy and laughing. Making new friends whist learning and adjusting to the new life made for them to be able to learn and leave through this pandemic.
A smile crept on my lips as I watch the pupils wearing their uniforms. It seems just like yesterday everything was pure chaos. Yet right now everything is okay again. I learned a lot from the two years that have passed. Ernest Hemingway was right we should cherish what we have now. And not waste our time stressing over the past and the future. Everything will come to its right place at the right time. What we need to do is face what we have amidst us at the moment. Cause any misery and trouble can be solved. Everything has its own timeline. And learning is one of the best things one can continue doing to be able to face the difficulties tomorrow might bring.
