Lessons in Strength and Resilience - Part 7 - August 29, 2024

My childhood experiences were invaluable, especially the moments of joy, sadness, and silly adventures.

There were times when I climbed tall trees, splashed in the rain, and played in the flood, but what I enjoyed most was planting different kinds of seeds. I did not know what kind they were until they had grown a bit and I could tell by the scent of their leaves.

But one of the things I can never forget is being bullied at school from Grade 1 to Grade 5, between the ages of 7 and 10. I was a bit chubby when I was a kid, or you could say I was healthy, so some people called me 'pig'.

They repeated it three times. After singing it, they would hit me on the head, and sometimes punch me in the cheek or stomach. There were times I went home with a busted lip because I got punched.

Of course, my grandmother, whom I considered my mother, would notice and ask me about it, and I would tell her. The next day, she would go to school to report it to the school advisor and find the child who bullied me. She would also request a meeting with their parents to ensure they discipline their children.

However, despite what was done to me, there were those who defended me when I had to fight back or when I was being beaten up. Their names were Henry Dilan and Donisio Mapagal. That’s when I experienced real fistfights, where their lips would bleed, and their faces would get bruised. The scariest part was when our opponent broke a glass to use against us, and he slightly cut my classmate's arm, which stopped the fight. The next day, all the parents were called in, and it caused a big commotion.

Despite everything, I continued with my studies and participated in school events. I would only join the dance if my partner was my crush, April Armonia. The only dance I couldn’t handle was fast-paced rock dances with difficult steps. I tried hard to overcome my shyness when facing a large crowd. I always felt nervous, so I often kept my head down or avoided looking at people to calm my nerves until the dance was over.

I don't quite understand it, but I really liked April Armonia all the way through high school. What I admired about her was her skill in dancing, and what I liked most was her smile and the way she spoke. To me, her voice was cute. I can't explain it, but she was cute and beautiful in my eyes, even though my aunts would say she wasn’t really that pretty. And April was really smart, unlike me, who struggled with schoolwork and understanding what the teacher taught.

April was my classmate from Grade 1 to Grade 2, along with others who became my classmates again because I repeated Grade 2 when I transferred from a government school to a private school. I guess my aunts were trying to open my mind and steer me away from trouble.

In the private school I attended, most of the students were smart, and their behavior was different from those in the government school. Everyone there had a good grasp of English, while I struggled to understand it. I only knew very basic English because I mainly spoke Tagalog. Because of this, I observed the behavior and attitudes of the kids in the private school. Most of them were pretentious, spoiled rich kids, and I noticed that many of them were physically soft or weak.