Hello there! It's me, Mae!
I hope you all are doing well. It was around 10 AM when I arrived at school for our Brigada Eskwela — probably my last one since I’m already in 4th year college. Can’t believe how fast time flew. It feels like just yesterday we were clueless freshies walking around campus, and now here we are, down to our final year. Even though it was already super hot that morning, I still chose to walk from where I got off the jeep. I guess I wanted to take it all in — the heat, the familiar street.
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As soon as I got to the campus, I headed straight to the clinic to get our clearance forms. Some of my classmates were already there, lining up for theirs too. It honestly felt nice to see familiar faces again — we hadn’t seen each other in over a month, and it felt like a mini reunion. After we got our forms, we walked to our building and started with the Brigada activities. It was tiring, yes, but fun at the same time. There’s something about cleaning and working together that makes it feel lighter — maybe it’s the chika, the laughter, or just the comfort of being around people who’ve been with you through thick and thin in college.
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Once we finished cleaning, we went back to the process and completed Step 1 of the form. After that, it was finally lunchtime. Since we were already drained and thirsty from all the cleaning, we decided to head outside to the lemon store just across the school. That place has become our go-to spot — refreshing drinks, affordable, and close to campus. We all grabbed our lemon drinks,tried a new flavor, took a short break, and just cooled off for a bit before going back inside to continue.
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Back at school, we moved on to Step 2, which was getting the form signed at the library. Thankfully, the line wasn’t long and the process was smooth. But then came Step 3 — the ID sticker. And that’s when the real challenge began. The line was insanely long. We ended up standing for almost three hours just to get our stickers. But even though we were tired and sweaty, we still found ways to enjoy the moment.
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We took turns sitting, snapped pictures, made random jokes, and just passed the time like we always do — with lots of chika and laughter.
And just like that, we were done — at least until Step 3. We’ll have to wait for the announcement of Step 4, which is the release of the Certificate of Enrollment (COE). So for now, we rest.
Looking back, it wasn’t just a day of tasks and clearances. It was a day of small memories, shared smiles, and the bittersweet reminder that we’re really in our final year. One more year of walking these halls, seeing these faces, and doing things “for the last time.” And somehow, that makes even the heat, the lines, and the waiting all worth it.
Hoping to see you all again! Bye bye! ❤️