Campus Visit + Buhay Commute

Last week, the Student Affairs and Service Center in the university called for first-year students under College of Arts and Sciences to visit the guidance office for an intake interview. They said they were open during weekdays and office hours that's why yesterday, we decided to visit our university. We also agreed to settle for our tuition and school ID at the same time so we won't be needing to travel twice a week when we can process it in a day just fine.

My friends, Yana and Shina, we've met during the admission period last month. We took Bachelor of Science in Psychology together. Shina is already my friend way back in high school so during that time, we just went with her mom. But now, it's the three of us including Yana. Honestly, I'm glad to have developed a new friendship because it's hard to find friends you can trust nowadays. I can meet a lot of people for sure but to have someone close that you can relate to is a different kind of comfort.

Okay, I tried taking decent photos but I'm too shy to even raise my phone so please bear with it. Anyways, Yana said she will be arriving late so while we were waiting for her, we decided to just pay our fees first. That includes my tuition for September which is PHP5,500 around $94 and the fee for my school ID that'd be PHP200 which is $4 I think. My semestral fee dues every prelim and finals week starting this September and just imagining that amount in four consecutive months is a headache.

My father earns his salary lower than what he would have if he is still working in his former agency. But because of his reasons, he resigned and applied for a new one. Both my parents work on a 12-hour duty under minimum wage only so I get the struggling in terms of paying for my education. Plus, I have a younger sibling who's already in high school so it's quite difficult. I even argued with my mom that I should just find a part-time job so I can help but, of course, she's abhorrent of the idea. She wants me to focus on my studies alone but I can't help but feel guilty each passing day.

As we approached the building, there were criminology seniors who guided us through. I'm relieved they were kind enough to accommodate us with our queries but I can't somehow tell the same with the madame in charge of my payment. The line wasn't long so it didn't take an hour for my turn, but it was my first time paying for my fees so I kind of panicked. Plus, the teller was intimidating and scary. I don't know why most of them give off the same disposition. Maybe they're tired, yeah? But I still panicked thinking about it and almost dropped my wallet to the floor while I was silently counting my bills. She asked for my student number seconds later and I was stupid enough to hand her my phone screen. Thank God she still had a bit of her patience to tell me I should just say it directly. I paid for my ID and sling as well and the payment process was smooth, I guess so. There were no issues regarding my student portal whatsoever.

After me, another senior student was prioritized for reasons that weren't clear to my ears but it was totally fine. We waited behind him while still observing health protocols, of course. Shina was up next so I just waited beside her and got the chance to ask the criminology senior where we could process our school ID. She told us the building name and room number with ease. And off we go after Shina finished her payment later on.

The room was called 232A and is located on the 2nd floor of the new building. The building was just two buildings away from the accounting so it was convenient for us to go there. Thankfully, it wasn't lunchtime yet so we were able to claim our ID right then and there. Although, we had to resend our ID requirements through the e-mail address since Miss Marivic cannot open our files. Miss Marivic was the one printing our IDs and all that. There were probably a lot of students before us so I understand why she was timid and strict while she was doing all the work on the computer and printer.

Fortunately, we got our ID on that day as well but we expected to receive it a week after as per Yana's notice. I think it was just good news, that way we don't have to go through the hassle of presenting our study load anymore once limited face-to-face classes start next week. After receiving our IDs, Yana finally arrived at school. We waited for her near the registrar and went together to the SASC office to process our forms. We've known how we still needed to fill up a 4-page student form before we can proceed to the interview. But it was lunch then, we had to go grab our meal first and resume from 1 PM onwards.

We just ate at our favourite fast-food restaurant blocks away from the campus so it wasn't much of a headache. And the time went really fast that we hadn't noticed it was past 30 minutes after we sat at our table. But we still enjoyed the food, of course. We cannot waste time especially after noticing the sky turning darker by the minute. So we went back right after our lunch. Eventually, it was a relief that we finished our interview early and we were able to head home before the rain poured hard.

Shina waved her goodbyes to us before we separated so Yana and I were only the ones heading to the pier to ride a ferryboat back home. The idea of commuting in a ferryboat after many years is exciting. I remember being in one when I was still a kid but it was so long ago that I hesitated for a good minute. I wasn't certain if my being getting nauseous from long-distance travels was effective in ferryboats too. And true to my fears, I felt my head starting to wave as we waited for more passengers. I was growing nervous in my seat. Yana, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on inside my coward mind so she continued telling me a funny experience of hers back in high school. But thankfully, I was able to stand that dizziness circling all over my intestines because when the boat started to move, they were gone in a blink.

Even with the threatening rain, we didn't encounter big waves on our way. I have forgotten this experience as I was very young back then so it kind of feels like riding a ferryboat for the first time. Despite the dark mist forming in the sky, the travel back to our place was smooth. It's just like skating in plain seawater. I even got to share jokes and laughter with Yana as if I never almost puked while we were on standby at Pier 3. But once we arrived and got off the boat, there were drizzles in the sky already. Yana and I took different routes so I bid goodbyes to her the moment we arrived at the terminal. I got home safely after I ride a tricycle once more. Although I was slightly soaked, I drank lots of water at home to avoid getting colds. Because that's what my mom always reminds me of.

I think that is all for yesterday! Thank you for making it at the end of my blog. I am happy to share my day here on Hive and to extend as well my heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for your never-ending kindness and support! Have a safe week.

@rks.wuhdrelis

<sub>A warrior of liberty. With ink stains on her mind and soul. Maayong adlaw! This page contains the information you might want to know about the author. She goes by the name Arques and is under the username @rks.wuhdrelis. She lives in Cebu, Philippines, and is a proud Bisaya. Arques is an 18-year-old girl, on a mission to her dream college and a writer wannabe is her reputation... Read more.

Photos attached from this blog were taken by me. I really hope I can gather enough courage to take photos without being shy next time.</sub>