To the Bridges I Built..

By: QPVT

In this life I was lucky enough to be surrounded with great people. Some I’ve met a few years back, some almost my entire life, some just months ago but still I unendingly thank God for every one of them.

To live miles from your hometown with no family or with no people you’re used to have beside you is like taking Harry Potter out of Hogwarts and putting him to King’s Landing. It’s like rebuilding your life from ground zero.  True, your family and friends are just a call away, but the obvious physical distance between you and them always reminds you that THIS is something you have to figure out alone

During my first few weeks, I wandered around Iligan wanting to get a tinge of familiarity from the warmth and vibrancy of my hometown but the first impression I uttered was, “I miss our fresh air in Bukidnon.” The thick smog and the hot whips of air to your face is not something I’m used to after growing up to the cold climate of my city. The people, however, are welcoming and sweet despite the fact that all of Iligan is still over-shadowed by the ghost of Sendong. Stories about the disaster were passed on to us and I almost cried just listening to the horrors of its days. But Iliganons are resilient people. Regardless of the struggles that they had to go through, they didn’t look back and get stuck on reliving the past. Instead, it is what fuels them to drive forward.

     And that made me fall in love with Iligan. The human-ness of people accepting what had happened and accepting that they are survivors and not victims had me in awe. In between my frequent interactions with Iliganons, I met people who, almost in an instant, became my friends. As if even before we met, we knew we’d get along greatly. I built strong foundations of friendship to help me keep sane after the crushing impacts of academic works. The workload is no joke but after a good laugh with your friends to release the day’s tension, you’ll feel lighter. I built bridges that connect with people in different religious platforms. I learned to accept and love the differences people share from religion down to mundane practices and to appreciate more the genuine friendship, trust and comfort. I have been blessed by God with so many great things but above all else I thank him for gracing me with people I can count on. I thank him for the good laughs and happy times. I thank him for always making sure that I have someone to talk to when what’s inside me is already too heavy to carry.

Now, looking at the kingdom of friends I’ve built for the past 4 years, I’m feeling overwhelmed that I’ve finally reached this far in my academic career and none of it would have been possible without the people I relied on. My family has constantly been my rock and my friends have unendingly painted colors to the dullness of college life. They were always there to lend me their ears. I may be too impulsive at times. Sometimes I’m mercurial that people can’t keep up with the change of my mood but my friends have always been the best company and the best bad-mood-cure.

So while it is true that I’m super ecstatic to finally be graduating this June, but it is also true that it breaks my heart to put Iligan and the people I’ve met in here on the turned pages of my book.

To all of you whose life I’ve touched,

To those of you who made enormous changes to my life,

To those of you who have given me good advices and encouragements,

To those of you who have given me pats, hugs and smiles,

To those of you who stayed up late at night to talk to me,

To those of you who have accompanied me wherever I go,

To those of you who listened,

To those of you who cared,

To those of you who made me what I am now..

Thank you for the great story. It is one that I will forever hold dear.