Reminiscing...

.:Homecoming:.

I haven't been to my high school alma mater for a long time, so dropping in on Don Bosco last week proved to be a very enjoyable experience.

It's been a while, to be honest. I can't tell you enough how fun it always is when I get to go there because it's such a rarity, and seeing old faces in DBTC never fails to pick up my spirits.

I think one of the most wonderful moments of that day was when I ran into Mrs. Fely Tiburcio while there was a dance-off happening among the school's staff, and I was sharing to her that I was teaching in high school. She and I found this very interesting because she was the first person to ever ask me if I wanted to be a teacher, and I never forgot that fact. What made this even more poignant was the fact that she told me she's contemplating retirement this year, which means I'm getting into teaching the moment she's getting out of it.

I don't know, really. I mean, it may seem to be the case that teaching was something that came out of left field for me, but I don't regret making that jump at all. Even if for some reason or some other I never end up retiring as a teacher and end up in a different career, the things I've gone through, from the happy moments to the sad ones to the disappointing ones (Yeah, I'm looking at you, _ _ _ _.), it's all been worth it, as I've really grown a lot as a professional, to say the least. While radio will always have a soft spot in my heart, being a teacher has really changed the rules for me.

I guess it caters to my inner square, really. I've never been the party animal, as I've always preferred hanging out with friends and talking, usually at some house than a bar. I've always been introverted when it came to that, and while I can and do socialize, it's never been something I'd pick over the company of old friends. Being a teacher only cemented the need to avoid being caught in places I wouldn't want my students to see me at, for starters, and I'm grateful that Mr. Castro gave me a chance to “prove him wrong” when he felt I didn't have what it takes to teach in RIS.

It's just a little over a month before this schoolyear ends, and already, I feel the separation anxiety. It's been a wild ride for the schoolyear, and reminiscing about it makes me feel that I've really grown as a person in the past three quarters I've worked for RIS.

To Mrs. Tiburcio, this post is for you. Thank you for being one of the people instrumental to my finding my vocation.