Building Pillars: My Lacsonian Journey

“What do you want when you grow up?”

—my attention was diverted to my mother while she carefully sliced the chicken on my plate on a Sunday morning. My innocent yet at the same time confused eyes looked at her with finality and replied “I want to be a flight attendant”. When I was just a child I had many dreams, when I was watching the television, I always admired how the pilot magnificently maneuvered on the sky, so I said to myself that I also want to do it someday. One time, while waiting for our flight to Manila, I saw how the bartender poured the drink smoothly from one container to another—again, I told myself I wanted to be just like him.

Humble Beginnings

On September 2020, As I virtually enrolled at John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University—Molo, I realized that in that very exact moment and time, the vision of my future is clear. It’s somewhat a beautiful canvass clearly painted in my head—the smell of the sea, the laughter of the people on board and most of all—myself standing between them. In an instant, the fire within me burned more and my eyes filled with passion and hope. My journey started when I first held my registration form. I can’t help but realize that my dreams are one step closer ahead of me— “Enrolled nagid man ako”. Over the past 2 years of being a senior high school student, I realized that the road I was taking wasn’t that easy. My primary struggle at first was overcoming the struggle of virtual classes. Making friends was never easy through chat, though I’m still thankful that I gained friends amidst virtual socialization.

A Rocky Road Ahead

I would always say to myself that— “when you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn”.

Now that I’m on my 1st year college, my vision is full of places I want to explore—and dreams that I will strive to reach. Although my own choices and personal characteristics had prompted many of my dilemmas, a certain number of large bumps on this road did bluntly materialize without me realizing them. Now, here I am still holding on—with 2 years left in school and having a tolerable grade and a healthy attitude towards school and life in general. Although this journey had been difficult and even toilsome at times—I pulled through.

More to gain

One of the merits that I have acquired from my past experiences is strength. (I’m not referring to muscles, of which I have none). Strength in mind and spirit is like steel, and the most sublime of its quality can only be heated through suffering. I do not mean to pity myself, but I do believe that I’ve suffered more than the rest of my peers have. There are certain things that I have not mentioned in this blog—a deeper pit in the hidden trails of my memory. Nonetheless, each time I fall, I was obliged to obtain strength in order to rise. Thus each time I rose, I was a little stronger than before.

Life as we know it

Your personal characteristics roughly resemble a steering wheel for your journey. They could be positive traits, which could steer you on a more decent path; or negative traits, which could steer you to a path that’s, well... not so decent. Although you have no control over fate, you have power over your own “driving skills”, and could thus widen or narrow your chance for a smooth, prosperous journey. Also, it is beneficial to remember that you are not alone, for there are many other roads that coincide with yours, where others are conducting through their own journeys. Most prominently, no matter how harsh the terrain of your road becomes, just remember that you will pull through and be transformed for the better because of it.

To sail forth

Before, I told my mother how I wanted to be a pilot, but as I watched how the baker flipped the doe in mid-air with ease, I wanted to be baker as well. As we grow up, we all need a purpose in life in order to find the meaning of what we do, and what we want to work for. Making our dreams a reality is the biggest prize that comes with time, dedication, observations and lessons learned from past experiences. After finally choosing a Marine Engineering course, I had to go through many if’s and hesitations—but that’s life, we risk to see what the other side of our future holds. At first it may seem dark, but like what they say— there will always be light at the end of the tunnel.