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by Philipina A. Marcelo
I had a great Wednesday this week!
Wednesday is usually drab for me. It’s the middle of the week, and not much is usually happening. So, when I got Wednesday as my free day in the University this semester, I was happy! Although it meant I would have to show up for a half-day work on Saturday, the thought of sleeping in, spending three hours at the foot spa where I get foot scrub and massage and then getting my feet wrapped in warm paraffin before getting a pedicure while I devour the latest works of my fave novelists, and then getting a facial while I doze off afterwards, and waking my senses up with the wonderful smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sweet flavor of cinnamon in freshly baked bread roll, both consumed leisurely in my fave cozy coffee shop, and then end my day watching the amazing Manila sunset – all in the middle of the week really sounded like the very best deal for an academic con scientist like myself! And so, when the going gets tough on Mondays and Tuesdays, I always remind myself, “hey, Wednesday is just around the corner, baby!” And, it always cheered me up.
So far, so good! And then came the invitations from Fulbright/Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) and my Alumni Association for meetings, and the confirmation of my eye check-up – all on a Wednesday, in three different parts of Mega-Manila! I winced at the thought of missing my free day especially that I was anticipating insane Monday and Tuesday, which I was right! So, I went to bed on Tuesday night wincing. Little did I know that I was in for a triple treat… and I’m not just talking about the spa kind of treat either!
First, after a few morning crunches I did a quick check at my e-mailbox. I couldn’t help but squeal excitedly at what I found! A friend of mine sent me a weblink to a book entitled, “Handbook of Membrane Separations: Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Food, and Biotechnological Applications”, where I co-wrote one chapter with my PhD advisor during the last year of my graduate stint at Cornell. It’s finally out! I hurriedly checked out the link, and there it was – my name in the by-line of one of the chapters! All of a sudden, the memories of the painful but exhilarating experience of going through volumes and volumes of technical papers to put that chapter together day in and day out for almost 12 long months, while I labored on my dissertation, came rushing back to me! Just thinking about those days brought pain that was almost physical. And then, I stared again at the webpage, and what I felt was pure joy! There it was… almost one year of my life that I thought went to waste. I scrolled up and down the page… reading the bylines was like reading the Who’s Who in membrane technology… and my name got inserted in it – sweet!
The good news that greeted my day made me almost forgot about my unfolding busy day until my phone rang, just before 10:00 in the morning. It was my College classmate, reminding me of our meeting in the evening. An incoming call interrupted our conversation. I said goodbye to her and picked up the other line. It was the eye clinic clerk, reminding me that my appointment is in one hour, which means that I would need to fly to get there on time! I looked at the pair of polka dot pajamas I was still wearing and winced!
By some stroke of miracle, I got to the clinic only three minutes late, still managing to fix myself to look decent… and I didn’t fly either! After paying for my new pair of contact lenses, I exhaled and let myself dream of Thai food for lunch, after all, I have a reason to celebrate! There was a good one close by. And then my phone made a tooting sound – a text message. It was from my student. They needed my signature immediately on a document for our activity on Monday. It can’t wait another day. He was sorry he forgot to give it to me yesterday. The University is 45 minutes away from the clinic – when the Manila traffic is being kind! I sighed, looked at my watch and winced! Goodbye Thai lunch, hello take-out cold sandwich!
I got to the University with only an hour and a half before my Fulbright appointment… and the meeting venue is about an hour away! I looked for my student, he was looking for me, too… we missed each other three times… 15 minutes gone. I winced! I decided to sit in one spot. He found me. I signed the documents and ran! Again, by some stroke of miracle, I was early by 5 minutes for the Fulbright meeting. I didn’t bother to analyze how that happened. I just raised my face to heaven and said a little prayer of thanks. It turned out, I was bound to receive a bonus, too!
The Fulbright event was a welcome reception for the new Public Affairs Officer (PAO) of the
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| Fulbright... and experience like no other. |
After all the welcome remarks for Mr. Nelson and his wife were said by representatives of the different PAEF groups of scholars, Mr. Nelson walked behind the podium to cordially acknowledge the warm welcome. Apparently, this is his third time to be in the Philippines with his family on an official mission, having finished one recently in Cameroon. Having travelled all over the globe, he talked fondly about how he thinks of his family as the micro-United Nations. He was born in Alaska – back in the days when Alaska was just a US territory rather than a State, which makes him wonder often enough if he was really born an American. His wife is a Filipina. His eldest son was born in South Africa, and his youngest in Japan. He said he is happy to be back in Manila, where he feels at home – he and his kids (and his wife, of course) even speak the language! He congratulated all the Fulbright and PAEF alumni. And then, without a hint, he made special mention of those who chose to take a career in the Academia. He said he commends those scholars who chose Academia for their career path in spite of the many opportunities in front of them and even when they knew that it is not as financially rewarding compared with other career paths. He made mention of the on-going Presidential campaign in the US, and how different issues are being debated upon in the US today. He said that the candidates and the electorates may continue to argue about which issue is most important, and some would say economic policies are paramount concern, while others would say that strengthening international relations and diplomacy should be addressed first. Others would insist that research on renewable energy and environmental issues must be put on a fast track. Still, others would insist that immigration policies must be at the top of the agenda, while others would argue that national security must be addressed first and foremost. And yet, when you listen closely, addressing any, or all, of the issues all boil down to education. He said that a base knowledge should be established through sound educational system in order for people to actually come up with policies that will work in the sustainable future. And, in developing countries like the Philippines, education plays a critical role in digging themselves out of poverty, and start moving forward. Therefore, bringing education to all the citizens of any country must be a priority. Now, this is a man who has served many places in the world as a public official, bringing in his firsthand knowledge to us. I know he was not just being cute. Needless to say, I agree with Mr. Nelson 100%. This is why, regardless of all the disadvantages, I chose a career in the Academia.
I skipped dinner at the PAEF reception to try and catch my Alumni meeting on the other side of town, which also included dinner. I left the PAEF Office feeling I didn’t need any food, I got the sustenance I needed – the affirmation that all the sleepless nights creating and re-creating teaching materials is all worth it. What a treat!
The traffic en route to my University where my Alumni meeting was going to be held was quite burdensome. It was on standstill several times along the way. The slow moving traffic brought my attention to the malnourished street children in their raggedy clothes walking aimlessly in the light shower, zigzagging the vehicles caught up in the slow-moving traffic. By the emptiness in their faces and the seeming desperation of their situation at so young an age, it’s quite painful to imagine how the next years of their lives, if any, would be like. Mr. Nelson’s voice kept resonating in my ears. Education is needed to dig us out of poverty. Those kids should be at home, studying for the next day of school. In the years to come, they should be rushing to their alumni meeting from a Fulbright scholars’ meeting, too! All of a sudden, my hectic day became so much more of a blessing rather than a burden. Once again, I raised my face to heaven and murmured a prayer of thanks.
Education is needed to dig us out of poverty. It kept humming inside my head, building my resolve to stay focused on my goals as an Academician. All of a sudden, the traffic eased out, and the road to my University went by in a sweeping speed. And then, in the midst of the Manila frenzied noise and twinkling lights amidst the gathering darkness, the serene blue cross atop the administration building of my University - the 397 years old Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, the Catholic University of the Philippines, emerged, as if to guide me where to head to. It was such a beautiful sight to behold, it made me want to rush to it.
I arrived in the University only 15 minutes late for the two-hour consultative meeting with the Chemical Engineering Department alumni. The Department will hold its 75th founding anniversary in AY 2009-2010. “Brilliance Across Generations” was going to be the theme. It will be the Department’s Diamond Anniversary, and therefore, we thought it was fitting to pay tribute to its alumni whose accomplishments is making the Department shine like a brilliant piece of exquisitely cut diamond. The Department has lined up several activities, and that evening was the first gathering to let everyone know of the plans and encourage their participation. Indeed, the alumni represented several generations of brilliant Thomasian Engineers from different fields imaginable, each wearing a beautifully designed button that said, “Proud to be a Thomasian Engineer”!
Being late, I didn’t want to attract attention, so I tiptoed into the dining room where everybody is socializing over sumptuous dinner in preparation for the meeting, which will be held in the Conference Hall, adjacent to the room. One person saw me, yelled my name…
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| University of Santo Tomas... Pontifical, Catholic. |
After the meeting, we said our endless goodbyes. It was a very happy and nostalgic social event, with our alumni telling us of their pursuits and what have you. It was hard not to be emotional, watching those “kids” transformed into accomplished individuals in so short a time. What was marvelous was how they still spoke to us with almost reverence – little Academic people that we are. At the back of my head, I saw Mr. Nelson’s kind face, smiling and seemed to be nodding his head. And, I indulged voraciously, savoring that wonderful moment - that awesome treat, lest it doesn’t happen again.
I stepped out of the building with the blue cross atop my university seeming eager to partake at my awe as I closed my day. With the relentless Manila traffic, the way home was still slow even after rush hours. As the traffic crawled, I stared out of the window… the street children are lined up at the sidewalk, curled up on filthy cardboards that were their beds in the open air, no blankets despite the light drizzle. I was going to worry about my hectic schedule on the morrow, but my worries were snatched from me by those kids whose tomorrow was so uncertain… and yet, I know that they, too, can see the blue cross atop my university’s administration building where they lay. And, as it flickered in the darkness, I was certain that it was bringing forth some warmth of hope to those children. All of a sudden, I imagined those kids as diamonds… perhaps, rough and dull at the moment, but with some polishing and patient cutting, they, too will shine like those “kids” we nurtured in the university.
I murmured a prayer of thanks as I allowed myself to fall asleep. Education is needed to dig us out of poverty. That is hardly a roadmap, and yet, I know now that there is hope somehow.
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