I didn't think it'll feel that way.

Yesterday. March 16, 2011. The last day of formal classes in high school for me and my batchmates. I’m writing about it not because it was an actual event (‘cause it wasn’t) but because it meant something. I’m speaking for myself here; I’m not sure if they felt like I did.

Anyway, I actually dreaded coming to school yesterday. ALL of our subjects were jam-packed with activities. We had a long exam in Pinoy, an activity in Econ, two quizzes and one seat work in Physics, a quarterly exam in HE, and a quiz in Litt. We didn’t even have lunch break, because we had a make-up class in Physics. 10:30am to 1pm, we were eating Electromagnetism, Logic Gates, etc. So I was willing to skip class even if it was the last. Of course, I couldn’t.

You may think, how did it mean anything but tiring/boring to me? Well, that’s where the sentimental me comes in.

The idea of the last classes, last quizzes, last activities, last flag ceremony, lastanything that we’ll have in high school just gave me this sad, helpless feeling. Sad, because I know that even if some of these things I will still experience in college, it will still be different by then, and I won’t be sharing them with the same people. Helpless, because as much as I want them not to be the last, they have passed and a lot more last’s will come to pass.

“Everything will come to pass.” I remember our Social Studies I teacher saying these words. Back then, they meant something different to me. Now, they seem more heavy, because they signify the reality for me. The bigger reality and realization that I am facing. What it meant to me back then now seems insignificant.

So back to what happened yesterday. I’m not sure exactly when the sentimentalist in me started creeping back in. Maybe it was when our teachers in Pinoy and Econ gave their own “speeches” and goodbyes. Or when my best friend Isah and I looked at each other and understood how we somehow felt the same at those moments.

All I know is that by the end of the day, even though I was tired of all the schoolwork our teachers dumped on us, there was this sentimental, nostalgic gratefulness inside me. I suddenly understood why I decided to get up from bed that morning even if my pillow and blanket were inviting me to go back to sleep. I almost did, but something in me woke up. Good thing I did, too.