The Adventures of the 13-year Old Boy
It has never been my dream to
study abroad since I was young. I just imagined that I’d be the typical average
high school student who enjoys his company of friends, does his assignments
whenever he needs to and just follows whatever his parents ask him to do. But
everything changed in a single chit-chat of my parents with our family friend
in the August of 2008. Voila! I was being asked to join my childhood friend to
study abroad for a span of two months. I was like, is this really happening? Am
I really going abroad alone? I’m just 13, are you even serious?!
It all started when my Tita asked my mom if I could go with Kariza,
a childhood friend of mine, for a study tour in Xiamen, China. The tour was
said to last for two months, making my whole summer a complete “study vacation”
in China. At first, I was a little bit hesitant but then I looked at the bright
side. I could learn a lot more about the
Chinese culture and language; not only that, it was also said that there would
be tours for us overseas students to enjoy and not to get homesick. Thus, I
readily and eagerly answered a YES to the invitation.
It was the morning of March 29th,
2011 when I bid goodbye to my parents at the airport. I felt nervous,
seriously, for it was really my first time to be separated from them. I felt
deep inside that they were also sad about my leaving, but I believed that
they’d be happy to know if I’d study hard and do the best I can while in China.
I spent two days in Manila for
some picture taking and a breakfast with Mr. Lucio Tan, the popular business
tycoon in the Philippines who sponsored the whole study trip. I then departed
to Xiamen, China on the 31st of March 2009.
I arrived at the airport nervous
and excited—nervous because before, I was known to be one of the shy kids who
prefers to stay alone as much as possible; and also excited, because my two-
month adventure started there. But soon after, I didn’t feel any nervousness at
all. Some unknown people just approached me and asked my name, and after that,
I suddenly had friends! Going to such tour wasn’t a thing I should be nervous
of, for I realized that there were a lot of students like me, who were also
struggling because of their first time traveling without their parents.
Days went by and I continued to
be the typical Filipino student who continued to learn the Chinese culture and
language. Every day, I woke up at 8 a.m. in order to attend classes. There were
Chinese language writing skills subject, the Chinese conversation ssubject, the
Chinese singing subject, the Chinese painting subject, and lastly Wu Shu—the
Chinese sport which was derived from Kung Fu.
Happy times continued to flourish
as I continued on my adventurous journey. I met a lot of new friends from different
parts of the Philippines-- Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, name it, I made
friends from those places. I tried a lot of new things, like playing water
fights on the soccer field in our dorm, having late night chats through the
telephone at the dormitory, having some “adventures” all over the dorm, spending
my money like there was no tomorrow (which caused my parents to get mad at me),
and a lot more. But, as we all know,
people also experience some sad moments in some part of their life. There were
times when I’d get homesick and suddenly miss my parents and my sister, though
everything there seemed fun and joyous. There and then I realized that my family
are the most important persons in my life.
On May 23rd, 2009, we
finally bid goodbye to our tour friends. I still clearly remember the time when
we were bringing our bags down the elevator before going to the airport. We
cried. We weren’t ready to leave one another. Everything was like a fairytale.
We met new friends from all over the Philippines and suddenly realized that we
will never ever see each other again. Never in my life had I thought that I
would meet those kinds of people who cherished me and accepted me for the way I
am. Thus, we continued crying until arriving in NAIA Terminal 2.
It all started with that simple
chit-chat of my parents and my Tita
that changed my whole outlook in life. My experiences, friendships, and lessons
learned were all part of the study tour.
I never imagined the whole Xiamen Study
Tour even in my wildest dreams. Without it, I may not have been the person I am
at the present. Thus, I thank them—my parents, for giving me the opportunity to
travel, learn, and discover—the beauty of life.
