Class Under the Acacia Tree

Maaga akong dumating sa kampus, at habang umiikot ang jeep sa oval, amoy na amoy ang bagong timplang kape at taho sa hangin.

I arrived early on campus, and as the jeep circled the oval, the air smelled strongly of freshly brewed coffee and taho.

Dapat sana’y may laboratory kami sa Gusaling Kimika, pero biglang nag-brownout sa buong kampus, kaya nagpasya si Prof na ilipat ang talakayan sa ilalim ng punong akasya.

We were supposed to have a laboratory class at the Chemistry Building, but a sudden brownout hit the whole campus, so Prof decided to move the discussion under an acacia tree.

Sa halip na magreklamo, naglapag kami ng mga bag bilang upuan, at may nag-abot pa ng karton na pinagsulatan ni Prof ng mga konsepto.

Instead of complaining, we laid down our bags as seats, and someone handed over cardboard on which Prof wrote the concepts.

Medyo kinakabahan ako noon, dahil ako ang inatasang mag-ulat tungkol sa isang kaso ng polusyon sa ilog na sinubukang itago ng isang pabrika.

I was a bit nervous then, because I was assigned to report on a pollution case in the river that a factory tried to conceal.

Habang dumadampi ang hangin at humuhuni ang mga maya, napansin kong mas buo ang boses ko kapag hindi nakaharang ang mga fluorescent light at screen.

As the breeze brushed past and the sparrows chirped, I noticed my voice sounded fuller when fluorescent lights and screens weren’t in the way.

Nagbatuhan ng tanong ang klase—may kumuwestiyon sa datos ko, may nagkuwento ng karanasan sa barangay nila, at unti-unting naging mas buhay ang debate kaysa sa loob ng aircon na silid.

The class tossed questions around—someone challenged my data, someone shared experiences from their barangay, and the debate gradually became livelier than inside an air-conditioned room.

Pagkatapos ng klase, dumiretso ako sa Sunken Garden kung saan nagtipon ang org namin para ayusin ang libreng tutorial sa mga freshman na hirap sa Calculus.

After class, I headed straight to the Sunken Garden where our org gathered to set up free tutorials for freshmen struggling with Calculus.

Habang pinaplantsa ang iskedyul at nag-aagawan sa bolpen, may dumating na manong fishball; napaluwag ang loob ko nang sabay-sabay kaming tumawa sa palpak na unang plano.

While ironing out the schedule and scrambling for pens, a fishball vendor arrived; I felt relieved as we all laughed together about our botched first plan.

Bago umuwi, nadaanan ko ang isaw sa may KFC, at tinawagan ako ni Nanay para kumustahin kung kumain na raw ako, na parang alam niyang nabitin ako sa tanghalian.

Before going home, I passed by the isaw stall near KFC, and my mom called to ask if I had eaten yet, as if she knew I’d skimped on lunch.

Sa dapithapon, sumakay ako ng ikot, at sa pagdaan sa mga lilim ng akasya, naisip kong minsan, kapag nawalan ka ng kuryente, mas malinaw mong nakikita kung ano ang dapat sindihan sa sarili.

At dusk, I boarded the Ikot jeep, and as we passed through the acacia shadows, I thought that sometimes, when the power goes out, you see more clearly what you need to light within yourself.