BINHI Output
I. Habitus as an Atenean Since my first class everyday starts at 8 am, I set my alarms to 6:30 am and wake up more or less 5 to 10 minutes of that time frame. I take a bath each night so I do not shower anymore in the mornings, what I do is just wash my face. Then, I just go to the lobby of my dorm and eat whatever is served there as breakfast. I bring my phone with, checking Messenger and Facebook while I eat. Afterwards, I go back to my room and brush my teeth. I put on lotion to my face and then sunscreen. When I have enough time left, I put on makeup, sometimes I get a bit extra on my makeup so I overtime. I walk to school 15 to 20 minutes before 8. I either buy a salad or the oily Sutra boneless crispy chicken with spicy sauce for lunch (lol there is no in between). After my last class, I head on to the new Rizal library's 3rd floor to do my requirements - because most of the time, the wifi at my dorm sucks and is so friggin slow. I take advantage of the fast wifi in the library not just by doing homework but by downloading movies and series which I watch when I get to my dorm. For dinner, I just buy a meal in Regis and dine there, or I take out food and just eat in my dorm. Sometimes, I explore the food places along Katipunan and along B. Gonzales since I do not know much about this place yet. I grew to love Chubby Chicken and White Tree Cafe. When I go to my dorm, I usually watch some series or read a book. I don't really study that much honestly, even when I know I have a test the day after. I only prepare the last minute. And I know, it is a risky thing to do but that's how it went for me during my first semester. I take a bath around 9 pm and finish around 10, soon I go to bed. I don't go to bed if I haven't taken a bath yet since I treat my bed as the cleanest part of my room and I would never sleep well if I knew that there would be germs from the outside on my bedsheets. Before I really go to sleep, I put on lotion first so I go to sleep feeling the freshest and smelling really nice. On average, I sleep 7 to 9 hours per day. And I think most of it is due to me not sacrificing extra hours of sleep to study xD. That is my goal in college though - to sleep. Because I don't like how my day goes if I lack sleep. Based on my high school years, I get burn outs often and get stressed more if I don't sleep so I try to avoid it now. Anyway, I could still say my academic performance isn't that bad yet so I don't think I need to have those "sacrificial hours" anytime soon 😅. II. a. The night before BINHI, I was preparing my stuff to bring for the trip - snacks, water, a pen, some money, my ID, and my makeup kit. I was running a bit late actually. The call time was 7 am and I woke up around 6:15 am, I could only do so much - wash my face and brush my teeth, wear the mandatory white shirt and jeans, and skip breakfast before sprinting my way to the Gonzaga parking lot. I arrived a bit sweaty and my classmates told me that there was a grace period of 30 minutes so I could have just taken my time than rushing through here which is what I would have done in a normal situation. We didn't even leave until 8 am. Upon visiting the elementary school, I thought the kids at our class would be intimidated and thus, will be quiet and well-behaved, since a bunch of strangers would suddenly barge in their classroom. But man did I think wrongly. The kids were much livelier than ever. And they were so hard to manage. They are very makulit and frankly, I would have fleed the scene already if it were any other situation. b. It might seem that I am oppressed here since I'm being attacked by a bunch of kids. But the reality is that I'm very privileged. I am privileged enough to have all the things I needed and to have good education, be in a good school, and have good friends. However, the kids I dealt with then had faced and have to face a lot of struggles since they came from a poor background and they need all the help that they can get before they could even be one step toward their dreams. Here I was, a couple of steps already towards my dream. They have a much longer way to go. And most likely than not, they will even struggle more than me as time goes by. c. During BINHI, the upper right quadrant of the intersecting axes spoke to me much more than the rest. But mostly, it was that I belonged to a much higher social status than these kids, I was fluent in English, and that I was credentialed - meaning my academic attainment is much higher than any of these kids here, I was also going to a renowned and distinguished university, unlike a public elementary school such as Sapang Palay. III. a. A contrasting experience would be when I accompanied my dad and my mom to their workplace. Of course, the office was only full of adults and grownups all talking about technical stuff and mostly stuff I didn't know. I just sat on one of the chairs at the side and waited for time to pass by. Constantly, I was busying myself with my phone but I peeked at the adults surrounding me at times - them in their corporate attires and I, in my high school uniform. b. I didn't feel privileged, but then again, I don't think I was oppressed either. I was just ignored the whole time I was there and to be honest, I would have wanted the same if I were to be in a similar situation. I don't know what to say or to react if these people would interact with me so that gave me a signal to just mind my own business and not talk to the adults. c. Despite not feeling oppressed or privileged, I felt the huge gap in terms of age and credentials between me and the adults who were in that office with me. I was young and inexperienced, they were at an age where they have lots of experienced gained and have probably attained multiple degrees. Moreover, I see more people in suits than people in heels and a-line skirts - there were more men in the office. I see some foreigners as well - they were regarded as the "heads" rathen than "subordinates."