fly with mhe

I do not consider it wasting time when I am with the young people or even just 2 of them.

After buying a refreshing cold drink at DiviSoria, we decided to sit at the park while consuming our Orbitz. We didn’t plan to stay much longer as it is Sunday night and tomorrow is a school and workday. Yet we did. Just talking about anything, teasing Mari and sharing and exchanging views with Kevin. Small talks yet memorable and helps me know them more.

Last Friday night, at 10:30PM, 7 of us went to a city carnival to ride the roller coaster courtesy of Makoy. It was fun, the ride was thrilling and we got hilarious reactions. We just rode the roller coaster then went home at minutes past 12 midnight. Quite late for young people like them to be on the street and we had to walk from the carnival place to the highway were Makoy could ride a jeepney to his home.

I could have stayed at home that night. I was still exhausted from our river trekking. I could have rested since I could only have 2 nights in a week to rest my mind from work. I could have went home immediately early tonight. But I didn’t. And I chose to spend it with them.

Indeed, the best and the most beautiful things in this world, cannot be seen or even touched. They are felt with the heart. It doesn’t make me rich in wealth. It did made me rich in relationship and contentment.

I don’t know what came into my mind this morning. There was this student who tried to talk to me last week. He said I looked familiar and asked if we went to the same school. He might have thought we were of the same age level or something. This morning, we met again at the hall where our session was held. This time, he asked about the humidity in the hall and if I’m comfortable in the far corner where I’m seated. I often saw him doing something and oftentimes blankly staring at something. Before our session ended, I made a note in the hope that it would encourage him.  But he was busy tinkering with his things and doing about his duties when our session ended. So I let the moment pass thinking that He might not let me pass on this simple note. So I went out of the hall. I was already out of the building when I felt the need to ask one of the student organizer if the office would be available at this particular time. So I went back into the hall, inquired on the office schedule then turned towards the door. It happened that he was almost at the door looking at us, so I unhesitatingly approached him as he was by that time smiling at me and handed him the note.

Thank you for your unconditional service. You’ve reached out to people, to us, with what you do here. Continue to be a hardworking person, acting on your responsibilities and extending a hand even without being asked. It will surely carry you through life, with God’s grace. God bless you, your family and your studies. He will never leave you. He will always be with you, even if it feels and seems so otherwise.  *smiley* (I didn’t wrote my name)

This was not the first time I’ve passed on a note. The other was to a 7-months pregnant crew at McDonald’s DiviSoria. She was standing the whole time, though it shows in her face that she’s really tired yet she still wore a friendly smile and a ready hand to give assistance to their customers on one busy night. McDonald’s DiviSoria was so full at that time that customers lined up for reservations outside.

I hope the notes I gave served its purpose.

This morning, I witness a lady crossing a one-way street rightly and got reprimanded for it. She looked on the side where vehicles would come and didn’t bother to look the other side as it was a one-way street, of course. When she was at the middle, a motorbike from the wrong way of the street almost hit her. What’s more, the bike driver even had the guts to be angry at her and shouted bad words to her for not paying attention and watching the street. Huh.. The nerve.. He was the one violating the law and even got angry at the innocent pedestrian. What’s wrong with these people?

Last night, as I was on my way to Cugman along DiviSoria, the jeepney I rode in unkowingly hit the right side mirror of a metallic colored Toyota Vios behind us. The jeepney driver attempted to drive to the side as the car behind us also did the same, in effect, hitting the car’s side mirror with the jeepney’s tail. The innocent jeepney driver rode till Cogon while the car driver raced with him to get his attention. When he got the jeepney driver’s attention, he intentionally hit his now damaged side mirror to the reserved tire of the jeepney making more damaged to the now hanging side mirror and blamed the jeepney driver for it. He even demanded the jeepney driver to pay for the damage and replacement. Duh.. Who has the right of way anyway? But in a way, his rage made more damage to his car. What’s wrong with these people anyway? Why are they so stupid?

I remember one time, less than two years ago, I crossed the street fronting Dunkin Donut store in DiviSoria to my waiting groupmates. As it was a one-way street, I looked to my left and didn’t bother to look to the other side. As I was about to cross the street, just then, a bicycle driver shouted at me for being in his way. His wheels already touched my legs. My groupmates who saw the incident shouted at the bicycle driver for being in the wrong side of the road and for being angry. What’s wrong with these people?

As I was waiting for a ride at DiviSoria to my workplace this afternoon, a mother and her child stood beside me also waiting for their ride. I curiously eyed the child. His leg muscles looked woobly and his gaze wanders off a lot. I asked his mother about the child’s condition politely. At first she was withhelding information and was quite shy a bit. After I told her that I am a teacher for children with special needs, she slowly opened up her struggles and story about her child and the things they had to go through for her son to go to school. Her son is enrolled in a public school for children with special needs and classes starts at 7:30AM and ends at 12:30PM. There are times that her son couldn’t go to school for there won’t be no one to bring him there if her mother is not available too. So the child stays at home, watches television a lot and doesn’t go out and play with their neighbours often. The child can speak and answer questions correctly. Guessing (cause I can’t prove it yet unless be subjected to assessment and tests) on the way he listened and answered my questions, he can cope up with his peers of the same level. He is 10 years old and speaks coherently.

It is these stories that rip my heart. Knowing that the child can make it in this world and be independent with much training and intervention yet at the moment was not properly addressed due to lack of resources. Felt sorry for the kid. Television is not good for him. It’ll only dull his mind more. He needs mental stimulation on print, sound stimulation to imitate and activities to make him active.

When they left, he gave me a high five and uttered, ‘goodbye teacher’. Wow.