Becoming a Victorious Vigilante

“Bahala na ni basta makapasa na ko.” Is it a familiar line? Have you said it a bajillion
times during this school year? Because I surely did. It’s really sad if you think about it, yet
somehow, it helped me get through this obstacle. I never imagined to finally arrive at the end of
this seemingly long and winding tunnel that is my senior year as a high school student.

When it was announced that there wouldn’t be face-to-face classes for the SY 2020-
2021, I was both glad and sad. Glad because I knew it would be for everyone’s safety mid-
pandemic, but sad because I wouldn’t be seeing my friends in person. I wasn’t sad because
classes will be held online. Having online classes is okay. It couldn’t be that hard. I could handle
it. Or so I thought.

To be honest, I was a little excited to have online classes since my classmates and I
from the Caelum section in the previous year have already experienced it in our Statistics &
Probability class with Ma’am Liel Pondara. She would upload PowerPoint presentations and
discussion videos on the topics we would tackle and at the same time prepare a quiz for us
online for a whole semester. My performance was average if I say so myself and I was a bit
thrilled of the fact that we didn’t actually have to go to our classroom. So I thought the online
classes for this SY wouldn’t be any different, but boy was I wrong.

From screaming children heard on zoom calls, washing the dishes while having class, a
little bark or chicken clucking here and there, to staying up late just so we can pass our
requirements before the clock hit 12:00 midnight, indicating the deadline. That’s just a glimpse
of the things that made up my school year especially during the first few months of adjusting to
the new norm. I’m convinced at this point that you are lucky if you didn’t go crazy during this
school year at least once. I don’t about you, but having classes at home made me feel lazier
and lazier by the day. It seems as if everything is just tiring me out to the point that being able to
wake up is the most productive thing I’ve done each day.

But I came to a point where I realized that if I wouldn’t push myself, I would accomplish
literally nothing. So one night, I told God, “Lord, please help me. Ikaw na bahala sa tanan.” It
wasn’t an instant miracle like I finished everything in a snap. It was a gradual process. It was
like light slowly entering a dark room. Little by little, I tried harder and pushed myself a little bit
more. I made a list of all the requirements that I needed to do and challenged myself to finish
them within a certain time. Eventually I was able to overcome my struggle and finished my
remaining tasks on time. Tell me I’m wrong, but nothing is more satisfying than checking off all
the things on your to-do list. And I couldn’t thank the Lord more. When I sunk into a lethargy, He
gave me strength to swim and rise up back on the surface.

Just like how the song Get Back Up Again goes, “I’m not giving up today, There’s
nothing getting in my way, And if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again,” so will I.
Despite all the complaining, becoming a vigilante due to sleepless nights, and coping up with
this unusual year, I was able to get back up on my feet and continue the fight. Little did I know
that God answered my prayer until I realized how fast the graduation day was approaching.
Meeting up with the officers and planning about our graduation made me feel victorious already.
When we look back on this year, everything that happened will certainly make us say, “I’m glad I
made it through those days.”
 This may be the end of a journey, but I know that this is a commencement for a greater
journey ahead. This circumstance served as a great reminder for me that no matter what
happens, we can become triumphant with God on our side.