ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY

Interdisciplinary Studies
Summer, AY 2020-2021

Reflection Paper

Name (Surname, First Name) : Farraj B. Paporo

Course and Year : GE 4120 (Elective 3) – BSA 1J
IDS Code and Schedule : 16-050 (5:15P-7:05P)
Professor : Jose Marie Ocedenaria
Reflection (One page only)
(Technicalities: 500-600 words; Single space, Book Antiqua-13)

Kaye’s subterrania, when compared to the “subterrania” of everyone else as a result of

the prevalent pandemic, may be comparable since a vast majority of us are locked
within the walls of our homes, forced to continuously consume all sorts of products (e.g.
foreign media, predominantly unhealthy meals) to distract ourselves from the so-called
“new reality.” However, such a notion is, at least in my opinion, a superficial look at
Kaye’s current situation.
Kaye’s subterrania is one that arises from her hikikomori lifestyle; extreme social
withdrawal from reasons that are beyond her. It is clear from the story of Luis Joaquin
Katigbak that such an isolated lifestyle has been ingrained within Kaye, it is an
addiction that is incredibly difficult to escape from. This is because of the fact that such
a lifestyle is already a form of escapism from the unfamiliarity brought by reality. Her
life within the four walls of her home is something that she very much prefers due to
how she can easily anticipate the happenings that occur within those four walls. When
compared to our confined status in the pandemic, such a thing is something we don’t
have.
We find it hard to expect things because even though we physically distance ourselves
from the rest of the world by isolating ourselves in our own “subterrania,” or our own
“homes,” we are always anticipating for the time when we can escape. Most of us (or at
least, the loudest of those in the internet) wait patiently for the day when they can go
outside and return to the “normal” intrinsic to the pre-pandemic times.
Kaye doesn’t want to go outside because it is chaotic. Whereas we want to go outside
despite its intrinsic chaos. Kaye prefers it in her subterrania because she can feasibly
expect everything that happens, whereas the most of us are tired at the predictability and
monotony of our lives indoors. For me, even if I prefer living indoors, I am getting tired
of its sheer monotony; of how predictable nearly everything can be.