For the first time in a long summer-schoolday-time, I woke up before Detective Conan was even on TV yesterday. With only 2 hours of sleep, I was awakened by the rush of adrenaline that pushed me to meet AJ’s meeting time of nine o’clock. I arrived at BA and met with Henry, Alexis, AJ, and eventually Denise, whom we all depended on to jumpstart winning over dear freshies’ innocent hearts and minds.

“Welcome to BA! Join UP AIESEC!” was my line for the morning as I rushed to every freshie-looking student that came out of the P&G Room, handing out flyers.

I noticed how some of them found it weird to have strangers come up to them, like predators patiently waiting for their prey. Some others were too busy looking for their Mommies, and the rest seemed to get along well with their newfound (or old high school) friends.

I remember my first day in BA just like it was yesterday.

*daydream sequence begins here*

I scanned the room for old friends, potential friends, and well, boy_friends (if you know what I mean). I remember noticing Tanya because of her long brown hair and petite build, and Jorell, just because no one can miss him. Resisting distraction, I finally paid attention to all the alien terms they were telling us but still got lost in the unfamiliarity of the Form5As, Records, and GWA-requirements anyway. Just when I was gathering enough saliva to strike up a conversation with the girl to my left, we were finally asked to leave the room and enroll. I heard that Mr. Enrollment in the University had a reputation as dirty as that of Ms. Sunken Garden’s, and although the trip to Palma Hall was a forgettable experience, getting there definitely wasn’t. The semi-long line I found at Palma Hall’s Lobby was new to me since we rarely had to wait in line back in High School. But more than that, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of getting lost in a crowd of totally unfamiliar faces. With only Fio and Chrissie to keep me composed, I was trying to wake up the sleeping independence in me to go through the whole process alone – without looking stupid and lost – which I think is every freshie’s goal on his first day.

*daydream sequence ends here*

My first year in college went exactly how they said it would be - weird and scary at first, but it got easier and waaay more fun eventually. I think I would prefer to be a college freshie a little while longer if I were given a choice. But since I am left with nothing but SuperAlmostUS grades and an age that is far from being suitable for a Freshman, I can only say that my first year in UP defined me in ways that I could have never imagined. I met amazing people, with brilliant minds and even bigger hearts, and luckily, I even became friends with some of them. I saw, felt, and heard, just about everything and anything I could have had, and had a taste of the unknown, the unfamiliar, and even the unwanted. All the same, I swear that it was all worth it.

So to the incoming freshmen, welcome and beware, because the best days of your lives are yet to come!

Oh, and don’t forget - join UP AIESEC. :P

PS – New batchmates/shiftees, welcome to BA! (Yet another shameless plug) Join baCBAcan!

PS2 – Elaine and friends, welcome to UP! If you need any help getting around, just message me okay? I’ll be more than willing to help. And don’t worry, obviously the memories of being a freshie are still, um, “fresh” to me, so I will try my best to help you get rid of the stigma and confusion. Haha ;)