15 Pages Back: How and Why I Got to China

15 pages back, 2010 is the year. My favorite song was B.o.B's "Airplanes" and every time it's played on the radio, I would always think what my first flight out would bring me.

As the weeks came close to 10th of September 2010, it was getting all the more certain that I would be flying out of the country, to China, to embrace my fate.

Some backstory - I am educated in Chinese schools my entire school life and all those years my matriculation was paid for by the school and several charitable institutions. Back in my early years of high school, our principal brought the idea of me pursuing college in China under a scholarship program. Perhaps it was too early for me to consider and the thought of living alone in another country somewhat horrified me, I initially refused. Years later, in an awarding ceremony of one of my benefactors, I was handed a flyer inviting their scholars to study college in China, all-expense paid. I was not aware at first that what my principal and the benefactor offered were of the same thing. I spent a few days to contemplate, talked to some close peeple and weighed the possibilities. I finally went to the principal's office one day expressing my intentions to accept. She was delighted and guided me through the process, paving the way to begin this extraordinary story as a college student in a foreign land.

My biggest considerations as to why I ultimately accepted are:

First, my aspiration to become a teacher - a Mathematics teacher to be exact - as I have always liked Maths and really wanted to be like my first Maths idols: my elder brother who excelled in this subject and got 99+ percentile score in the Maths portion of the national achievement test, and my elementary Maths teacher who I credit for discovering my Maths skills (I know I am no better than my brother but he believed in me anyway 😀)

Second, practicality or out of necessity. My family's finances were really hard back then. I have four younger siblings, all studying; my father and my elder brother's combined income always fell short, not to mention the unpaid loans and debts. While choosing to study here in the Philippines can also be possible by applying for scholarships, but its sustenance is the real question. Our school principal, when she was explaining to me my collegiate options, advised me that if I were to study here, I may eventually be forced to don a working student role, juggling priorities between providing for the family and sustaining my needs for school, which can severely affect my academic standing; whereas in China, I would only need to focus on studying as everything is provided for. That sensible analogy revealed the obvious practical choice, that is to go for the latter.

Going for the latter, for me, is hitting two birds with one stone, or more like, killing a row of birds with one arrow, because not only I would be gunning for a chance to become a teacher (of Chinese language though, not of Maths), I would also be joining the group of scholars who took this unique and golden opportunity to be educated abroad, mastering Chinese language, meeting new friends, and experiencing life and freedom in a whole new level.

And lastly, of course, the encouragement of many people I sought advice from. Apart from our school principal, I also reached out to my elementary Maths teacher, a few high school teachers close to my heart, elders in the Chinese church and youth fellowships, all of them told me it's worth a shot, and so I did give it a go!

Easier narrated than what I had actually thought and felt about this; I have to be away from my family.

In realizing this, I sure had my fair share of obstacles. I nearly missed taking that flight out as I needed to have a travel clearance for minors from the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), I secured one the night before! And months prior, I almost failed getting a passport, again due to documentary complications attached to me being a minor. I remember thinking to myself why I was not born earlier - I was mere months from turning 18.

Approximate flight route between Manila (MNL) and Hong Kong (HKG).
Image from flightsfrom.com

But despite all that, God allowed me to join the flight I will never forget: Philippine Airlines (PAL) Flight 300. OFWs and Filipino tourists who frequented Hong Kong should be very familiar with this flight number, as it is PAL's first daily flight leaving Manila for HK. Our group of China scholars were given PR300 so that we will have time to transit to our ultimate cities of destination - in my case, Guangzhou. To note, direct flights between Manila and Guangzhou operated by PAL only resumed in 2012 or 2013.

While waiting to get boarded, my fingers were busy typing on my cell, composing my very last group message to everyone for the year. (2010 was in the waning era of "messaging clans" and SMS group messages. Thanks to unlimited text promos at the time.) The Chinese song "闪亮亮" (title officially translated as "Bright and Shining", click on this YouTube link to listen) is my song on repeat, adding to the already sentimental feels I was enduring not to show on the outside.

Sentimentality, hopefulness, nervousness and cautiousness had me filled as we are carried by the airplane into the sky out of the country. The first three do not need explanation, but the last one is because the shame from the bus hostage taking that took place in Manila that killed several HongKongers was still very fresh; I have to be precise in what I should say to the immigration officers. There was a brief moment HK officers asked for my purpose of travel, as I do not have any close companions with me aside from my fellow scholars. Thankfully, they let me pass through.

And that was the beginning of all things wonderful I had in China. I have some pictures (I wish I can put more) to share highlighting portions of my life when I was many pounds lighter:

This was in a park during one of our sleepovers. Guangzhou is home to many working Filipinos too, a lot of them are very kind and selfless. They welcome us to their homes and some even let us sleep in their place.

Our class in my sophomore year. I remember my class adviser here (the one wearing white, third from left). She signed me up for the 汉语桥 or Chinese Bridge competition in 2012. I passed the school auditions and almost made past the regionals. I was one vote away from getting to the national finals in Beijing.

The one in the red shirt is my Indonesian roommate. He taught me how to ride a bicycle. A week later, here I was with them in 大夫山 (Dafu Shan), a popular biking place in Guangzhou. He wanted me to learn riding a bicycle specifically for this purpose. Missing him a lot.

We performed. Like many times. But some performed more than I did. That's all I can say HAHA

With my fellow brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. Ironic, but my first Christmas caroling experience was in overseas! In China, of all places! I do not know if this is still possible, given the reported crackdown on religious organizations. We're singing for the expats though, not for Chinese locals.

I think this was one of my last engagements with the chorale. This was in the Earth Hour event in 2013.

And certainly, we can celebrate the Philippine Independence Day even abroad. Not prohibited in China! TBH, it's more meaningful celebrating outside the Philippines, as there are no negativities, no political colors; we're just focused on Filipino pride and identity.

Speaking of pride and identity, Philippines represent!

We sometimes hear peeple say high school days are the best. I have to disagree, because if not for this China opportunity, I would have said the same. A lot of peeps do not know this, I took and passed the admission exam of the one big university along España Boulevard upon the advice of my class adviser (have a Plan B), but I did not waver in setting my sights to getting that once-in-a-lifetime experience. One of my younger sisters, she took the challenge as well and went to China for college. I supported her as I really wanted her to enjoy an independent yet responsible life in another place and to be free from unnecessary academic stress should she continue studying here in the Philippines, but pandemic came and that shattered all our expectations big time. Too bad she did not have a full four-year time overseas.

Indeed, my best years to date are my college years in China. I fully know, when I accepted the scholarship terms, that it would bind me for at least nine years (four years of studying plus minimum five years' work in a Chinese school of choice; those five years became eight years FYI), but I do not regret this decision. This became my steppingstone to where I am right now. Though I am no longer teaching, for three years as of writing, I cannot deny, consistent with what I mentioned in my ABS-CBN interview, the scholarship and its subsequent results became my ticket to a better future.

If I may share as I end, I will not forget the hymn my elders in the Chinese Baptist church sang when I joined the Wednesday prayer meeting the week before I departed for my first flight out. Understandably, my worries piled up all the more as I had little to zero idea on what to expect in China, which by the way is officially an atheist communist country. This song did give a huge deal of pacification; I knew God will take care of me amidst doubts and trials. Truly, He did not fail. (You may click on this YouTube link to listen.)

Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.

God will take care of you,
through ev'ry day, o’er all the way.
He will take care of you;
God will take care of you.

---

MINI BLOG PLUG.

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