Dear Kuya,

This month, as usual, was a very exhausting one. University life this month has brought me to my lowest lows and highest highs in my first year of being a college student. Just a month ago, I got the second-to-the-highest mark on an anatomy and physiology test. This month, I barely passed my quizzes on the same subject. It was just the same anatomy identification exam but with a different perspective. Imagine having been able to memorize the bones of a body part only for it to be complicated during an exam. This taught me that being a nurse is having the ability to identify body parts whatever the perspective is: may it be anteriorly, posteriorly, or even in lateral views or in oblique views. It was a humble experience to feel like a failure. It has taught me that not every time, you'll get a satisfactory grade. There will be a time that you'll fail. But it is actually up on us if we're gonna settle, or opt to use those failures to become better next time around. College life feels like conquering the tides of a violent ocean. At a lot of times, I feel unmotivated to study. Maybe because of the too much workload brought about by demanding yet unnecessary subjects. I really feel like college general education subjects are somehow useless. Imagine stressing out about your major nursing subjects and at the same time you have to do a film, you have to paint, you have to research about a culture that's yet to be unveiled. Unnecessary as it may look, but it keeps me away from drowning in my major subjects. Therefore, I have no choice but to endure these unnecessary things. This is why I see Filipino nurses now as the most multifaceted individuals in the world. Being trained as nurses in the Philippines, you get not only the ability to heal but the ability as well to be resourceful, creative, and hospitable. That for me is the bright side of being a nurse in the Philippines.

I am so happy that I can finally have the opportunity to breathe for a while in this constant storm brought about by what we call "life. " Once a week, I am able to come home to Bulacan even for just a day or two. I finally had the ability to breathe from being exhausted in the fast-paced life, and bustling noise of Manila. This balance in my life has so far kept me sane, providing a balance of stress and rest. Talking to my mom is creating a war. Having been unable to talk to her for quite some time has given me a break from that cycle of arguing, one after another. That argument has always distracted me from my priorities so not having to do it makes me more concentrated on things that matter the most.

As we go on our journeys together, me and my PLM Nursing friends have been building bonds and camaraderie, and day by day, our bonds become stronger and better. Having people to talk with, to have lunch with, or to hangout with is very essential for students who face everyday hardships. I can't imagine having no strong support system. It has always been my focus to grow not only within the four corners of my books but to grow as we beyond the four corners of the Pamantasan.

Despite the hardships and uncertainties I have faced this month, I can't help but to reflect and be grateful for everything that I have right now. It is such a privilege having to worry about school. It is such a privilege having to worry about that 'one' subject. It is a privilege having to worry about what to choose for the next meal. I may have complained a lot about how hard life is, but I'd rather have these worries than having nothing at all.

-Jeremiah