That Corner of the Sky: The Teacher, The Future Policeman, and The Lawyer






Nicole was really strange as a teenager.

She wasn’t like those other girls who were always pretty in pink and had dozens of friends. She was just…different.

She was that kind of girl who keeps it to herself. Her friends could be counted on one hand. She didn’t really believe that she had to know everybody’s name and that she had to be everybody’s friend. High school was tough for her. She didn’t really excel.  Her grades weren’t really that high, but she got through high school okay.

At first, she didn’t really know what to do with her life. She felt that everyone around her didn’t think that she was capable of anything. So, that’s what she did. She didn’t even give herself the chance.

But when she reached college, she took up BSED major in English as her course and finally realized that she wanted things to change. So by the time she turned 18, she stepped into the limelight.

Who knew she would be really good at volleyball?

Yes, you read that right. She was really good at volleyball. Teachers can be sporty too, you know.

And as of today, she sidelines has a volleyball coach for LCUP. (way to go, ate! Winner!)





Next, we have Ryan.

Ryan didn’t finish high school. He was in his 4th year when he decided that he didn’t want to study anymore. Years flew by and he was stuck in his same old cycle: gising-kain-volleyball-inom-tambay-tulog-gising-kain-volleyball-inom-tambay-tulog… on and on it went. Until time came when he realized that he was sick of it all. With his friends and family’s moral support, he enrolled himself in the ALS program. And after 2 years, he graduated. He graduated with honors, to be exact.

Now, he is recognized as the Youth of the Year of the Parish Commission on Youth and he is currently planning on pursuing a degree in criminology next school year.

It’s amazing what determination can do to you, isn’t it?





Last but not the least, there’s Karla, the lawyer.

When I asked her why she wanted to be a lawyer, she answered me with a straight face “ayoko na kasing maloko ulit”. I looked at her. I thought she was joking, but she looked like she really meant it. I asked her why, and she told me, “I’ve been through a lot. Hanggang ngayon single pa ko oh. Abogado na nga, single pa rin. Haha. Ang hirap kasi magtiwala ulit. Lagi na lang akong naloloko.”



As this is one topic that I don’t know how to narrate properly, I will let Karla narrate it for me.



“To be honest, I wanted to be a teacher. I had a boyfriend back then. He also wanted to be a teacher. Then after years of being in a relationship, bigla siyang nawala. Parang bula nga eh. Wala man lang pasabi. Isang araw parang nagising na lang ako na, ayun, wala na. Sawa na raw siya. Sayang talaga. Minahal ko pa naman nang sobra yung lokong yun. Yun pala, may bago na pala ang loko. Pinagsabay ba naman kami. Kaimbyerna, ‘di ba? Anyways, habang nag-aaral pa ko, feeling ko nun na parang my heart wasn’t in it anymore. Napaisip ako na ginusto ko lang ba talagang mageduc dahil sa kanya o dahil gusto ko talaga? Then I realized that the first one was the right answer. So I began to think of shifting to another course. Pero anong course? Well, since high school, I was very aware of my surroundings. Kung ano nangyayari ganun. Ang hilig ko manood ng balita, and I also liked talking about what’s happening in the government and in the society with my dad who, by the way, was also a lawyer. So I thought to myself, why not give PolSci a chance? So I did just that. I shifted to PolSci and when I graduated, I pursued my Juris Doctor degree at UST. It was very fulfilling. And it is still fulfilling up to now. Totoo nga siguro yung sinasabi nilang you have to love what you do and do what you love, and that’s exactly what I’m doing right now. Masaya ako, honestly. And Fei, if you’re still thinking about my answer to your first question, I’m not taking it back. Haha. That’s still my reason for becoming a lawyer. Ayoko nang maloko ulit. Hindi lang ng pag-ibig ha. Eto naman. Ayoko na rin maloko ng false happiness. Paano kaya kung tinuloy ko yung pagteteacher ko? Masaya kaya ako? I’m happy with what I am now. At least I’m doing what makes me feel fulfilled in life.”









Everybody has their own corner of the sky. They may not find it at the place where they thought they’d find it, but it’ll soon turn up eventually. People just have to keep looking. Serendipity exists. It truly does. And with these people—Nicole, Ryan, and Karla—it worked its magic. They were all looking for something, and what they found in their journey was something very different yet more fulfilling than the one they were looking for. It’s kind of funny when you think about it. Who knew people’s unlimited desires would do us good in the future? Constant determination is the key to unlocking that future.

After all, wouldn’t you want your life to be something more than long?




And to summarize this blog post, I think it is but apt to end it with a song J

 *cues music*


Try to listen:
Corner of the Sky






Note: Not their real names. They asked me to keep them anonymous so I used different names. :)

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