Chapter IV: I am Greje

June, 1995, it was my first day in school. I never thought of anything that could have happen then. Yes, I know how to write and a lot of my ABC. I already know about the shapes and sizes and many different things, but I don’t even know how to speak with other people. I was so ashamed of myself. Oh, what a shy type of person I was then. I wonder how I’ve survived that day?

The day started with me being introduced by our teacher in front of the class. I am in front of different faces. I don’t know them at all. I wonder why I should be with them. I really don’t know how everyone thinks about me. I don’t know if they like me or what. All I know is that I am Greje. That is the only phrase I remember coming out of my mouth on that day. My parents have injected me some thoughts that would excite me just to fill me with enthusiasm to join the school. I think they have done it well, but the real results came into play when I finally stepped inside the room. The enthusiasm had suddenly turned into anxiety. I probably have slipped my tongue and forgot to think about other things except for my name.

My name has always been an issue. When we started to write our names and practice writing all those all headings we have to write before the exams, I have aced with it for my name was too short compared to my classmates. We wrote all those monotonous headings for about an hour or two. It was really so exhausting. I think I had my fingers fractured due to that exercise. It was so pain staking.

Our teacher Mrs. Joy was so glad to give us a lot of new things to discover. She was equally good in teaching. I learned a lot from her. GMRC has been the subject right after the flag ceremony. After which English, my favorite subject, will follow. Mathematics will soon be thought about when recess wraps up. Science has been the signal that the morning session is about to end and we will be going home in a few minutes. The parents would finally be there to fetch my classmates. What a beautiful sight. I was just so contented watching my classmates being fetched one by one. And afterwards, I would go home walking or ridden by a tricycle.

In the afternoon, Filipino and Sibika at Kultura will be the subjects. After these subjects, the whole day of school ends with the announcement of the sweepers. I would always raise my hand to read who’s in the list for the day. I’m assigned on Monday. And after these events end, A common sight of parents fetching their children would fill me with envy. I couldn’t help it but to be happy for what I can see that is happening to my classmates. My heart breaks into pieces when I try to walk away from our room seeing a lot of them happy, a child kissing her mother on the left, a child running to her father, a smile welcoming them. What a happy sight. It breaks me in two when that single moment of my life it was really rare for me to have such opportunity.

I seldom ask myself is this really Greje? Am I Greje? It has been the greatest question I have ever thought of. Who am I? Who will I be?