Grade 4
My brothers and I were transferred to the same school. I danced the kuratsa
And they danced the maglalatik.
I don’t know why it was difficult to transfer schools in the Philippines. Here in the States, they accept transferees anytime.
Because I was a transferee, I was put in section 2. Only those who finished their grade 3 in that school were assigned in section 1.
I was also made to sit in row 4. Row 4 was supposed to be for low learners. *heh*.
After being there for a month, I slowly moved from one row to another until I was seated
at the back of row 1. yeoh.
During parents’ meeting, my teacher informed my mother that I was bright (ahem) but I had inferiority complex. I seldom raised my hand for recitation. But I was always called in front of the class to set a role model for neatness. Thanks to my mom.
We had a bulletin board where papers of pupils who had good penmanship were posted for a week. So I practised writing. That was when I learned how to recycle. I used the old notebooks of my brothers. I wrote, I want to be a nun. *heh* That was the cause of endless teasing of my older brothers.
I also practised drawing.
One day, I saw my drawing of a butterfly posted in the bulletin board with VG mark. My teacher said that it was so life-like, she wanted to hold it.
I realized that God bestows us different special skills. I may not have good penmanship but I beat them in practical arts. Constant practice of writing made my dream (shallow Dream) come true. A month before closing, my paper was among those with good penmanship.
On a school celebration, our class presented KURACHA. The name stuck with me because it reminded me of a cockroach which we called kuratsa in our Bicol dialect.
My mother asked me what costume I am going to wear for a cockroach dance. Hahaha.
It was a "baro't saya" ( a native dress) for the girls.
I liked my partner. He was also good in drawing. We worked together in a collage for our display bulletin. He was the brother of my brother’s classmate.
My brothers' classes were to present maglalatik. The costume was red stringed trousers and the polished coconut shells attached to their backs, chests, knees, hips and thighs. My partner and I would watch their practice. It was time for me to mimic them. Haah.
At the end of the school year, I may not have an honor while my brothers were salutatorians again, I promised my dad that I would try to be in the honor roll if they were going to allow me to stay in the school. He’s moving again to get a job outside the city. Deal. First time, I stayed in a school for two consecutive years. I could not wait for the school opening. I was assigned in section 1, a morning class.
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