Grade 3
I was a late enrollee again and I danced the ITIK-ITIK.
We moved to the big city (aka Manila for you) and there were paperwork for my transfer. It was a private school. My uniform was white with two big pleats running across from my shoulders to the hemline. Then there was a belt and a small necktie. It was not a clipped necktie, mind you. I had to learn the twist-and-turn and pull tricks to put it on.
My mom saw to it that I came to class very neat and clean-looking with my black shoes-dust free or my white sneakers for PE, smudge free. My hair was neatly combed with a barrette or with a small ribbon which I always removed upon entering the school grounds. My male classmates would tease me that I got a small helicopter on my hair.
She was not surprised when I was picked by the principal to lead the flag ceremony of the school…that was to stand there, mouth the first line of the Pambansang Awit, conduct the singing and lead the recitation the Panatang Makabayan afterwards. I stood ten feet tall from the stool where they made me stand to be seen by the people at the back. I agonized for a week memorizing the PA and PM. My mom was elated. She could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Her daughter who did not love school was beginning to stand out.
Months after, I was bringing extra clothes ( pair of short pants and shirt) going to school. My partner-in-crime classmate lived near the school. In the afternoon, most of our classes were the non-academic, PE and Vocational or Home Economics. So we changed from the uniforms to civilian clothes. We scaled the back fence of the school so we didn't have to get past the guard. My brother busted me in my "little crime". Ouch, grounded.
For the school program (why do they always have that yearly), I was made to join the "itik-itik" group.
My partner was my rival in the honor roll. Yes Virginia, I was running for honor in that school for a change. I always carried with me extra apple for the teacher. hehehe. I had no complaint.
My mother sewed me a beautiful costume which was made of red fabric with black stripes. I liked it.
The family were there. When I got home, my twin brothers would mimic the walking of the duck, complete with the quack, quack sound whenever they had the chance and my parents were not looking.
The classmate who was nerd-looking (he was already wearing eyeglasses) and was awarded most behaved when he was Grade 2 tried an experiment one afternoon that sent some of us to the hospital.
The teacher excused herself to go to the restroom (if we know, she would be gossipping with a fellow teacher)while she gave us the time to prepare for the recitation of poem assigned to us to memorize.
The classmate got the piece dry ice that he got from the ice cream vendor and put it inside a small bottle. The bottle exploded. I was with those who were injured. It was not a life threatening injury so the doctors sent me home, afther removing little fragments of glasses from my arm. They gave me a sling to prevent too much arm movement.
My mom was furious. The teacher was dismissed. For a while my brothers stopped teasing me. They were assigned my household chores until I got well.
I thought I would lose the chance of being in the honor roll when my favorite teacher was fired. But fortunately, I graduated valedictorian. ahem. My dancing partner who was the consistent valedictorian since kinder was the salutatorian.
Not bad. Then we have to move again in another district of Manila and another school for us, children. And when I was beginning to like school, new friends and neighbors.
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