I wrote this for the org’s newsletter, so sorry for those who might think of this as a spoiler hwehe. To all the GENES, this one’s for you. >>
Disclaimer: You might find this a bit dramatic. But please bear in mind that I was "forced" to write this. So deal with it. =p
I spent six years in college, four in Genesoc. Considering the amount of time I spent with the org after I graduated, you can make it five. My rather extended stay with the org can be justified by the fact that I was unemployed then, so I basically had nothing to do. Or maybe, it can be that I’ve grown so used being with the genes that I can’t simply get them out of my system: the blue tambayan, the quitting station, genesoc juice, everything. I’d prefer the latter. I guess when you spent so much time with a certain someone, or a whole organization for this matter, every memory <good or bad> becomes etched inside you. That’s the problem with me: I’m a sucker for emotional attachments. Pfft.
>>
Life after Genesoc is pretty much like stepping out of college. You don’t know what to do, where to go. It seems like a big part of you is taken away and you can’t do anything about it, but go with the freaking flow. I guess that’s another reason why I stuck up with the genes for the longest time, even though my name’s already in the alumni list. It’s difficult to detach yourself from something that’s been part of you for so long. And maybe, along the way, it became my curse. I still felt like I was still responsible, so I "stayed". I always asked myself if I was hanging around too much, and I’ve always answered myself that no, it’s okay, and that I’m not being overboard. I guess I had this resolution that as long as I can do something for the org that’s been my family for the longest time, I will do it. I’ve had too many memories with Genesoc when I was still a "kid", that I told myself that I want to pass them on to those who are still new to the family. Maybe, through me, I can make them feel what it’s like to be with the org I’ve grown to love over the years. I sincerely hope I was successful, at the very least.
>>
Life after Genesoc is so nostalgic, I can nose bleed right now. It’s like a blast from the past, clash of what-used-to-be’s and those in the "now". A brief stay at the tambayan can bring so much memories, that even the satellites remind me of one hellish body meeting. The "applicants" I used to shout at, whose ticklers suffered way too many burnt pages with my lighter, whose taste buds had horrible encounters with raw egg, whose assignments had the mandatory fish souvenir, whose first impression on me always seem to be "mataray" - all of them are different now. No more shyness, they can now get away expressing their own opinions, and not relying on their more vocal batchmates. No more trace of adjustments, they’ve adjusted perfectly well with the org life - and loving it. No more inhibitions and silent moments in one corner of the tambayan. They now make decisions for the org, mature enough to discuss issues, and I hope, sensitive enough of other people’s opinions and feelings. Because after all, no matter who we are, even if we were past presidents/officers, or "simpleng members lang", we all have that Genesoc spirit: limitless…possible…
>>
Life after Genesoc is bittersweet. Looking at where I am now, and looking back where I came from, and with whom I shared the past years, one word always come to mind: GENES. I know that I have my whole life ahead of me - working late on weeknights, deprived alcohol consumption, tax deductions, 13th month pay, maybe career changes. A whole life that is fast-paced, competitive, dynamic, exhausting, stressful. Real life, as what people would call it. But for me, no matter how "real" life gets, no matter how shitty it might turn out to be, I know that there’s a blue tambayan waiting for me in BioSci where I can hang out and forget reality for a little while. And who knows, I might call up a gene or two, and drink our worries away with that punked grape-flavored genesoc juice. ^^*
JT
