The year 2019 was a year of survival for us and our family. First, our unico hijo survived his first year at Philippine Science High School (PSHS-MC aka Pisay). We also survived a family health crisis, that of my mom’s.
Surviving Pisay
If you will recall in my old post, Justin was not really bent on going to Pisay. Having spent one year as a Kinder 2 student and five grade school years at La Salle Greenhills (five years only because their batch skipped Grade 1 due to the K to 12 program) quite naturally, he expected and actually wanted to spend his high school years in the same school. But fate has other plans. It took a while to convince him to accept the scholarship offer at Pisay. He shed a few tears, too, but yeah, he proceeded to the Grade 7 orientation and went home a happy and excited lad. thank goodness!
Grade 7 seemed a long school year for a first-time Pisay student and parent. It’s not a walk in the park, I tell you. There was never a school day that he slept early. There always seemed to be a lot of things to do, “reqs” they call it. “Reqs” is short for “requirements.” There were weekends that we never went out on a family lunch/dinner date just because he needed time to finish his reqs or review for tests. He also had his share of groupmates that never did their share in their group work, which added fuel to the fire, plus school activities left and right that ate up a lot of their reqs/study time because of the practices they had to attend.
Math was his biggest challenge in Pisay. It was the hardest Grade 7 subject for him and for many Pisay freshmen. Because Pisay Math was 1.7 units, it significantly affects one’s GWA (general weighted average). It also didn’t help that Pisay employs a cumulative grading system (current quarter grade times 2 plus previous quarter grade, divided by 3), so yes, it was difficult. I remember him telling me that he regretted his decision not to join MTG in Grade 2 because he now sees the merits of entering this Math training program. Those have an MTG background generally fare well in Math in Pisay. Such was his struggle in Math last year that he only made it to the Director’s List in the 3rd and 4th quarters of Grade 7, despite having high grades in other subjects.
I guess what made his Grade 7 stint in Pisay bearable was the fact that he enjoyed the section he belonged to, 7-Emerald. Well, even I, a self-confessed introvert, found people in our section I felt comfortable with and who eventually became our friends. My son formed his new set of friends, too, and they would usually go out (with us parents in tow, haha) after periodical exams or every chance they get. Spending time together outside school was one of their stress relievers and ours (parents), too. Having a good support from students and parents of 7-Emerald also helped us survive the parent’s Treasurer position bestowed on my husband. So yes, we all survived our first year in Pisay! Yay!
Surviving a Family Health Crisis
Last January 2019, my mom, we call her Nanay Gloria, had to have a blood transfusion in the hospital. Come May, he had to spend a few days at the ICU because she suffered a heart attack, and she also had to be started on dialysis due to chronic kidney failure. Nanay also underwent cataract surgery of one eye after she recuperated from her hospitalization. Having a hard time breathing, she also required oxygen at home and before 2019 ended, needed to go to her dialysis center 3x a week, instead of 2 sessions previously.
Having a sick member in the family is not easy as it requires money. This family health crisis even came at a time when my most generous sister’s business suffered a slump, so that was one person not being able to share in the expenses, which was a major setback. It was also difficult for her to find a new job as she is the one tending to both our parents’ needs. The hospital bills and the monthly medical needs of our parents (medicines, medical procedures, lab tests, checkups, oxygen refill, etc.) put a dent on everyone’s budget, but we survived with God’s grace and provision.
With the help of my siblings and nieces, we were able to sustain the medical provisions of Nanay and Tatay, both senior citizens and both suffering from chronic medical conditions. We hope and pray that all of us will be blessed more this 2020 to continue providing for our parents. Looking back at all our struggles in the previous year, we can proudly say that we survived 2019. Thank you, Lord! Please give us the strength, wisdom and financial resources to do more and to bless others. May we all have a blessed, happy, healthy, peaceful and abundant 2020!
