All my life, I have been awakened by the incessant ringing of an alarm clock in the midst of the bustling Metro Manila, the sky still asleep with the stars, at daybreak, when the sun’s light barely filters through. As far as I can recall, an alarm clock has been my daily mortal enemy, my sleep irreverently cut short without mercy and apology.
At first grade, I got up at five o’ clock in the morning during schooldays. Breakfast would always be tasteless and forced, each spoonful mechanically chewed and hurriedly swallowed, half-masticated at best. Oftentimes, breakfast consisted of pan de sal glazed with peanut butter or margarine downed with a gulp of fresh milk. I had to eat, bathe, dress up in school uniform with clock-work precision and military accuracy, lest I would be, tragedy of tragedies, late for the school bus that would take me, along with twenty other schoolchildren to our school.
It did not get any better in high school as I had to ride a mini-bus from our village down south to the heart of Manila. Riding the bus, I would glimpse at tall grey rectangular buildings, their monochrome occasionally broken by yellowish-green palm trees, that is, if I were not half-asleep from chronic sleep deprivation. I remember that I would barely make it to our flag ceremony everyday, with a little bit of luck or prayer or both.
In the Metro, traffic congestion is considered the worst enemy and one must devise ways not only to beat it but to embrace it. Leaving early is sometimes not good enough as the volume of motorists and cars is overwhelming. I cannot count how many times I have been late for an examination despite waking up earlier than most of my classmates and despite studying the night away. Early on, I would learn to use it to my advantage by sleeping most of the trip or even studying inside the poorly-lit bus. It is a rat-race and everybody is a random player.
Two years ago, my husband and I made the best decision for us and our family: we moved to the beautiful province of Iloilo. It was a giant leap of faith for me, and hope foretold, my mornings have never been the same again.