yupee!

“Neng, saan ka nag-aaral?”
“Sa UP po.”
For some reason, this is one of my favorite lines. I go to school in the University of the Philippines.
Being a UPian really has its kicks. While some universities brief their freshmen with school spirit and who-knows-what-else on first day orientations, my school orients us with how to live life. And that’s not just on the first day. We are let alone to learn independence and how to think out of the box. We learn things by experience and watching examples. Spoon-feeding is not an option.
I am so proud to be in UP. It’s just sad that most people do not understand its implications. There was one time I overheard a group of freshmen planning to cut class to hang out somewhere. They seemed so sure and they appeared to have this “academic freedom” look on their faces. What I saw was ignorance. Taxpayers pay for our education. Didn’t it occur to them that some parents couldn’t afford to send their own children to school while the likes of those freshmen don’t even value their education? They assume that academic freedom gives them the license to fool around. I think that’s stupid.
I have a friend who told me that only Diliman is the UP campus. It took all the restraint I had not to sock his face. This is another one of the things that get in my nerves. Every UP campus has its own specialization. I don’t know how else to tell others that the UP pride goes beyond location. It sucks how others think that other UP campuses are inferior to Diliman. A real UPian does not believe that and knows better than to think highly of one campus. I’d like to believe I’m not the only one who sees this. Maybe I ask too much. Oh well.
Anyway, I look at my blue book and evaluate the two words accompanying the logo. Honor and excellence. That really got me thinking. It’s sad to note that more and more students in UP take those two words for granted. What does it really mean to be honorable and excellent? Definitely not grades. Grades are arbitrary. What matters is how one applies what he learns. I think honor and excellence has a lot to do with attitude and responding to crazy things life throws our way.