Late For Lab Class

If you are humble already before college, college will regardlessly humble you more. It will give you a simple slap on the face and bury your dignity under the ground. This is a story worth telling for you and for my future self.

January 11, 2023

Slept Through

[4:10 AM] “Yuan, wake up. It’s 4:10 already. I won’t wake you up a second time. I’m going back to sleep.”

My lab class, and only class that day, starts at 7:00 AM. The total time my daily commute takes is around 3 hours, from my bedroom to any classroom in the campus. This also gives me some leeway, depending on how far the classroom is and how bad the traffic is that day. It’s not everyday that something unusual comes up and destroys your day, right?

After my mother had gave me that warning, I felt myself go back to sleep. I needed a few more minutes. I spent the last night completing and polishing our scientific paper about our last experiment which was meant to be passed on the face-to-face class that day. I was lacking sleep, and needed to get more. I closed my eyes. Fatal mistake.

[4:50 AM] “Yuan! Wake up! I told you I won’t be waking you up anymore!”

Apparently, my father also needed to go to work around 5AM. His movements woke my mother up. Wondering if I am already on my way, she went to my room and alas! There I am, sleeping so soundly, as if I didn’t have any class that day.

I jumped up from my bed, headed downstairs to heat up some porridge, ate it, took a shower, dressed, got my bag, and marched down the street. I ran, got in the jeepney and reached Balibago Complex. As I headed down the terminal, I saw the van readying to go. I estimated that it is only waiting for a few more people, so I guess It will leave really soon. That was 6:30.

I was joyful that I am still slightly on time.

But I wasn’t, and won’t be anymore.

Just as I was about to board the van, all the occupants got off and the van departed without passengers, only to circle back, pass us, and head back to its garage.

What happened?

Colorum Vans

“There’s some policemen waiting near the toll entrance. Both sides.”

My world fell down on me. Out of all the time that this could happen. It happened to me? It happened today? I sat there, hoping for a guardian angel to pick me up and drop me to campus. I bet that only takes a good minute.

Along with other passengers, I waited for an hour. The sun was rising. The queue is getting longer. Stories from my fellow stranded passenger made me clench my butt deeper into my stomach. He said that yesterday, he arrived at his destination in Cavite sometime around lunchtime. Lunchtime. Lunchtime? LUNCHTIME. I will have been just arriving when they have already finished class! I went around Complex hoping for another ride there. I went around twice. Both failing to succeed.

I semi-accepted my defeat. The time was inching slowly to 7. I sat over on the bench with minimum hope as I watch the sun rise from the heavy, bluish clouds.

Why don’t these vans follow the law? The policemen they were talking about were trying to guard passageways for illegal vehicles trying to transport passengers from place to place. Most either don’t have a franchise license, not registered, or have an expired registration/license. It is easy to comply. If money is the problem, don’t these public transport vehicles get a huge amount of money?

Hell, even just one ride costs one person almost a hundred pesos. That’s 1,200 just for one ride. There’s money in there, the operators of this shady business are greedy and arrogant to give way to the law.

Even so, why am I the one that needed to suffer from their wrongdoings? That lingers in my mind, even now. You and I know that there is some truth in what I have just said. But It won’t be correct. Because in this case I had a huge mistake. I didn’t fully realize my mistake until I went home to talk about it with my mother.

The sole legitimate, registered van among their fleet arrived at 7. The same time my class was starting. I didn’t want to succumb to my defeat just as yet, so even if I was already trashing my mind’s insides, I slept through the whole van ride. It lasted an hour.

Getting off the van, I sprinted to the nearest jeepney with the sign, “DBB-C”. I paid the 15 peso fare and stayed awake for the duration. It was fast, giving me a false string of hope. I knew it was too good to be true.

I finally reached the lab room.

Negotiations

I messaged our group leader about this. I was hoping that I can enter unnoticed. But alas, I entered and all of them was looking at me. This is the perfect time to say that I looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Some of them were even ecstatic to see me. They made noises which led to the professor seeing me. I was a bit furious of these people, but it was irrelevant because because the professor knew that I was late anyway.

When the professor saw me, she immediately remarked that I won’t be allowed to do the experiment under her breath. Even so, everyone heard that.

Only then is my hope destroyed completely.

I will have a 0.

This is officially my first failure in college.

I lingered around while my groupmates was finishing the experiment. It honestly was heart crushing that I was present physically but cannot participate because I was late. So fun.

After the experiment had finished, my professor called me and a blockmate (who was late, but earlier than me) forward. She said she will consider the schematic diagrams we are required to pass for the day and will allow us to participate in the scientific paper, but she won’t allow us to have full credit for the scientific paper, hence, she will give half points of whatever score our group receives to us.

I chipped in,

“Pwede po’ng 60% of the score?”

She responded in a amused but non-offending tone,

“Tumawad ka pa eh :)”

Even my fellow latecomer chuckled.

We all knew how desperate I was.

But I guess it had to happen at some point.

After she has dismissed the class, I immediately left for the university library. Books really are my comfort object. I sifted through all the available engineering books in there. Resources are wide, but you can judge how much time the books have spent there by the dust they have accumulated over time. Then, I went to the Mathematics section, where I found the Calculus book that our professor uses, and took it downstairs to borrow.

If there is a defeat, I must recover with two wins. I must have a high score in both my Calculus and Chemistry Lab to equalize today’s disaster.

I also passed by the Cashier to receive my tuition fee receipt, but since they have only resumed operations this week (I paid last week), they might process my transaction next week.

I headed home. The van was cramped and hot. I drooled over my face mask, twice. Ate the bread I prepared for lunch on the jeepney home. Everything is in a sorry state. I finally reach home, welcomed by my mother and Chichi, our dog.

Reflection

I went home knowing that I made a mistake, but I just can’t accept that I was in the wrong. My mother had woken me up on the right time! I just didn’t make a move or pushed myself to get out of bed that time. I wished that I would either wake up on time, sleep early, or for short, be more discplined.

Again, My 7th Grade Mathematics teacher’s words are ringing:

“Alam mo Labay, matalino ka eh, tamad ka lang.”

Ah, to do it all over again and right all the wrongs.

I do not want to get into situations like this again. My mother advised me thay my professors are not friends. Until graduation, they hold students by their necks. And with one snap, they can break a student’s spirit then and there.

Mine wasn’t broken, thanks to the durability it has achieved through my past million failures.

This was my one million and first mistake. How many more do I have to make?