My three months as an A&J student have come to an end. I am writing this text on the plane, immersed in memories. It was a short and very fulfilling life. It was a busy time as my emotions change rapidly from day to day.
First of all, during the first month, although I came to the Philippines for the purpose of learning English, it felt like a trip because it was my first time abroad. I really enjoyed the process of becoming able to communicate with friends from different countries through English. I think that just by being able to speak English, even just a little, I was able to broaden my view of the world and grow as a person. One thing that left a particularly strong impression on me was that I had a hard time communicating with my roommates the first week because I could not speak English well at all. But I wanted to communicate anyway, so I used gestures and literally body language using my entire body. I didn’t know if my friends understood everything, but I felt that my feelings were understood. Compared to those days, I am now able to communicate with words even if the grammar is not correct. I had my first trip abroad at the end of my first month, which coincided with a long holiday in the Philippines. I had never taken a cab alone or bought a bus ticket abroad before because I had always taken cabs with my friends and left everything to them. Although my English was poor, I managed to make reservations and buy tickets on my own, and since I was able to travel, I felt that my month of studying was not in vain, and at the same time, I gained a little confidence. If you have the time, I would recommend going to another country.
In the second month, I took Working Holiday course and I remember being baffled by the changes in the textbook and the sudden increase in difficulty. I felt that it was not appropriate for my level and discussed it with my teacher and manager. They advised me that my previous classes were just a review of my student days and that I was just shocked at the number of words I was learning for the first time due to the change of textbooks that were all business English. At the time I thought, “That’s not true, the next two months will be a waste of time,” but I continued to study. To be honest, the second month was very hard mentally because I was depressed every day. Even though I was always singing and dancing with my roommates, my friend took me out to eat and gave me advice because he was worried about my sudden loss of energy. Without him, I would not have been able to improve my English so much. Of course, it was not only him, but also my friends and teachers around me. In the second month, most of the students who had first come to the Philippines were graduating, and I was very sad and had a hole in my heart. I think I grew a lot by doing what my former friends did for me. I think it is better to study abroad for 3 months, if possible, because I feel that at least 3 months is necessary to gain a variety of experiences. Although I was getting used to it, I had the impression that it was more of a preparation period rather than purely enjoying my life in the Philippines.
In the third month, I was busy with many tasks such as working in a cafe as an OJT, interviews, and presentations. I felt a gap between myself and the people around me during the third month, as I was preparing and working at the cafe even while my friends were playing. I think I felt lonely because I could not enjoy myself even though I had come all the way to the Philippines, and also because I could not play with my friends. However, I told myself that I had to do this for my future, and I was able to overcome all the difficulties.
Although I did not get a good score in the final test, I gained confidence after completing the OJT, presentation, and interview. I also feel that I have grown a lot by choosing A&J and the Working Holiday Course for the past three months. The reason why I was able to feel this way is because of an incident that happened before I boarded the plane to return home. On the day of my return, after seeing off a friend who was leaving the same day, but at a different time, at a different terminal at Manila airport, I took a cab to the terminal for my flight. Because my cell phone was out of charge, I was unable to call a cab using the convenient and inexpensive “Grab” app, so I had no choice but to catch a cab there. I may have misheard the driver, but I misunderstood what he was saying and got in, and was charged an unreasonable amount of money. However, since I had ridden cabs many times in Baguio and knew the market price, I said in English, “I don’t have the amount offered and I can’t use an ATM to withdraw money, so please turn back or drop me off here. I actually had the amount of money I could pay, but quickly hid the money and showed the contents of my wallet, and succeeded in reducing the damage by giving the driver the illusion that I had only a fare slightly higher than the market rate for all my money. If I had been in the Philippines right after I arrived, I would have paid without knowing why. I felt that information and the ability to make decisions on the spur of the moment are necessary to survive abroad, and at the same time, I learned that it is important not to be at the mercy of others. I am really glad that I came to the Philippines and to A&J, because I gradually learned how to survive, became able to speak English, and made many new friends.
If you are considering enrolling, please come to A&J. I am sure you will have a wonderful Baguio life! I know you are still working hard, but let’s not overdo it and cut corners in moderation, and let’s all keep pushing toward our dreams!