“
Some things happen to
remind us of how little we still know.
“
This was from something I drafted on June of last year. I
was going over the files in my laptop and found this. It’s very timely,
actually. I had just gone through something, where this is very much
applicable.
Yes, my dear friends, I am talking about thesis.
This semester, I decided to take up the course that involved
making a thesis so that I would be able to graduate on May instead of on
October. Everyone said it would be a recipe for disaster, taking thesis and OJT
in one sem. I refused to listen, once again being the defiant person that I am.
And true enough, it was a disaster. Almost.
A semester lasts for about 5 months, but for some reason,
our batch ended up with less than 2 months to make our thesis. Yes again, we
only had one sem to do the whole thesis, proposal and all. So anyway, I decided
to take charge, as I often do, crafting the paper work, looking for a company,
etc. I thought it was unnecessary to seek my group mates (there were 5 of us)
for help, because I figured I could do it by myself.
My goly, how wrong I was.
The week before our intended date for defense, the HR
manager of the company, which I contacted to be our subject, told me that our
thesis objectives were not applicable to their company. Basically, I was
doomed. I mean, how was I going to look for another company and make the whole
thesis in a span of a week?
I told my group mates about the state of our thesis. Luckily
for us, a classmate suggested the printing press that was doing the yearbook
and was located just near school. I texted the owner’s secretary to communicate
our intention. My mind was racing, thinking of other companies that could
possibly be our subject. I texted two others. Hours later, the secretary of the
printing press replied, and she said that the owner was willing to help us.
Hope had been restored.
In a span of a week, we were able to finish our thesis
paper. We were ready for defense by the following week.
That day, we bought pizza, which we wanted to eat ourselves,
to impress the panelists. However, they weren’t. There was much, too much to
revise on our paper. It was far from acceptable, I knew. It was rushed. I was
disappointed, most especially with myself. After just 20 minutes, we were
dismissed. I broke down.
I was ready for my group mates to disown me, kick me out of
the group. After all, it was my fault. I didn’t ask much help from them from
the beginning. And now, 3 of them could possibly not be able to graduate.
I was surprised. Pleasantly.
When they realized I was crying, they came to me and they
tried to get me to calm down. I apologized to them, telling them it was all my
fault, explaining everything I did wrong and what I could’ve done differently.
Instead of blame and finger-pointing, I received encouragement. They told me
that we were in it together. They said we could do it, because we were a team.
I didn’t personally know each of them. I’ve been classmates
with two of them, but only one of the two I had chatted with. The other two I
just met and had gotten to know during the duration of this struggle.
With much faith from them and from other friends, we were
able to do it. We were able to have our thesis approved on the very last day. I
thank them for being patient with me, and to this day, I’m still surprised that
they thank me.
Just yesterday, our grades for thesis were given. I was
happy to receive such a high mark, which I still think I don’t deserve. But
more than anything, I’m happy that the three boys of #TeamPansit, as we call
ourselves, will be able to #marchonMarch. ^_^
This semester had not been easy. But it has showed me that
there are people, whom I can call real friends, if only I open up to them. For
a long time, I’ve hesitated and have been very cautious (the reason to that is
an entirely different story), but this time, I think I’m willing to try.
