When I gave birth to my eldest, I was 18, and it was halfway through the college term. However, even before my due date, I had already been summoned and informed by the college administration that I was forbidden from returning. No official guidelines were cited, nor was any clear reason provided. I suspect the conservative dean had already made up her mind about me, expecting me to simply accept her decision without a fight.

I barely allowed myself time to recover—just two weeks. Nowhere near enough time to have been fully healed, but just enough to keep my stitches from unraveling. I was stubborn, and I refused to risk expulsion over too many absences.

At first, I thought my back-to-school plan was going along swimmingly. Then, sometime in my second week, as I walked up to my chemistry teacher to have my paper checked, my vision suddenly blacked out and I collapsed.

I remember the rumble of voices and the sound of hurried footsteps. The boys in my class lifted me—and supporting me from all sides rushed me to the school hospital. When I came to, my mother was there, so was my godfather (a sports coach at the college) and the dean. All three of them staring at me. Someone, I no longer remember who, handed me a bottle of Coke to bring down my blood sugar 😅

The dean wasted no time in scolding me for ignoring her orders. And for a brief moment, I nearly admitted that there may have been some wisdom in her warnings. Maybe, just maybe, she had a point. 🙈

But I only allowed myself one more week of rest before I went back to school again. I finished the term, which meant facing one last hurdle—getting my school card signed by the dean. I dreaded it, but there was no way around it.

Of course, when I walked into her office, her eyebrows nearly launched into orbit. But what could she do? I had met the attendance requirements, and passed all my subjects. So with an exasperated shake of her head, she signed my card and muttered, “Ang tigas talaga ng ulo mo.” (You are incredibly stubborn.)

I’d like to think, in that moment, she was at least a little impressed—though very, very annoyed. 😁