It wasn't too long ago when I made that impulsive decision to take up a graduate degree. Yes, it was just something that popped into my mind one day. My condition for enrolling then was that if I get the scholarship, there's no looking back. Honestly, I didn't exactly know why I did it at that time. For me, it just meant having to do something else, so that when I get asked, I can say a lot. Haha. Now, almost two years later, I am about to complete coursework! Yey! It's kind of a bittersweet thing. I love being in a classroom, somehow. But I have to move on and study for my comprehensive exam and start preparing my thesis... and graduation! (2012, please be good to me!)
There were some unexpected twists and turns as I took my units up. Most of the time, I found myself in a difficult position trying to balance everything out. I have to admit, I sometimes had to "wing it" because God knows I barely have the time to do everything.
I am especially grateful that along the way, I've had awesome classmates and great professors as well. (Although I wish I had less classes with Dr. Levy. I had 3 in coursework! Even she says that she would've wanted us to have other professors aside from her!) In a way, coursework showed me a host of perspectives in pursuing development. It also allowed me to look into deeply rooted problems that ail Philippine development and act on them. I've learned to look into more sustainable practices rather than small projects that don't make a significant impact on society. It has allowed me to look at challenges and see that there is still hope in the Philippines. That despite the fact that people would choose to take the first plane out of this country, being in MADEPOL challenged me to look at how we can make development work for the country. It has challenged me to raise my level of patriotism, that no matter what dismal statistics are presented to us in class, I would still choose to invest in this country's future.
Now, the way I see it, it is important for us who study development to not just come up with solutions that will work in theory. Rather, we must find avenues by which our research output can be used to actually make this country better. It's not just about getting published, it's about making it real and tangible. It would be such a waste if we just allowed our papers to get shelved after each trimester. That is our duty to God and country, not only as Lasallians, but also as Filipinos.
I can't wait for thesis now. I can't wait to have the opportunity to conduct research that will be relevant. But first, I have to hurdle compre... and my last few papers! Haha! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment