22/08/2025
| No Syllabus for Growing Up
Growing up happens quietly. It doesn’t manifest in a single day, but in the little shifts you hardly notice. It creeps up on you silently, and at some point, you’ll realize that you’re just a bit older than yesterday—with bigger responsibilities and harsher realities to meet.
One day, you’re wrapped in laughter and stories with friends, and the next you’re caught between goodbyes and new beginnings. It feels like stepping into a life you’ve been waiting for, but also leaving behind a version of yourself you didn’t know you’d miss.
𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲’𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄
The usual mornings before school, the places we thought we’d never leave, the friendships we swore would stay the same—what we thought to be the most superficial parts of our old selves ended up being the ones we’d long for the most. Funny how at some point, life revolved around recess bells, 3 PM merienda breaks, and scorching summer vacations. Suddenly, we’re here, standing at the edge of something bigger, carrying expectations heavier than our backpacks ever were.
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀
College makes it easy to feel lost, like everybody else already knows where they’re headed and how they’d get there. But the truth is, no one ever really does. Some move faster, some slow, while a few stumble along the way—yet we’re all on the same endless journey. There’s comfort in knowing we travel different paths, yet the uncertainty of everything is the one thing we share.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝘀
We tackle equations and essays, but life had more important lessons waiting. Turns out, we’d learn more on survival—how to live on budgeted needs, how to stretch our ‘baon’ to last for weeks, how to ask for help when pride becomes too heavy. The real lessons aren’t written on chalkboards, but in the way we struggle and yet somehow manage to thrive. True tests aren’t on paper either, rather embedded in the times we choose to keep going even when it feels easier not to.
𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?
Honestly, I don’t know— and probably, neither would you. Having to move forward and embrace change unfolds slowly in the choices we make every day. And while we’re all busy on our own paths, maybe the real lesson is that it’s okay to not have it all figured out yet. What matters is that we keep moving, carrying with us the pieces of who we once were, trusting that somehow, the paths we take will lead us where we’re truly meant to be.
Article and Layout by Julianne Tiglao | TPA
