Feature: Switching On The Lights
One week of vacation could lessen your stress, relieve you of your endless dilemma of waking up, and prevent you from enduring another day of school. Even the absence of electricity and water could not compare to the everyday struggles in your school life. Instead of going to school for four days, you have stayed inside your home, waiting for any sign of safety in the middle of a destructive storm.Your first day was a minute in heaven. The moment the principal announced the suspension of classes, you rejoiced and maybe bounced your way towards your siblings and parents to spread the great news. You didn't have to wake up thirty minutes early just to attend the flag ceremony. The announcement was like music to your ears.
The first day passed and you saw that it was good. Maybe.
The next day, you found that the cold, angry weather began to unleash its rage and wrath. You could now hear the roar of the howling wind that caused detriment, and you have witnessed it as you looked out the window. Rain blurred the vicinity from the inside, and the breeze pelted your face with a small drizzle as you closed the panels of your window.
Still, you keep looking at the bright side. You don't have classes. You have probably exhaled a sigh of relief because two or more quizzes were set to date, and it was postponed.
The second day passed and you saw that it was good. But it wasn't.
You begin to feel anxious about the electricity that was gone since this morning. Your parents took the responsibility of buying batteries, flashlights, and candles as an alternative light source. You could no longer charge your waning phone battery, watch the news, or chat with your friends in the internet. This vacation is turning out to be a time-travelling experience back to the prehistoric times, when electricity was yet to be discovered and the Philippines was merely a piece of the Earth's wilderness. Your mind has been drifting into its thoughtful state. You settled into a positive mind set that if your ancestors survived without electricity or internet, then so can you. After all, our generation is the pinnacle of civilization. Who needs the internet when you don't have homework?
The third day passed and you saw that it was good. Or not.
You could not believe that you didn't spend a second of your week in class. Moreover, you also could not believe that you still don't have electricity nor an internet connection. It's fine, because tomorrow is the weekend and you don't have any schoolwork for the week. You have no reason to feel worried or whatsoever besides the electricians whom you look askance because of their sluggish response to the loss of current. The saddest thing is that you miss your friends, your crush, and your allowance from your parsimonious parents.
Finally, after endless hours of waiting, light bulbs magically lit up, one of which is in your head. The trigger of that light switch is your realization that electricity and water should not be taken for granted, even though energy cannot be created nor destroyed. You have proven that you'll never know what you've got til it's gone.
As you turn on your television, you also realize how fortunate you are compared to other families who were greatly afflicted by the formidable typhoon. While you were rejoicing for the suspension of classes, others were grieving for their lost loved ones or the death of a family member. You have all the reason to smile not just because of a week without school, but because of God's grace which kept your family safe and protected.
The fourth day passed and you saw that it was good.
In the end, another week has come and gone--- a week-long reality-check vacation that ended in a blink of an eye. / by Christine Bailon
