Just Like Varsi
Today's my second day at work.
So far, I’ve found the office snug and the people friendly. Everything's going smoothly but the nostalgia for college life is still somewhat keeping me from accepting the new setup. Fortunately, amid the noisy tapping on keyboards and occasional yawns and interjections from co-workers, an officemate is keeping me sane by playing some music.
I was in the middle of doing a report when I texted Doms, a very good friend of mine who’s now working, too, to somehow “keep me company.” As our conversation went on, we can’t help missing the experience we had in the Varsitarian. We can’t help missing friends who’re also part of that Varsi life. A job just like Varsi. Working environment just like Varsi. Just like Varsi. Everything Varsi. Then a popular Katy Perry song swathed the whole office.
Comparisons are easily done once you've had a taste of perfection.
Damn! The Varsi life sure is the best thing that has happened to me yet. I miss the times when I had to cut classes just to interview an important source for my article. I miss the brutal mornings when I'd force myself to wake up early (though my class starts at six in the evening) just to do legwork for the next issue. I miss the hearty laughs and exchange of banters with fellow staff members at the lounge area as we wait for our articles to be edited. I miss the conference room that would turn into a music studio for the jovial sing-a-longs and the archives that would be transformed into a confessional for the emotional talks among staff members. I miss the clingy-ness at the office that manong guard, who would always knock the door because it’s already closing time, couldn’t understand.
Varsi life was the perfection because it became my benchmark during the job hunt. If find the company not like Varsi, I can't find the right motivation to take their exams and job interviews seriously. Sometimes, I'd be lucky enough to be called to come back for another interview but I'd turn it down because I wanted a Varsi-like environment. I just can't settle for anything less than Varsi. I can't help but compare this current work I have to the one I had. Siguro kasi bitin? Siguro.
“Friend di ko na kerimbels. Or baka ngayon lang ‘to? Para akong incoming na ako lang ang kinuha sa lahat ng naga-apply,” my friend texted me.
Maybe. Or maybe we’re just being too clingy with a memory that had once made our life happy. So I told him, “we’re just starting.” Why don’t we give ourselves a chance to get to know our new environment? Quitting is not a choice, how could we? Varsi erased the word "quit" in our vocabulary. Besides, there’s no turning back. We have already begun our lives in the real world.
How do I get better once I've had the best?
I ask the same question, too. The Varsitarian's more than that controversial student publication that angered pseudo-free thinkers and people who showed genuine concern alike. It's more than a university department managed by a group of students who tirelessly provide up-to-date news to the Thomasian community. It’s more than the work. It's a family. It’s probably the best second family I could've ever dreamed of.
I couldn’t agree more with Katy Perry. I guess I'll never really have another experience just like the one I had in Varsi. It was a one-year stay but it was a life of ups and downs. I was forced to prioritize. I was dared to juggle a lot of work. I made many heart-rending sacrifices. And I came out from that training alive. Definitely a perfect blend of hirap and sarap that made me see life in a different kind of perspective. As Jaime put it, joining the Varsitarian was the turning point of our careers. So, can I ever experience something like this again? I don't think so.
I hope the new kids in V realize this soon. Time flies. And when you're in Varsi, it flies really quick. Before you even know it, it’s over. So, I hope they relish every moment. I hope they get to experience what I’ve experience in V, too. Even better.
Katy Perry's song had ended. It was Beyonce's turn to croon. 'Cause honestly you turned out to be the best thing I never had.
Not for me, though. I just had the best thing in my life so far.