Last July 23, with just a pen and a stock of knowledge, I bravely went to the examination hall with other people to fight for the remaining slots at the university. But with the weird things I saw earlier, I started to doubt what the universe was implying to me.
My father called the state university I applied in to check the status of my application. I am hopeless with the result since it's already been one month since I wrote a letter to them, but until now I haven’t received any confirmation email that I was accepted to take their entrance exam. For me, their silence towards my letter is already a response. But my father still wants to make sure if I am considered or not. To our surprise, the call attendee told us that they would be having an exam this Saturday for those who haven't taken it. Of course, we rejoiced at what we heard. I will be a great help if I pass and am accepted because I will study at a college without paying the tuition fees.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
I have a cousin who has already passed the exam. Right now, he’s already waiting for the last step, which is a personal interview. I messaged him to gather some information on the scope of the test. I am thankful for his generosity because he gave me the topics I should review. According to what he sent, the three subjects covered in the entrance exam are English, Science, and Mathematics. Although I already have some basic knowledge, I still need to review it to refresh my mind. Most of it was tackled back in my elementary days, so I didn’t have the sharp memory to remember it all.
On the day of the exam, I woke up around 7 am to prepare myself. The State University posted on their Facebook page that I am included on their qualified list to take the test. The time of our examination is 11 a.m., but we are expected to arrive at around 10 a.m. So to make sure that I would make it on time, I left my house around 8:30 AM. One of the people I told about this matter was kind of surprised when I left that early. He said that it was obvious that I was excited. Well, I had a few experiences back then where I encountered a lot of inconveniences that made me late for my appointment. We don’t know what will happen, especially since this is a public institution. Filipinos can relate that here in the Philippines if it's free, expect a lot of inconveniences before you get it. Although we need and deserve it, you need to traverse the bumpy road first. With this, it feels like we are not paying taxes correctly. Anyway, allotting extra time for the expected inconveniences will save you. Perhaps the early bird catches the worm.
Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash
When traveling to the university, you need to ride four times to reach the place. It's not that far; it's just that there's no available vehicle that navigates directly to it. While in the cab waiting for it to be filled with passengers, I saw two butterflies flying by the side of the road. They came from the bushes, and I think that’s their home. However, I noticed something about one butterfly — it's having a hard time flying. Observing the butterfly’s movement, it seems that it's her first time flapping its wing. Maybe she just came out of her cocoon. She fell down many times, and I was scared that the people passing might step on her, but she kept on trying to get out of her situation. After several attempts, the butterfly finally flew away successfully. Seeing her beauty fades my anxiety away.
At around 9:30, I arrived at the university premise. My decision to leave early was just right because, upon arriving, there was already a long queue line. The security guards guide the newcomers to fall in line, and then the assigned teachers order us to type in a certain website URL to register. Along the way, I encountered a problem with my registration, and luckily I still have time to fix it. I raised my concern with the teachers and they gladly helped me. And then, 10 minutes before the examination, we were told to proceed to the examination hall.
To help myself become comfortable with the place, I started to observe the room. I counted all the electric fans, the TV screen presented on the front, the green trees at the left of our window, and even the texture of the arm desk I am sitting on. This is also my way to remove my nervousness and help my brain act calmly while taking the exam. Familiarizing myself with the place kind of tricks my mind into thinking that this place is no longer new to me and I should not be alarmed or anxious.
Several minutes later, the proctor started giving exam paraphernalia. Upon checking the test questionnaires, I found out that my cousin was correct with the pointers to review that he gave. This gave me slight confidence that I would pass this one. After distributing all of the materials to the examinees, the proctor gave some instructions. She also said that the 100-item examination needs to be finished within one hour.
While we were in the middle of the examination, we heard a noise coming from the ceiling fan. The majority of the people in the room looked at it, and we saw a butterfly fall down — its body was disassembled and destroyed. However, with time running out, people just continue to mind their own business. I can’t help but feel nervous about what I saw. Is this a sign that something bad will happen? What’s with the butterfly I saw earlier and what’s with the butterfly I saw right now? What is the universe trying to tell us?
Photo by Jasmin Schreiber on Unsplash
A moment later, the proctor told us that the time was up. We turned in our answer sheets and left the building. I saw my mother waiting for me outside. She greeted me and asked me how the exam went. She also shares her opinion about the ambiance of the university. While she was busy talking about something, I abruptly cut her sentence and told her about what happened earlier in the examination hall. She looked concerned at first, but she reassured me that it was just a coincidence and I shouldn’t worry about it. I laugh it off and tell her that maybe she’s correct, that the butterfly thing is just on my mind and there’s no specific meaning at all. At the end of the day, my performance on the exam will still be the one that will dictate my fate. Another thing is, I believe that what you attract is what you get. If you attract negativity, then you will get something negative.
We still wandered around the university and the neighboring community before going home. I found out that the university is only in the vicinity of the Bureau of Correction, also known as the New Bilibid. The Bilibid Prison is huge and you can’t see the prison walls or jails around you. The place is full of trees and the community is peaceful. Even though it's already past 12 p.m., the air breeze is still cool and it feels like it's still morning. After we felt the soreness of our feet, we finally decided to go home and call it a day.
Fin.
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