Having finished a class in Faura that I was solely in (no blockmates whatsoever I mean), I was walking alone towards MVP (the building of all organizations in the Ateneo), when a group of college freshmen (which I assumed were blockmates) were talking and giggling wildly beside me. That’s when the reality of being a college junior finally hit me! Kanya kanya na. Not that I minded being alone, nor that I wasn’t with any of my blockmates for that class. In fact, I actually enjoyed it. New faces every class. New things to learn from them. The class is His165 or a Rizal/Philippine History course under Dave Lozada, and if it wasn’t for schedule complications, I wouldn’t have gotten that slot. Ha! I was with RegCom and early reg people. The many positive comments I’ve been hearing about him are overwhelming, so I knew the class wouldn’t end up to be a bore. Besides, I’ve always enjoyed Philippine history ever since it was taught back in 5th grade by my all-time favorite teacher, Sir Katipunan. It was nice to know I’m learning this course through a good one as well. In fact, the minute he uttered a Heroes reference (Peter Petrelli!!!), I liked him even more.

My wonderful class with Lozada is followed by my Philo101 or Philosophy of the Human Person class with Mr. Roy Tolentino. I actually wanted a Filipino Philo class. Of course, I was a bit apprehensive at first, but the wonderful feedback I got from people who took Sir. Tolentino’s class before really changed my mind. Besides, hard core din yung Filipino Philo. It’s going to be a refreshing change. Of course, being a part of another class with early reg people, I was probably the sole person with a 516 random number. How lucky am I? haha. My first meeting with Sir Roy was immediately a blast. Mukhang magiging masaya ang mga klase ko sa Philo.

Despite the fact that both classes are completely de-blocked classes, they are probably the ones that I look forward to the most. My T-Th classes are a bit different. With three PolSci majors that start as early as 7:30 in the morning plus Economics all the way in Bellarmine… let’s just say it can get pretty exhausting, especially when you consider the weather. Haaay… iinit na lang ulo ko bigla.

The most promising subject and teacher from all my POS majors is POS130 or International Relations with Mrs. Alma Salvador. It’s such an interesting subject – one that I’ve always wanted to take. Our professor proves to be a force to be reckon with. She’s both intimidating and so nice at the same time. I love that she speaks confidently, discusses dynamically and sometimes talks animatedly. Basta. I like her already. The downside of that class is our number. It’s just too big, and I’m not for that.

For my POS116 or Public Management class, I got a brand new Ateneo teacher. She said that it was her first year of teaching and our class is her first ever class. Of course that didn’t stop her from giving us a ‘diagnostic test’ that tackled a bit of lessons from the past and terms/concepts unheard of! Good luck talaga. It wasn’t graded, but it just made me feel like I’ve forgotten my lessons. Shush.

Our other POS class, Quantitative Research, is being taught by my ex-POS51 teacher, Ms. Oreta. She was my teacher last year, first sem, so I kinda new how she works already. It’s not so bad, because she’s pretty good, and gives really weird, but interesting tests. And after taking up Qualitative Research last sem, this one just feels easier. At least, for now. haha. I smell so many all-nighters on the way… Sigh.

After a POS55 class at CTC, I head straight for Eco 102 over at Bellarmine. Yes, folks. That is a loooong walk. The plus side is that we have an air-conditioned room, and our teacher seems pretty nice. We’ll see how that goes.

So there goes my 18 units, and a few first impressions of some of my professors. It’s too early to conclude anything. And if there’s one thing I learned from the past 2 years, there are so many things that can happen in between. It’s safe to say that I do feel as if I’m going to be learning a lot. Most of my professors prove to be promising, and I’m going to make damn sure that I will have it in me to enjoy and appreciate each and every subject. There are only a few more sems before I graduate, and I just want to make the most out of it.