Hi, before I start my story, let me introduce myself. I
am JETTYSON CASTILLEJO, but my family calls me "JC" while my friends
and classmates call me “Jet” or “Jetty.”
To be honest, I don’t really know what kind of story to tell. Maybe this
will just be a little story about my life, especially my school life, but
I will try my best to entertain you. So, let’s begin.
I grew up in a very kind and loving family. When I was young, I was raised
mostly by my grandparents, whom we called “Mamang” and “Papang.” My mother
was always busy working. I still remember that when I was a child, we kept
moving from one place to another, though I never really knew the reason
why.
Sometimes, we would go to Bulacan or Manila to visit my mother’s siblings
and cousins, who were all very kind. The person I admired the most was our
godfather because he always helped provide for our studies whenever we
needed something for school.
When I was in kindergarten, I remember my mother taking me to school every
morning. I never cried when going to school, and honestly, I was proud of
myself for that. Hahaha.
When I reached Grade 1, my uncle would fetch and bring me to school every
day. I also remember having a bully back then. He was bigger than me,
though he never really hurt me personally and only picked on others.
Whenever he tried to challenge me, I never backed down.
When I reached Grade 4, I transferred to a school in Bulacan. At first, I
had a hard time socializing with others, but as time passed, I got used to
being around different people and became more friendly.
I met many people during that time, not only in school but also in our
neighborhood. That was also when I learned how to play volleyball together
with my friends near our house. I still remember how we often fought with
each other, but thankfully, since we were all cousins and family friends,
we eventually got along again. Since we were practically one big family
there, we rarely had serious fights.
Later on, we met new friends who were classmates of our other friends, and
we always spent time together whether playing basketball, volleyball, or
any random games we could think of.
When I was in Grade 5, I suddenly became addicted to computer games,
especially at pisonet shops. I would always get scolded because I spent
too much time there. Maybe that’s one reason why I eventually chose IT.
Hahaha.
Eventually, I stopped because I wanted to focus more on volleyball and
spend more time playing properly with my friends. I really miss those
friends from school and from the neighborhood. Hopefully, I can meet them
again if I ever go back to Bulacan.
When I reached Grade 7, I returned to Isabela and continued both my
studies and my volleyball journey. Before Grade 7 even started, my cousin
introduced me to their coach, and I was trained during the summer.
I also met the school’s volleyball players, and we became close friends.
The summer training was very difficult, but it was also very fun because
we would sleep at school after training, then go out together to eat.
Those were truly unforgettable days.
When Grade 7 officially started, I entered the SPS (Special Program in
Sports). That was where I met more friends. I already knew two classmates
before school started because they were also with me during the summer
training. At first, the three of us were always together.
We later became friends with another student because volleyball was also
his sport. Every afternoon, we had training while other students only had
half-day classes. Since we belonged to a special program, we stayed in
school the whole day. Because of that, we became very close with our
classmates. Our section was very fun, even though everyone was playful and
noisy. Some students from other sections transferred into our class before
Grade 8, and they also became our friends.
In Grade 8, I officially became a member of our volleyball team. I was
very happy because before the season started, we trained hard and even
slept at school for training. Our school eventually became champions, and
we even had a victory party afterward. Our friend group also became bigger
because we had friends from different sections. Then, COVID-19 suddenly
happened.
Before the pandemic fully spread, I remember hearing about a virus in
China. I didn’t know at the time that it would become such a serious
problem worldwide. We would even watch the news about it before everything
got worse.
During Grade 9, we had online classes. I remember how we were not even
allowed to go outside, not even just around the corner of our
neighborhood. When vaccines became available, I immediately got
vaccinated, though I wondered why my arm suddenly became so heavy
afterward. Hahaha.
When I was in Grade 10, we only returned to face-to-face classes near
graduation. My classmates were still the same people from Grades 7 to 10
because our SPS class never changed. The only way someone could be removed
was if their grades became too low. We also joined the city meet again. It
was sad because interschool competitions were removed, but thankfully, we
still won. After that, we finally moved up to senior high school.
After Grade 10, we enrolled in senior high school, but unfortunately, the
junior and senior high campuses were separated, meaning we could no longer
be with our coach. That was really sad for us.
When Grade 11 started, I remember barely getting enough sleep during the
first days of school. Thankfully, they later made the schedule half-day.
As time passed, I met many new classmates and friends. Senior high was
full of competitions and activities. There was even a fun run event, and
before the event, we had a sleepover at our friend’s house because the fun
run would start very early in the morning. That was also a very fun
experience.
The city meet came once again, but this time we lost. It was okay, though,
because it was already my last year joining due to becoming overaged by
Grade 12.
Then Grade 12 finally came. By that time, I had already met many people
and made many friends. Before graduation, we also studied for NC II
certification. Before taking the NC II test, something unexpected
happened, but I do not want to talk about it yet because it is still
painful for us.
Graduation day finally arrived. It was both a happy and bittersweet moment
for all of us because one of our classmates and friends was no longer
there to celebrate with us. Even so, we believed that he was also happy
for us wherever he was.
When I entered college during my first year, I took BSEMC because I
enrolled late. During the second semester, I tried shifting courses, but
it was not allowed yet. Thankfully, by second year, I was finally able to
shift courses. I also did not fail any subjects during my first year.
Luckily, I already knew someone from BSIT, so it became easier for me to
socialize and make new friends.
And now, my college life is still ongoing. I hope I can pass all my
subjects and successfully graduate until 4th year.
And this is where I will end my story.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR READING.
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