It was May 22, 2006(uh..I think), and it was history in the making.
I survived. ( Or, rather, WE. )
Through sweat, blood, and tears, we made it. Dadi and I barely made it to the exit, as he half- dragged me to the gates of PRC, my clothes torn and bloody.
Oh,alright. I know that every bit is exaggerated, but going to PRC and registering yourself for that board exam is like searching the Holy Grail before the bad guys get their hands on it. Picture Lara Croft and IndianaJones.
We got there 2 hours before PRC office hours, and there was already a veeeeerrryyy long line in front. Like the PRC Chairwoman was starring in her own concert ala- Black-Eyed Peas, swinging to her own rendition of "My Humps" along with Board of Nursing Chair Madame Eufemia Octaviano. And, finally, when we got in…it was total bedlam. Everyone was forming lines here and there….and we both didn’t know where to go first. It was first a bunch of guesswork,"Baka dito…tingnan mo oh..", and a lot of "San po ba kami dapat unang pumunta???". People were pointing us here and there, and we couldn’t understand a thing until somebody pointed us to the Information desk at the front (which was, finally, the only decent direction we’ve heard). I think (because everything was just going in one, crazy blur) they told us to get forms from the upper floors. So, with our envelopes full of requirements, we quickly proceeded to the stairs, battling through body after body of board exam applicants.
As we climbed the stairs, I was in such a hurry, all these frenzied, nerve-racking activity was making me feel kind of excited and hyper…and I was thinking to myself, We’ve got to finish all of these in a hurry so we can go on a date (Yeah, sometimes my principles in life are just plain twisted)…so all the adrenaline was pumping through my veins, making my footsteps a lot more quick…I felt like an athlete running a marathon….and then,I slipped. And almost kissed the floor. And there I was, sprawled on the stairs, in all my humiliating glory. My arms and legs were spread out in a "Jumping Jack" position. This was one of those times where I hoped that the earth opens up and swallows me whole on cue. Well, I’ve had those particular moments, I remember that time when Doc Arni called me for a recitation, catching me off-guard. My mind was going somewhere else, so when he called me, I began to break out in a nervous sweat, and my heart was thump-thump-thumping loudly. But, on the other hand, since for the whole of my nursing student life, this was the only time he called me for a recitation, so I was all like "I’ve got to make a good impression". And then he asked me…. and I gotta tell you, I hope first impressions never last. I ended up saying something that sounded like baby talk from outer space.
Which leads us back to me, in my I- worship- the sacred- grounds- of- PRC- where-the- almighty- PRC- Chairwoman- walketh- upon position.
( Yeah, I really don’t know the name of the PRC Chairwoman, so sue me. )
“ARAAAY,ang sakit!!!” I heard myself whine like a lost toddler. Dadi quickly grabbed my arm. “O Baby!!! Anong nangyari sayo?” he frantically said while helping me up. So I stood up. And as I looked at my very loving and supportive knight-in-shining-armor of my life, his eyes were twinkling so mischievously and he was trying hard not to laugh- at which he was failing miserably.
“Yan kasi, excited…” he told me teasingly and finally broke into wild laughter.
“ HAY NAKO!”
“ HAHAHAHA…. itetext ko na si Mama, ‘Tita, si Denise po sobrang excited, yan nadapa tuloy sa pagmamadali…’ ”
My boyfriend is sooooo supportive.
Anyway, after my dramatic encounter with the stairs, we got forms, filled them up with information, formed lines (and man, the lines were reeeeeeeaaaallllyyyy looooooonnnngggg.), and got forms again, formed another line… and so on… and the process was repeating itself over and over again. It was really tiring. And it was just so darn hot. So we were all bathed in sweat. Luckily, I have 24- hr protection and Rexona ( Yay, I’m an endorser) is so effective (Yup, I forced Dadi to smell my armpits and he said I still smelled like a baby while gasping for fresh air. I think he was making up for having laughed at me). But there was a particular time where I was wiping my face and neck, and I saw this pretty girl who looked like she just came from a fresh shower . And I was all like, “Huh?”. I felt ashamed of having to stand next to her because I looked so T.G. (Taong- Grasa) next to her. So I blindfolded my boyfriend while we were on the line.
So. It was a hot, tedious day, designed to push every bit of strength and patience to the limit. There was even a time I ended up throwing my hands in frustration and saying, “ Hay nako, ayoko na talaga!” and marched off the line. Dadi patiently followed me as I organized all my requirements, and kept silent. I guess he was also on the verge of blowing a fuse, and I made it even worse because I let my tiredness and impulsive side get the better of me. Well, it’s all okay, everything’s resolved by the kiss- and- make- up solution. I think that’s the best and brightest way anyone has ever thought of resolving a conflict, and I absolutely love it. Hehe.
By 3 p.m. ( I guess….I really am soooo oriented.), we were finally, FINALLY done with everything, having waited for at least 2- 3 hours in the last window that we had to go for the final processing (My legs had gone stiff from standing, and I walked out of PRC like a robot). We endured watching the PRC people eat their own lunch (while salivating), re-touch their make- up (indicating that they look good and we reeeaaallly have to wait for them to finish their rituals no matter how tired or sweaty the applicants looked), and an amusing show of peek- a- boo, where a certain someone (whose name shall not be mentioned to protect HIS identity and reputation) had forgotten to zip up his pants. That pretty much entertained our fellow applicants, saving them from dying from boredom and total stress.( Gee, Dadi, do you remember that someone?Do you?Huh? ;-p )
So, everything’s done, and my prince and I rode out of the PRC gates, and into the sunset, and we lived happily ever after (Notice how I have different versions of how we walked out of PRC….No, I’m not schizophrenic.). The End.
Well, not really.
See, we still had to figure out how to get to Glorrieta. After walking around (no worshipping the sacred grounds this time) and asking a lot of people for directions (Some even evaded us warily- for crying out loud, we are not holdappers!), we eventually got to Glorrieta, ate a nice meal at Gerry’s Grill (yum,yum,yum), and did a Holding- Hands- While- Walking thing and being mushy with each other. And that, my friends, is the perfect way to end the great, and rather insane, PRC adventure.
THE END. (Tune in for more adventures..hihihi… ^_^)
I love you dadi… *blush!*
