An International School Regret

A couple of days ago I read an article in Rappler (it is a Filipino magazine) written by a friend of mine from high school entitled "Truly, dreams can come true," and it really made an impact on me. For the first time in a long while, I felt ashamed of myself. If you take the time to read it, which I highly recommend, Natashya Gutierrez writes about how she made a difference in someone's life. And I don't mean that she donated some money or put a few bricks together (which is GREAT if you do because charities are awesome and so are building houses). Just her being alive and putting her story out in the world motivated a fourteen year old boy named Romnick to put himself on the line and push for a higher education.

The International School of Manila has a very hefty tuition fee, especially for high school: $10,780-$12,060. Keep in mind that this is not a boarding school and this is not a university. My parents were able to afford this because they didn't have to. The State Department paid for my schooling. Other ISM kids I know either had parents as teachers (school paid) or were obscenely wealthy because they belonged to the richest families in the Philippines. However, there were one or two kids who were able afford the school's hefty fees because they were a part of the International School Manila's Filipino Scholar program. This scholarship gives these students a full ride to the school starting from eighth grade. 

For those who have never been to an international school and are wondering what the big deal is and why anyone would spend this amount of money to go, these schools are private schools with excellent instructors (usually Master's degrees and up) and a small teacher to student ratio. Graduates from ISM have gone to every single prestigious school you can think of, some with a full ride. Natashya was one such student who went to Yale on a full tuition scholarship. The opportunities that international schools provide is without parallel (at the very least, you'll have an interesting entrance essay to write) and I wish I had done more.  

While I don't think that I squandered my education, I definitely don't think I pushed myself as far as I could have. I can be a pretty lazy person and I have done very well at school because of the sheer fact that I can retain information very well for a short period of time. Not as well now, but in my heyday as my friends sweated over a test for days, I would read the chapter in the thirty minutes before class and walk away with the highest grade. I did nothing for the full year of AP Bio, crammed for two days prior to the exam, and walked away with a 4. The highest score is 5 and I got college credit for my 4. Pretty good for only two days of study. This was all at the American International School of Chennai (AISC and yes, the school's name is ridiculously long) and I know of one teacher in particular who was dumbstruck when I walked out of AP World History with a 5. At the time I was irked by his reaction because, hey, I got a high score, what more was he expecting? Now I understand that while he wasn't exactly hoping for me to fail, he was hoping that I would learn (and this is going to be cheesy) the value of hard work. And now I completely agree with him. It seems like my scores and my diplomas (including college) are a sham. I am still paranoid that people are going to swoop in and take away my degree because I feel like I haven't earned it. Granted, this could all be in my head and I could be a genius, but somehow I doubt that... Although this video by College Humor makes me feel a little better.

For my senior year of high school I went to the ISM. During my time there I went out, I drank, and I watched friends tempt the drug testing policy (I was WAY too paranoid to partake). It felt like half of the school were models and the rest a mixture of sports players, f@ck ups, and the odd theater kid. I was dealing with the bitterness of having to move to a new country my senior year (which I am now VERY grateful for) and so I threw myself into having fun. And looking back, that's pretty much all I remember about my year at ISM. Lounging in the guidance counselors' area and parties (and ICARE, our community service trip). Actual classes, not so much. Life is never wasted and I definitely had some pretty amazing experiences but Natashya's and now Romnick's lives highlight how spoiled I really am.

I exerted myself for my friends, I definitely did for sports because my coaches were tough as nails, and I exerted myself when going out. I cruised with pretty much everything else. And looking back, I am definitely a little ashamed of myself and humbled by those who have worked so hard to get to where they are now.

This young boy, Romnick, no longer has to walk two hours to get to school. He doesn't have to cross a river to get to school. The excitement that he must feel that these two obstacles are no longer in the way is something that I cannot relate to on any level. Thank you to my parents for that and thank you to luck/fate/universe/what-have-you that I was born into my family. This kid wasn't born into an affluent family but he has made the most of what he was given and for that I admire him so much. I also admire the dedication of the Green Earth Heritage Foundation for helping Romnick through the application and selection process.

Not to put too much pressure on this kid but I really do wish him all the best and I hope that getting this scholarship will be a game changer for him, the way it was for Natashya. Thank you both for pushing me to reflect on myself and to put my life into perspective. Again thank you to my parents for everything and for especially not getting upset at the revelations in this post!