Empty Cans Make the Loudest Noise

• Marc Daniel David

perhaps it was the rain he was worried about. One by one, youngsters came inside, uniformed like everyone else. It was about 5:40 AM when they stepped out for school. Each one has their own luggage, and I was curious, so I took a peek. I saw books and assorted colored notebooks, and just like their uniforms, they had similar belongings. I followed a student to their class with my eagerness to learn and observe them.

The timepiece strikes at 6 A.M., and a teacher came inside, greeting the class a good morning. I sat near the student and analyzed their behavior for hours. Throughout the day, they had different types of activities. Activities that bring out their uniqueness, their true inner-self. Most of their habits include being a team player, responsible, diligent, and courteous. There were also incidents where some had to stand up and recite what their answer was. I am so glad that the student I was beside can confidently respond even to the hardest questions. Although this student had all the positive traits everyone can like, being intelligent is one fine quality this junior has.

I am left with 17 days, and after a week and a half, I can say that I’ve learned so much. Every single teacher that went to the class was quite unique. Some are strict, some are calm, and there are a few that can be labeled as kind leaders. But it wasn’t the teachers I was taking notes from; I was there about to feel. It feels like I don’t want to lose her anymore, and that’s when I finally realized that it’s just not a “happy crush”; I already adore and love her.

I was thinking, “What if I confess through a love letter? I also thought of giving this before because it is one of the most important things to do when courting a woman, it has always been and still is. Knowing that love letters played an important role in the history of romantic expression, they continue to be a meaningful way for people to communicate their deepest feelings to the ones they love.

The excitement led me to write a letter in the middle of the night. My heart and mind are at odds. I am worried about the consequences if I confess my love. Is it time to tell the truth? Or just let it be to protect our friendship? This feeling is old, but now that I’ve made up my mind, it is time. It could be this letter or never. A gamble, perhaps. I handed her the letter, which led to her surprised face, and at the same time, I asked if I had any chance of courting her. To my ears, she whispered calmly, “Yes,” in a soft voice I heard.

At first, I was worried about how I would court her. How will I show her that she’s someone to me? To mini- for the learners. mize my worries, I started to ask for advice from my father and older brothers and started courting her. Every time I see tulips, it reminds me of her; they’re her favorite. So, I bought some and gave it to her, only to see her sweet smile. We took pictures every time we met to keep our love in a photograph. Chocolate is also her favorite—milk chocolate, to be specific. We always spent time together, even though time moves fast.

Though I stayed for a while, it wouldn’t be enough just to stay at a single school, so I left on the 15th day. Unlike the first, it is a public school. It had more students, which gave way for me to understand them more.

I am left with nine days. Both schools gave me a pleasant experience in which I saw the youth enjoy and study at the same time, but still, there’s a trait I simply cannot bear. At first it wasn’t noticeable, but over time it’s happening frequently, mostly when fooling around with friends. Also, I noticed that some make restrictions against those who are intelligent. It is an exception where they are powerless. All this time, I thought that knowledge was power, but when ignorance and bias come into play, it’s worthless.

The day has arrived; it’s the final day of my trial. Am I going to be reincarnated? Or will I be roaming this anti-intellectual country? The judge demanded to detail something that I had observed, heard, done, or investigated, and so I began.

Smart-shaming is one of the prevalent habits seen in the Philippines. Most people use it as a joke in the form of humiliation. It is used as a defense mechanism by those who believe in their own words. Based on the state of the country, numerous Filipinos are still uneducated.

7 months of courtship, and it’s near Valentine’s Day. Those months were full of effort. My favorite way of courting her is with quality time and gift-giving, so I brought some flowers for her. We talked about things where we would know each other deeply. After a little while, to my surprise, this day can be referred to as a Deja vu of mine. It’s happening again in my dream. But it’s something not to hope for. I didn’t want to be disappointed by my expectations. It was also our time, so I didn’t let any thoughts ruin our bonding. I gave her the flowers and witnessed another sweet smile. Later that night, I pretended to be clueless. My dream was true. She was the girl in my dreams. She was the one who said yes to me.

With my experience, I discovered that sayings aren’t always true. It’s true that I am in love with someone, but

Therefore, most of them are opinionated and driven by emotions. Filipinos tend to be masked or two-faced. They say that it’s better for you to be educated, yet they shame you for being one.

There were students who were corrected but responded, “You know too much.”, It is surprising not giving thanks after being corrected. Someone spoke in English while answering, but someone interfered and shouted, “This isn’t America, speak in Filipino,” mocking the student leaving the class in laughter. After that, they called the student “Boy Englishero”. I once saw a group of friends sharing stories with each other, but one of them was always told “No one asked.”, “Fine, you are the smart one, you know everything.”, and “Are you trying to make us look foolish? We know that already!” It’s like they don’t want to hear from their friend, and it’s always followed by the phrase, “It’s just a joke; don’t be mad.”

There is also a common phrase used by Filipinos that goes, “To see is to believe,” yet stop others from showing how lowly they were. There are also students that had fair grades and known to be shy in class participation but were told they were cheating and bribing the teacher. It happens everywhere, not only at school. This habit can be similar to a silent, deadly virus. It cannot be seen, signs can be present, and it is widespread.

To them, it’s a negative trait to be too intelligent. From what I saw, it had a negative impact on its victims. Victims who were altered from active to silent does that mean I’ll immediately fail in class? I still put effort into my studies despite entertaining someone. I didn’t disregard school to repay the sacrifices of my parents in supporting my studies and achieving my dreams of having a better life together with my loved ones. I also hear a lot of people saying that having a relationship is not good for students; others say “it will only ruin your life” and “it’s just a distraction from studying,” but all of this does not apply to everyone. In fact, love can inspire someone. You will work harder to study when you have the motivation that you get from him or her. You can also work together in a study called “group study,” which is usually done when the exam is coming up. This thing called “love” only needs time and effort. There are multiple ways to show love and affection to someone by simply giving them quality time, attention, and acts of service. It includes gift-giving and being by her side through ups and downs to make her feel safe. We can show our love to our loved ones not only every Valentine’s Day but every day. Just have quality time and show loyalty to your one and only; that’s the greatest gift she will receive. Also, remember that even though you have a relationship, you must still balance or manage your time to maintain high grades in education.

After all my reports to the judge, I had an option. I went straight, and I knew I had to be reincarnated. I will not let their arrogance pass.