FEATURE| ABNSKMeRPLAko? Everyjuan's Take on the Pandemic Student Life

FEATURE| ABNSKMeRPLAko? Everyjuan's Take on the Pandemic Student Life

by: Gel Mendoza

This pandemic has made most of us realize that reminiscing can become our new favorite hobby.

Memories of our glory days when we were free to live our lives outside our homes, through the lens of a student like me. Including also what could've helped me better remember those sweet moments than reading through the comical life of a student, too.

Bob Ong's debut novel and most successful one to date, "ABNKKBSNPLAko?!" is a comical autobiography that depicts the ordinary mishaps of a typical Filipino student, most especially during the 80s.

There were definitely several elements that represented this time frame—Nutri Buns, Old-School punishments (pun intended), and quite outdated-school curriculums in play.

Some readers may find it nostalgic to look back at how free a student in the 80s was. And then, here are the students of this generation, somewhere in the 21st Century, stuck in an ongoing global pandemic.

What we now see in all kinds of media regarding the Philippine education system includes the implementation of various learning modalities such as printed modules and virtual online classes.

Simple rooms at home are now literally where homeroom meetings and subject classes take place. Many students missed the excitement of their first day of school already, looking through the list of sections where they belong for the whole year.

It's also something as rambunctious as meeting up with friends to decide whether to attend classes or ditch them to head to the usual arcade.

Truly, the prime years of the youth were never the same again after the whole world suddenly shut down. Cameras are basically our only means to put ourselves out there while we’re all stuck in here. Heaven knows when this will all come to pass, but until then, every one of us students should just take a breath and look straight ahead into the future. Or at least, your Zoom Camera first. This writer prays for your successful quizzes, exams, and recitations. Try not to be surprised and ending up saying “Aba, nasa camera pala ako?!”, though.