IN recent days, I have found so many Facebook posts about students that graduated from college. Most have happy stories, while others have unfortunate encounters. But I wonder what the struggles of Filipino students who grew up in a foreign country and opted to enroll in college in the Philippines.
My thoughts included questions on what exactly are their feelings when they are doing their
best to fulfill their dreams in their native land but very foreign to them? What is the feeling of being away from their parents while finishing college? What is it like for nursing students who stay in the Philippines to study while their parents reside and work as nurses in western countries?
With my aim to discover the answer to my questions, I took the chance to speak to a new
graduate nurse at the Davao Doctors College. Thanks to my best friend Nancy Bargamento, who works at Houston as a nurse, that introduced me to Ms. Justene Te.
Justene is 24 years old and has been in Houston since she was seven. She finished high school in the USA, Clear Falls in League City of Texas.
Even when she was younger, she dreamed of becoming a nurse like his father, Joel Bacarinas Te, and mother, Mary Gold Te from San Pedro College.
Oh, trees indeed bear the same fruit. Justene has indeed followed the footsteps of her mom
and dad. She said being away from her parents was challenging since she sometimes feels lonely and misses her brother GJ and sister Zoe. So, in 2019 before the pandemic, when she started studying nursing, it was like she was on a lonely planet and would like to fly back to where her family was.
But the love of her family, who believed in her capacity, always supported her even thousands of miles away.
Later, Justene gets to meet good friends and teachers. This she thinks is one of her wins as she learns to adjust to others’ cultures and beliefs. She also enjoyed learning more about Visayan and Tagalog dialects. And the second year was for her the most complicated, as case studies and other requirements were overwhelming. Still, again her parents would always be there to assist her.
But when the pandemic started, she returned to the US when online class started. This is a
response to control Covid-19 transmission. She thought everything would be much easier, as she was home and near her loving family. Due to the time difference, she did not expect that online classes through zoom meetings would be at four and five in the morning. So, it was like in every online class, she was awake while everyone was asleep.
She felt that the two years pandemic had taken away the worth of experience or exposure she could have had in the hospital, psychiatric or community settings. She could have had the actual nursing procedure demonstrations like the basic life support and intravenous insertion.
But in all of these – with the two years of face-to-face and two years of online classes, she
believed that she has the knowledge and skills to provide nursing care to clients. She shared those online classes were so draining, sitting for eight hours Monday to Saturday looking at the monitor; her parents constantly reminded her about the meaning of nursing. And by her thoughts of caring, she is relieved of all the struggles in taking up nursing.
Justene also shared that her faith in God has helped her in her journey to finishing nursing. She said that all dreamers are close to their wishes; there is just a need to declare what God has promised all and walk with great faith in God. She added that they may fail if one is unwilling to work on their dreams and does not ask for God’s help. The best is to seek God’s guidance and be worthy of God’s grace.
Oh, I love her story about her challenges in finishing nursing with two years during the pre-
pandemic, face-to-face classes. And during the pandemic, online classes. I am glad to hear about Justene’s challenges, as I can relate to them as a clinical nurse instructor. But do you know what struck me most? Indeed, the strong bond between Justene, her family, and God has become her compass, guiding her all the time. Certainly, no matter where we live or reside, Filipinos will always value the importance of family relationships and strong faith in God.