I WAS excited to meet him again after 22 long years.
And what stirred me up most is the fact that he is going to Davao City to meet me again.
Probably he was just too intrigued to meet a student who sent him a four-page letter, and to see the city with its moniker “one of the safest cities in the world”. I saw it coming – my Valentine’s week with my teacher.
If some women are expecting to receive roses and chocolates and men planning to give the best surprise dinner, I was busy thinking of a date with my teacher. My teacher said he will be with a Filipino couple based in New York City.
The more I was eager to amaze them of the city I call my home.
But prior to that, I was conscious of how I would look like. Will I put on some rouge to cover my growing freckles?
Or would I still be the ordinary me way back in college so he could remember me? Well, I ended up being the ordinary me again except that I have matured, and I am now a teacher like him. For many years, Dr. Eliseo Cuevas’ name and face were imprinted in my heart.
He was my college professor in Centro Escolar University (CEU) in Manila in the early 90s.
He is still teaching until now but this coming semester will be his last as he will turn 65. Teachers are always respected but I guess there would always be one who would leave an indelible mark in your existence.
For me, it was Dr. Cuevas. My journey with him was full of ups and downs. From Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU), I transferred to the big city and enrolled at CEU for my Mass Communication degree.
My first day was normal and ordinary except in his class.
He asked us to introduce ourselves and when it was my turn, I told the class I was from Davao and a transferee from AdDU.
“Oh,” he said with one eyebrow raising, “marunong pala mag-English ang taga-Davao.”
He belittled my being from Davao, from Mindanao, but I went on. He mocked me and silently I wanted to hit him back. From then on, he would always ask me to recite; he made sure I speak English (he handled Public Speaking and other related subjects) and discuss our lessons for the day. Instead of being disgusted, I navigated through with his style, and read lessons in advance so I could discuss his lessons the next day. He seemed unjust to me, but I took his comments positively.
I did my best so I could prove him wrong.
It seemed like he loved me more but hated me more at the same time. One day after almost 20 years, I met a classmate and I asked about him.
He was the only teacher I could clearly remember in my thoughts.
I learned that he is still teaching in CEU and he is the teacher of my classmate’s niece. So I wrote him a letter reminding him of all the things I went through with him. I told him how he belittled me; how I tried to avoid walking in the same floor where he handled his classes because he would suddenly call me in to speak in front of a class I didn’t even know; how he would want me to say sorry for the mistakes of our class; how he would force me to join beauty contests; how he kicked my foot under the table when my other classmates cannot answer our final defense; how he would make me accountable for everything in the class. It was a four-page letter of remembering my journey with him.
But in the end I told him I could never forget him as my teacher.
I thanked him not for what he had done to me… but for what I have become because of him. Little did I realize that, silently, he made me a stronger and more confident person.
When he asked me if I wanted to teach in CEU right after my graduation, I knew right there that he loved me after all. He challenged me to bring out the best in me.
He mocked me so I can realize I can do more.
He provoked me to think deeply so I would be what I am today. It turned out he is the best teacher I ever had in my life. He was my age now when he became my teacher and now I am starting to wonder if I were like him or if I could be like him. Dr. C, as he is fondly called now, is gay and he is one of the reasons why I have great respect for gays for their creativity and brilliance.
I cannot find enough reasons to impress him for who I am now but I wanted to impress him, together with couple Engr. Narciso, known for his contribution in the construction of Twin Towers, and Mrs. Maria Luz Gramonte, for what Davao City is now. So I planned my Valentine’s date. I listed down the most visited places in Davao: Eden Nature Park, Malagos Garden Resort, Philippine Eagle Center, Prayer Mountain, and many more. I wanted to make them feel that Davao is not only the safest city but most abundant too in natural resources.
Since Eden Garden Resort has another way going to Toril, I opted to make them experience the serenity of the Prayer Mountain, also called as the Garden of Eden Restored, in Tamayong, Calinan.
Along the way were the famous waling-waling and the Philippine Eagle. It is always a good choice to bring visitors to Jack’s Ridge for dinner to get a magnificent view of the city while taking sumptuous dinner.
I just had a wonderful Valentine’s date with my teacher.
No roses, no chocolates, no candle lights.
It isn’t true that Valentine’s Day is for couples or soon-to-be couples only.
Valentine’s Day is also meant for grateful hearts who would like to say ‘Thank you for a meaningful journey with me’. Twenty-two years from now when I will be his age, I hope to meet someone like me who will never forget me as a teacher.
This hope will go on and on.
For the meantime, I will try to be like Dr. C – someone who would leave an indelible mark.