Zoie Nim | Pusok National High School
The exact second the calendar flips to September 1, something shifts on campus.
Suddenly, Jose Mari Chan is softly playing in the background of our TikTok feeds, the air-conditioning in the back row feels just a little bit colder, and Christmas seems just a few weeks away.
But for us students, the arrival of the “ber” months does not just mean Christmas is coming. It means the ultimate battle between holiday euphoria and academic survival has officially begun.
Honestly, walk into any classroom right now and you’ll see the absolute chaos of this season.
On one desk sits a pile of reviewer sheets for an upcoming midterm exam. On the next, a group of classmates is debating whether our room’s Christmas decorations should be minimalist or covered in pastel colors. Somewhere in between, someone is probably asking, “When is the deadline again?”
That is the reality of the ber months.
While the weather may be getting cooler, our school calendar is completely catching fire. Teachers suddenly realize the year is ending, so the projects, thesis drafts, and surprise quizzes start piling up like crazy.
It’s a massive balancing act.
One minute, you’re trying to memorize formulas for a calculus quiz. The next, you are staying after school to practice choreography for the Christmas party presentation. Your brain is basically split 50/50 between severe academic panic and pure holiday joy.
And yet, somehow, we enjoy it.
But even with the heavy workload, you can’t deny that the vibe on campus just hits different this time of year. Late-night group study sessions become a lot more bearable when someone brings out a box of bibingka or puto bumbong. Lunch breaks are spent planning our Secret Santa wishlists, making sure to explicitly write down our budgets so no one gets left behind.
There’s this unspoken bond between classmates right now. We all know the “hell week” of cramming is underway, but we also know what’s waiting for us at the finish line: weeks of sleeping in, zero alarms, and actual quality time with family and friends. As the countdown to December begins, the flashing fairy lights we secretly taped to the chalkboard serve as our literal beacon of hope. The ber months might test our sanity with deadlines, but they also remind us why we push through. We’ve got this, guys. The break is just around the corner!