I just got home..I know, it's a bit late than my usual dismissals. Well, I have to get used to it. We have a lot of subjects that end at 7:30 and 8:00 pm. But it's exciting though, even if it's a little scary to still be out in the streets at night, specially nowadays. And it's also difficult to get a ride during the late hours of the night, even on weekdays. Dunno, but it wasn't like this before..
Okay, I'll stop beating around the bush. Let's proceed to my main topic: BioChem lab--the subject I've been loathing for ever since I read the groupings posted on our bulletin board.
I spent my afternoon sleeping by the way. I was trying to think of something better to do while waiting for my next class, but unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything. The classes just started yesterday so we really have nothing to do yet (except for a couple of assignments which I have already finished due to my boredom yesterday). So I decided to sleep. I dozed for like 2 and a half hours or so. I really can't remember. Anyway, I was able to come to school early with a spare time to check the newly processed books in the library. I found interesting ones by Nicholas Sparks. Unfortunately, the librarian said that they are not yet allowing books to be borrowed for home-use. What a bummer! Anyway...
Okay, I said a while ago that I'll stop beating around the bush..heheh..okay, I mean it this time.
I've been dreading this subject. I know that it's only a 2-unit subject but lab subjects are not as easy as they seem to be. You need skills together with your knowledge. When I entered the laboratory, I already saw what seems to be teacher's stuff placed on top of the table. I froze. The lab instructor is here. Am I late? Well luckily, I saw that the classroom is almost empty except for four very punctual students: Mommy Beth (my 48-year-old classmate), Lara, Joyce and Kierstine. I sat next to Kierstine at the 1st table at the back. But after sometime, I decided to sit next to Lara who is at the front. Then another classmate came in with a bad news: "Si Ms. Berana daw and prof natin sa biochemlab."
What?? Ms. Berana? You've gotta be kidding! Please tell me it was a joke. But it wasn't. It was confirmed when she entered the lab 10 minutes early to ask my classmate to borrow an overhead projector. I know her. I see her all the time. I've been hearing so much horrible things about her. I know her because she's my former guidance councelor's wife. She was my cousin's lab instructor during the first semester. Donna said that she's very strict when it comes to her requirements and she gives low grades. She's the very opposite of my very jolly and affectionate chem1 lab instructor, Mr. Tapay. They say that she's mataray, strikta, walang sense of humor. Because of that, I immediately went back to my previous seat at the back. I'm really not in the mood to grab the teacher's attetion on our first day of lab. It was way too scary!
When the class started (she's very punctual, by the way), the laboratory was embraced by a deafening silence. My classmates were also feeling what i was feeling at that moment: pure terror. Well, she didn't give us a bad impression. I really didn't find her mataray. My fear wasn't caused by her presence but by all the unpleasant things that my friends used to tell me about her. I can't see any hint of her katarayan at all! She doesn't smile at first, and she doesn't show any hint of the sense of humor I was dying to see..but as the time passed by, she started giving us some jokes while she was making us recall the laboratory rules and procedures. Her frustrated attempts to make up a decent joke wasn't so bad after all. In fact I appreciated it! I really don't know why, but I just felt that i had to force a little laugh so that she's not lugi with her pathetic joke about the eye-wash. But then after a while, the fake laugh felt real. I just knew at that time that I can learn to like that teacher.
She had a long discussion about the importance of biochemlab blah, blah, blah and I was getting a little bored. My seatmate, Stanley, took out his gum and offered it to us. I thought it was ridiculous to eat in a class of a "terror" teacher, but after refusing the watermelon-flavored gum, I got one and ate it. Stan, Kierstine and Camille ate theirs too. Chewing the gum was difficult because we only did it when Ms. Berana isn't looking. It was fun actually. Not the experience of eating chewing gum, but the experience of breaking a rule. I am not used to breaking school policies. Haha..After her discussion is over, she grouped us into our *gulp* permanent lab partners. I silently prayed for a better lab partner than the one I had last sem (well, levy is a sweet girl but she really is far from being the ideal lab partner). It seems that God was really challenging me at that time because my lab partner turned out to be one of the most quiet students in my class. She is also..umm..let's say..not my "dream lab partner." But I guess I have to accept it. It's final. I guess i just have to work harder for a decent grade this semester.
We still have so much time before the class ended so she gave us a test. It was just an evaluation whether we have learned from our previous laboratory subject. It wasn't that bad. But I was hoping to get a really high grade for our first test but I forgot some of the answers and I had wrong spellings. Oh well, past is past. Move on. Haha..We were dismissed 45 minutes early. But it was 6:45 and it was already dark outside. Fortunately, I managed to go home safely.
