Mr. Capili, I took the liberty of posting some of the photographs from your blog, and adding my own stories/memories your photos evoked from me.
How did I become a UP student?
It almost always starts with the UPCAT or the University of the Philippines College Admissions Test. In a way, my Grade Six, and eventually, my whole high school life, prepared me for it. I got trained in responding to all those multiple choice type of questions, including all those verbal and non-verbal analogy type ones, with all the diagnostic and other tests (including the now-defunct National College Entrance Examinations or NCEE) that I took as a graduating elementary student and as a high school student. I must say that my favorite sections of those tests were the word power and grammar/mechanics parts.
Not only must one pass the UPCAT; one must also be keen about the items/boxes one ticks off, regarding the courses one hopes to take. UP has the so-called quota and non-quota courses, thereby distinguishing courses where a lot of students tend to enrol in/flock to, from other courses deemed unpopular among incoming students.
I happened to tick Pre-Dentistry which was a non-quota course and ended up one of among 5,000 accepted by the university from among 20,000 or even more nationwide, who took the tests. It was supposed to be a two-year preparatory course for Dental Medicine but I finished it in three years when I dropped some really difficult Chemistry and Zoology courses and partly due to my difficulties in funding my education which led me to doing resident assistantship in UP's freshmen dormitory.
I took the requisite tests to move to Dentistry proper at UP in Manila but I did not make the cut. In my desire to graduate from UP, I was left with no option but to shift to another course. My remaining choices were either I become an English major or a social worker.
Five years after taking the UPCAT, I earned an AB degree in English, major in English literature. Unlike when I graduated from my elementary and high school, I never got any academic awards in college. Just as well; I was just glad and quite proud I am now a UP alumnus.
From UP's "gates", the road leads to the Quezon Hall, which is also the administration building and where the famous UP Oblation is located - it's at the front of the building. On the other side of the building is an open amphitheater of some sort where our graduation ceremonies in 1984 were held. I think they still do it there till now.
UP's campus in Diliman is beautiful, if only for its main roads lined with fire trees. These trees are a sight to behold specially when their modified leaves and flowers in red and in orange are in bloom and look like they set the trees on fire! During my time, because we did not have cars, we used to go around the campus (on these fire-tree lined roads) and move from building to building, using the Ikot jeepneys. It used to be P1.50 per ikot.
The UP Infirmary was famous/infamous for the time when students would undergo medical physical examinations as part of freshman orientation activities. For this exercise, incoming freshmen were asked to strip to their underwear, line up before several doctors who each would poke, search, look, sniff, etc. at you. The exercise eventually became a hot issue about human rights and rights to privacy so that it was discontinued after a few years. But during its heyday, it was excellent fodder for articles and cartoons at the UP's student publication, The Philippine Collegian.
Home to me at UP was the Kalayaan Residence Hall (KRH) for freshmen. Then, it was the newest dormitory for students. As a freshman resident, I shared the room with Glenn Ello, a Batangueno pre-med student. As a Resident Assistant (beginning my second semester as a freshman), I had a room to myself, until I graduated five year later.
KRH was a stone's throw away from DiliMall - a pun on Cubao's Ali Mall and actually, officially called the UP Shopping Center. It's home to the now-legendary Rodic's and all sorts of stores including a bookstore (G. Miranda), barber shop, tailoring shop, grocery store, other eateries, shop for posters and gifts, etc.
Lots and lots of memories are there for me of my stay in UP. Photographs like Mr. Capili's are just what I need to go back to those memories.
Photographs: Jose Wendell Capili
