Greetings, Traveler!
On the 29th of July 2006, I was born in the municipality of Minglanilla, but soon
transferred to the city, Manalili street to be specific, and was raised there till my senior
high school days. My parents named me Mikaela May, the former meaning God’s Gift,
to honor my father and the latter, like the fifth month, to honor my grandmother. I am
one of the eldest of my lot: daughter, niece, granddaughter and the like. I was fond of
puzzles and storytelling and had confidence in myself, but I found it difficult to
connect with my peers, often misunderstood and seen as weird. I then became socially
anxious, hesitant to communicate with others, but my heart longed for connection, and
I was a bundle of determination that refused to quit.
So I continued to try to fall and fail, but I learned. I was behind in academics and
friendship, unknowing of how to reach out, consistently stagnant in my progress. It
was just another puzzle for me to solve, and I knew I was the problem as the way I
work is different from everyone else, and that I need to learn how to dance to their
tune. So, I put on a mask and changed my strategy, then lo and behold, friendships
were made and achievements were reached. But not everything was as victorious as it
seemed, as it felt like roots had grown to hold me hostage or to slow me down.
In all technicalities, I was better, with friends, good grades, and progress made, but
something inside me says otherwise, as I was emotionally and mentally still the same
little girl that was deemed too weird in this world. What I needed was not to be pushed
to match other’s pace, but to have people willing to reach out to me and dance along
with my pace while simultaneously encouraging me to speed up and improve. I need
respect for any request to slow down or rest. I didn’t need to change as there was
nothing wrong or weird with me. I am anxious, sheltered, and naive to an extent but
those are things I can learn to overcome with time, and there is no need to be haste in
improvement as it does take time.
That brings us to the I in current times. I am currently a second-year student at Cebu
Normal University, partaking in the Bachelor of Arts in Literature. I still struggle in my
studies but I have come far from the little girl I used to be. I am thriving: progression
without the backlash, pushing through my limits without excessive discomfort,
learning to try new paces but also to rest. I am a proud scholar of KFF Foundation Inc.
I passed my exams more, retained more information, and felt a bit lighter. My journey
is far from over, there are many more chapters I haven’t written, challenges I haven’t
faced. The world is ever-changing and never the kindest, but I am and will always be
someone resilient so I will continue to tread on this tedious and tiring journey. I will
one day be an author, who spills her stories to kids, teens and adults alike, and I hope
that through my works, I can teach people to be kind and stay true. I’ve learnt to deal
with life while dancing to my own pace and tune.
