By: Nicole Castillo
“I think I’ve never felt that happy,” said Khamille Baraquiel, smiling as she recounted her story.
Among the many experiences the pandemic has stolen from us, one is a dream to many: traveling. However, it only seems this way. The shift to virtual learning has granted us immense flexibility with our schedules. And with classes online, one can work from the seat of a hotel, vacation home, or even the other side of the world!
Grade 10 PAREF Rosehill students Anika Fidelino and Khamille Baraquiel were lucky enough to be gifted with such an opportunity! Both took a trip to the United States of America, Anika spending a winter in the bustling, electric streets of the Empire State aka New York while Khamille visited the palm-studded Sunshine State that is Florida.
Dealing with the time difference
Like anything else in the pandemic, this comes with its own set of challenges. Because New York and Florida’s time is more than 10 hours behind the Philippines’, Anika and Khamille had to restructure their daily routines. For them, school hours would start at 8:15 PM, instead of the usual 9:15 AM, and would last until 2:00 in the morning.
Khamille admitted it became especially challenging when the first term was nearing its end and several projects started piling up.
“The first week was great because it wasn’t really busy. I’d sleep from 3:00 [AM] to 8:30 [AM], then from 10:00 [AM] to 2:00 [PM], I’d have time to go around. Then, I’d prepare for school some more. But the next week, the final tasks for first term were coming up, I was very inconsistent, because you know, projects and stuff, so I had to stay up until 4:00 [AM] then wake up at noon.”
Simple things like scheduling group meetings turned out to be troubling. “It was so hard for me to schedule meetings when we have group works kasi naaawa ako sa kanila, kasi they have to like wake up early para, you know, umabot sa schedule ko,” Anika confessed. “I’ll be like, ‘It’s ok guys, I can stay up late na lang for this meeting para you guys don’t have to wake up early,’ kasi nakakahiya.”
However, after the worst had come, things slowly turned into a breeze for the two.
“I mean, other than that though, honestly, it wasn’t that hard after since we have morning classes and not much afternoon classes, so it was kind of fine,” Anika said.
“If there’s homework, I wouldn’t do it right after class like we usually do, kasi it’s late na there. So I would do it the next day, and it was a good advantage rin [with] the time difference because I had more time to do them during the day while you’re asleep,” Anika added.
Studying and sightseeing
Time management played a crucial part in the experiences of Anika and Khamille, for their studies were always the priority. It took Anika and Khamille a tremendous amount of self-discipline to balance studying with sightseeing. Completing all their school work beforehand was a must so that when it came time for a trip, there’d be nothing but merriment on the agenda.
“I went skiing, we went to Rhode Island and Times Square, and we still had a relaxing vacation,” said Anika.
Although they prioritized their studies, they did not forget that it was still a vacation, one that they did not take for granted.
“Sometimes I’d let my family go [out], and I’d just stay home with my nephew. But it’s still a vacation for me because I felt so happy and stuff. I think I’ve never felt happier like when I went to Disney World and Universal Studios,” said Khamille.
Khamille’s inner child was able to live out her wildest dreams as she stepped into Disney World, “the happiest place on Earth.”
Fun was a complete understatement for what Khamille felt. For her, it was magical seeing how the amusement park captured the nostalgia for the movies she grew up watching.
“It was my first time going there, only now when I’m 15. So when I went there, I cried sa parking lot, yeah I cried!” Khamille shared, chuckling.
“In this Star Wars ride, I think I was the noisiest because I became like a geek of Star Wars that time. So I was shouting and pointing at all the characters I saw. All the locals would look at me, and they’re gonna see who’s shouting, but I still kept on shouting because I was fangirling!” Khamille said.
Up in New York, Anika, a hardcore fan of the iconic show Friends, visited The Friends Experience, with on-point recreations of the set and a tour.
She was also lucky enough to experience what many of us here in the Philippines wish for: snow!
“It’s Gore [Mountain]. It’s where I skied. I had the most fun there! That’s my top 1 experience! I was able to go to the higher parts of the mountain, so I was a bit more challenged, but it was so worth it anyway because I had so much fun!”
Anika and Khamille said that traveling and immersing oneself in different cultures with a change of scenery is an experience one will never forget.
“Be adventurous! Take any opportunity,” urged Khamille.
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