This is me in my student nurse uniform. I was about to go to the chapel of our school to attend the Capping Ceremony of my class when I was asked to pose for this photo. Bachelor of Science in Nursing was five years during my time and the capping was done on our 3rd year. The first two years were all the arts and science subjects. On my third year, that's when I started my hospital tour of duty. It was from
6 am -
12 noon for 5 days. Our afternoon and night duties were done during our summer break. During the regular months, my afternoon was spent inside the classroom from
1:00 pm to
6:00 pm Monday to Friday. After my hospital duty, I had to go back to my boarding school which was just across my school to change to my regular uniform. Below is a photo of me and classmates in our regular school uniform.
All were years of studying and hospital duty but I can say they were many exciting experiences I had. One of them was when I was assigned to do volunteer work when a killer earthquake struck the country bringing down lots of buildings to the ground. I was assigned in Ruby Tower in downtown Manila. As a student nurse, I didn't know I would be able to withstand the smell of the thousands of decaying bodies but I am proud to say that I did not give up just like my other classmates. When I got home that night, I realized I had to continue delivering the necessary care for the survivors that they extracated from the rubbles.
Another one was when I was assigned also as a student nurse in the Leper Colony in Culion, Palawan. Initially when I was informed that I was to join this group and not the group that was assigned to go Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines, I cried. I tried giving my mentors all the excuses but it fell on deaf ears. After a week of my duty in Culion, with proper precaution, I started enjoying not only the beautiful place but more this group of lepers. After 3 months of stay with them, I felt so fulfilled and sad to leave them behind.
And lastly as a registered young nurse, I was privileged to be called to duty at midnight to take care of the Former Senator Jovito Salonga who was being transferred to the ICU. He had to undergo 7 major surgeries after he was hit by shrapnels from a series of bombings earlier that night in Plaza Miranda when he with several other senators were all gathered on a stage waiting for their turn to deliver their campaign speech. I took care of him for months and when he finally left for home, I felt so honored to have been part of the team that brought him back to normal. Up to this present time, Senator Salonga who is now in his 80's still serves as a consultant/adviser to many politicians.
At that time, taking pictures was not that easy just like nowadays so all I have with me now are unforgettable stories that fill up my memory bank.
