AS AN avid reader, I have come across numerous books and stories, some happy, sad, thrilling, shocking, or boring. I’m the type who is easily drawn to a story, becoming a part of a fictional world.
And whenever I’m close to the last chapter, I tend to rush to finish it because I become too anxious to know what would happen in the end. But when the end comes, I regret it and wish that the story could just go on and on forever. I still recall reading the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last of the series. I didn’t want to let go of the feeling of enchantment that the story bound me for so long.
But cliché it may sound, all good stories must come to an end. Such is my story in the Varsitarian.
I had entered the publication, wanting only to write and nothing else. It comes as a surprise that in my two-year stay in “V” I have changed and grown so much not only as a student writer but also as a person.
Like my favorite novels, the story of my ‘V’ journey started innocently enough. As the story went along, I forged new bonds and learned new things. But as the tale droned on, the challenges started surfacing: balancing academics and staff work; struggling to get a decent article out before the deadline hit; staying up until the wee hours of the morning to put my section to bed.
But life in the “V” was like a fairytale: this humble yet complex organization was the scene of triumphs and setbacks. Growing up in the “V” strengthened me to face the world.
Like the allies and pals that protagonists have in stories I read, I know that I can rely on the people I have met and have grown to love in the Varsitarian.
As a Hotel and Restaurant Management student and as a Varsitarian staffer, it was hard for me to learn mixing cocktails and to write and edit articles. It felt like entering the portal of two different worlds as I walked from the Albertus Magnus building to the Varsitarian office and back. It truly felt like living a dual life, and I still can’t explain how I managed to make it all work.
But I’m thankful for the people I have come across in CTHM, especially my best friends Kat and Erica, for their and support.
Until the end, my ‘V’ experience was a roller-coaster ride. Even though I am a writer, I can’t find the words to express how grateful I am to have been a part of such an esteemed organization. But I admit I feel guilty for treating my stay at “V” like the novels I’ve read: I have rushed to get to the end without savoring the body enough. But I guess it is a way for me to let go of the story that has elicited in me so many emotions at the turn of every page. There’s no way to bring the enchantment back, for unlike my paperbacks and hardcovers, it is a story that I can never read again. Even though I have no way of bringing it back to life, it is definitely a tale I would never forget.
