"Steps, Mistakes, and Dreams: My Story"

By: Edcelle Ann Gammad

👶 Childhood

Every story begins somewhere, and mine began long before I took my first breath. It started when two people from different worlds my parents crossed paths and chose to share their lives together. Their love became the foundation of my existence, and from that moment, the story of 'me' quietly began. My story isn't perfect, but it's real. I've had moments of laughter, times of struggle, and lessons I never expected to learn. My name is Edcelle Ann Gammad, 2 decades, 1 year, 7 months, 19 days, and 41 seconds of existence since I wrote this. This is not just my story, but a journey that started with theirs, and how I became who I am today one step, one mistake, and one dream at a time grew into the life I live today. The first thing I remember when I was a child is when my father and I were wandering with our motorcycle (joyride) in our neighborhood. We saw some vendors selling stuff on the street, shouting 'bente-bente' We were curious, so we went there, and my father said to choose anything I wanted. So, I chose the big 'kawayang duyan' (a hammock made from bamboo culms). That's one of the memorable things in my life with my father. 🌼

📚 Elementary

The next thing I remember is when I was in first grade. My classmate saw a big bird that entered our comfort room. We were very young then, so we were very scared. We believed it completely and didn't want to go into the comfort room anymore. But at that time, we were just being scared for fun by our classmate. In second grade, I told my teacher that I didn't know how to do the activity. In reality, I was just pretending so that I would be the last one to go home. The other memory I have is when my homeroom teacher told us that our activity for the day was to make a love letter or Valentine's card for our loved ones. I made one for my father and wrote, 'You're the best father in the world (heart heart). I love you.' Until to this day, my father still carries that letter in his wallet. He always carries it with him wherever he goes. That's how close we are. You might be wondering why my stories are mostly about my father. It's because my mother and I are not that close. Before she and my father were together, she was an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) and my father was here in the Philippines and he is Taekwondo Black Belter. Continues in third grade, It was still the same until fourth grade. But when I was in fifth grade, my homeroom teacher was very strict and would always pinch us if we did something wrong. However, I was never pinched by that teacher. My teacher also said that I was among the achievers, and I had high hopes. But when the recognition day came, I didn't hear my name called. Instead, the ones who were often absent and couldn't read well were the ones who received medals. I was hurt at that time. When we saw each other in the next school year, I was in sixth grade. My teacher couldn't look me in the eye, maybe he felt guilty. But when I was in sixth grade, that was the last year of my primary school. All of us were happy because, finally, we were going to be high school students. We were all so excited about our graduation. On our last day, we played at the back of our school. There were games like hitting each other with brooms, tag, and teasing. All of us were very happy, as if there were no fights or grudges before. 🌱

🏫 Junior High School

Now, in our junior high school life, that's where new world will begin again. A different environment, new friends, and new experience. But since I was in my junior year, I was always an achiever and always had awards because I always joined contests like quiz bees and slogan-making. I always got the champion title in slogan-making, I'm a choir and bamboo ensemble member (Bamboo ensembles are often associated with indigenous cultures. These ensembles typically use instruments made from bamboo, which is a versatile and sustainable material. Bamboo instruments can include flutes, xylophones, and various percussion instruments. These ensembles are known for creating unique and beautiful music that reflects the cultural heritage and traditions of the communities that use them). Also, every section I was always assigned is always a star section. But in my last month of junior high school, as graduation was approaching, 8 days before the day of graduation, on March 10, 2020, a virus named COVID-19 emerged in our country (Philippines). Our graduation day didn't happen as planned; we graduated online. It was a tough time because no one was allowed to leave their homes. If you wanted to go out, you needed an ID.💪