In this world where we are living, challenges and obstacles are always present. Sometimes we ought to give up because of these challenges. No matter how difficult the situation is we should always remember what Albert Einstein said, Life is like a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving. One year and 9 months ago I was trapped in a challenge I never thought would come in my life.
It was in the year two thousand and twelve on the fourth day of December, at exactly 4 o’clock in a Tuesday morning when a category 5 super typhoon took its landfall in a quiet town of Baganga, Davao Oriental. I could hear booms of the thunderstorms which I thought engines of trucks. I could see lightnings which I thought are coming from the cars of the people in the place. I could see nothing anymore but trees swaying from left to right and never stopping, houses ruined and families left with nothing.
Seeing the beautiful place ruined by the typhoon really made the people of Baganga lose their hopes and questioned God’s existence. But for me surviving typhoon Bopha is the biggest proof that tells me of God’s existence in my life. Given the second chance to live my life again is a big credit from God because not all of us in this world are lucky enough to be given second chances to live their lives. And I can say I am one of the luckiest persons who were given the chance because I survived the super typhoon. Through my experiences in Pablo it made me believe that life goes on no matter what happens. You do not only cry and cry until your last breath because no matter how many times you cry each day it will not bring back what you have lost. I can say that tears and relying on other people’s help is not the best way to survive after the calamity because we are not other people’s responsibility. Our lives, our survival and meeting the ends each day is our own responsibility. Your existence after the calamity does not mean your survival because the true survival is by standing in your own foot and fighting the battle and doing your best to better your life so that you would not end up losing.
Typhoon Bopha is the biggest challenge of my life, and according to Marilyn Monroe, “Challenges make life more interesting and overcoming them is what makes it meaningful.” The challenges of life are not there to paralyze us it is there to help us discover our true being.
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Kimme Yajaira Sayman is a 2nd year student and is currently studying In Ateneo de Davao University taking up BSED Mathematics.