I learned to be more
responsible. I learned how to manage my time. I learned how to value the need
of reading our costly book and of bringing it to class despite the thickness of
it. Basically, I learned how to be a better student and have better study habits
during and just after taking up this course.
Seriously, I could already end this reflection
from here. But there’s truly a lot more to say when it comes to learning
Organic Chemistry the “hard yet fun” way. Easier said than done, but this course really provided me a
better understanding of how the world really is and how I should view it as a
science student. Funny how Sir G always mentioned about the separation between
the Sons of God from those mere mortals and common people. But with that, I realized
that there really could be a thin line separating them. It’s not that I’m
considering myself as one of the sons of God (which we all are by the way
haha), but just by having this opportunity to study Organic Chemistry with an
amazing instructor would already make a big difference.
It’s in this class that I was given a different
notion of how the world is. Before I just used to view it as the place where
people used to live, or a place where everything seems to be happening. But
now, I’m given the idea that the world is actually more than that. This place
is where wonders and cool facts sprout, which would contribute to cultivating
our minds in whichever way we may find ourselves understanding them little by
little. Take for example when I walk down the aisle of a grocery store, I would
inspect household products and my brain would automatically think about the
chemicals that constitute in making them or their systematic names (
naphthalene balls, salt, chalk, water, ugh name them). This is what Organic
Chemistry has made me into, and my mother could actually attest to that just by
having our normal conversations over the phone turned into geek moments like
mentioning acetic acid instead of vinegar, telling the difference in structure
of isopropyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol which she thought was just but the same,
and informing her that her nail polish remover acetone actually belongs to the
ketone group. Some people do not understand these, nor do they find them
interesting. Chemicals and organic processes that take place every day in our
lives are usually not appreciated by the common people. Since I am given the
privilege to learn what’s beyond the obvious, I’d like to take this opportunity
as a good stepping stone in achieving my dream of becoming a doctor
someday.
Because of my love for this course, I could not
already remember my feelings four months ago when I was still deciding to drop
it. When I was still filling up my drop form, I thought I was really sure about
it but later that afternoon, I started feeling so different that even my
instincts won’t tell me why I don’t want to drop anymore. Now I realized that
my instincts kept telling me that time that this class would actually be filled
with fun learning experiences that I may not encounter with the other class I
am about to transfer. Luckily, I stayed in this class even if it took a lot of
blood (from the nose) sweat (or bodily fluid as our professor would call it)
and tears (of joy).
This experience I shared is actually one of the
things I also learned: to make good decisions from the limited choices the
world has to offer. This subject taught me to do my best without forgetting to
bring my common sense and social grace with me. And if ever I did drop this
class, I know that I would surely regret it for the rest of my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment