JOURNALING

One of my earliest memories from childhood is playing with my favorite Barbie doll. I loved dressing her up and carefully combing her hair, imagining all sorts of adventures for her. It was a simple joy that made me happy. Another vivid memory is when my parents finally took me to Manila to study. I was in kindergarten at the time, and it was a big change from growing up in the province. That move also brought me closer to my younger sister, who I hadn’t seen much before. Suddenly, she became a big part of my everyday life. On my very first day of school, I remember feeling incredibly shy. While most of the kids were begging their parents to stay with them, I was doing the opposite, begging my parents to leave me alone. I didn’t like having them watch me during class; it made me nervous and self-conscious. I just wanted to find my own space and figure things out by myself.  When I was a kid, I used to be very anxious so much so that I refused to speak to any of my classmates. Tha...