I'll start my story when I was about four years old, the time I first went to school. It was my first step into education, and I believe I was in Kinder 1 During those early days I began learning how to write letters, count numbers, and name different colors. Everything was new and exciting. I remember feeling proud when I finally wrote my own name on paper. In Kinder 2 something funny happened I had my very first crush. I was so shy but happy whenever I saw her. Around December we had a Christmas party, and our teacher asked everyone to dance with a partner. To my surprise my crush was chosen to dance with me. I felt like the luckiest kid in the world and I couldnt stop smiling the whole time. That small moment is still one of my sweetest memories from childhood.

Moving into my elementary years, life started to feel a little bigger. I learned to read books on my own and discovered fun outdoor games like tumbang preso, tagu-taguan, and many others we played after class. One day our teacher became annoyed because my friends and I couldnt stop laughing. He asked us to step outside the classroom, and we all tried hard not to giggle while standing in the hallway. From grade three to grade six I spent a lot of afternoons running around with friends, but I still made sure to finish my schoolwork. Elementary school gave me many happy memories and built a strong foundation for learning.

High school felt like a new world. People said we were growing up, and it was true in some ways, though I still had plenty to learn. In grade seven we suddenly had more subjects and harder lessons, but my classmates and I still found time to play and relax together. Things changed a lot when I reached grade nine because that was when the COVID-19 pandemic began. At first we thought it was a long vacation. No classes sounded exciting, but days turned into weeks and then months. We slowly understood how serious it was when we heard about many people getting sick and losing their lives.