LITTLE DROPS OF WATER Luz Lapena-Barayuga NLA Class of 1962
Those who live in the US or the UK may tend to see my life as dull or even boring, but I feel singularly blessed for the privilege of living a great part of my life in Artacho, so close to that piece of paradise I consider to be the home of my heart on earth.
NLA has become NLAC. The physical plant has grown and evolved through the years, but the most amazing attributes of the school, which no amount of infrastructure can match, are its wide, green lawns, its tall, overarching trees, and its breathtaking backdrop view of Mt. Palina. It is a sight that never fails to mesmerize me.
I practically grew up in this paradise. I was also privileged to live here for several years, and now I have retired in Artacho. Stepping on the campus is always a sentimental journey to the past which brings an avalanche of emotions that warms my heart. My memories are all over the place, as a student for ten years with my fellow students and my teachers, as a teacher for 16 years with my own students and fellow faculty members. If only the mango tree, the caimitos, and the acacia trees could speak, they’d have volumes to say about the carefree laughters, the careless whispers, the secret tears, the top-of-the world-feelings, and the down-in-the-dumps moments of one such as myself. And whether they be funny, happy, embarrassing, humiliating, or heartwarming, these memories are priceless.
As Pastor Alsaybar once said, “NLA is hallowed ground.” It was here where I met my friends for life, as well as godly teachers who have left their mark on me. It was here where I experienced the excruciating pangs of first love, and the more excruciating pangs of heartbreak. I got married three times to the same man at the AB Hall, and said goodbye to him in the same place.
Our little family project is our simple way of giving back to NLA/C as well as paying tribute to our beloved parents, Alejandro and Mercedes Lapena, who gave us the best inheritance that parents could ever give their children: Christian education. Although they were poor and simple people who did not have the chance to be educated beyond the elementary level, our parents had the wisdom to move their fledgling family to Artacho in the late forties in order for their children to grow up in an environment like NLA. Although they had no steady source of income, they chose to pay expensive tuition in NLA while the public school was right next door to our house. They also had the foresight to open our house as a dormitory of sorts for students from far and near, thereby enriching our family life and widening our circle of lifelong friends.
For everything that NLA/C has given me in terms of knowledge, opportunity, experience, inspiration, and friendship, I can never give back enough. I know my pesos may seem just like little drops of water vis-a-vis the US dollars and the British pounds, but in the sight of God, what truly matters is not the amount given but the spirit with which it is given—for God loves a cheerful giver. And, lest we forget, little drops of water make the mighty ocean.
