Bermuda

I have shared this story several times with most of my family and friends, so I thought of sharing it here as my second blog.

I was a Rotary International Exchange Student (or ROTEX for short) in 1984 to 1985, and I feel very proud and lucky to have had the opportunity of becoming one, and being in a country that not a lot of people in the Philippines have heard so much about – the Bermuda.

After I graduated from high school, my parents asked me if I would like to study in the United States. I said “yes” of course, because I was sure that was the correct answer at that time; had I answered differently I'm sure I would not hear the end of it. They seem to have prepared for my “yes” answer because as soon as I did, my Dad took out an 8-1/2” x 11” brown envelope from his atache case and handed it to me. When I opened it, it contained a 12-page Rotary International Exchange Student Application form.

The first few pages were personal data sheet, and the next few pages were essay questionnaires, which I did not even know how to answer, because I knew a little about my country and about my hometown, Davao City. I asked my parents what the form was, and since my Dad was a Rotarian at that time, he explained to me what it was all about. Actually, I already knew then what it was, because I have met several international students in my school who were also exchange students from the United States, but I still asked my Dad just for the sake of asking “What is this?”

I filled out the personal data portion, but, I have to confess, my mom answered the essay questions for me just so I will not answer anything “incorrectly” and she made me memorize her answers, so that when I will be asked I will know what to say. Quite a teamwork, wouldn't you say? I submitted the forms after two days, and went for my interview, where I found out that four other students from my school also applied for the same program.

Rotary Day came and the four of us were invited, and we had the pleasure of meeting two ROTEX Students of the Philippines who just came back from their one year stay abroad. They were asked to present some slides or pictures from their host State, and to tell a little story about their experiences there. Each of them showed photographs of places they have been to, and one spoke about California and the US west coast, and the other about New Jersey and the US east coast. Two of my schoolmates already knew that they are bound for California, because they have relatives there, and their parents were able to request for it. But two of us still did not have an idea where we were going. But we knew for sure that we were all going somewhere in the United States.

After that evening, I went home thinking how I wish my travel would be different from theirs. Two of my schoolmates were already bound for California, and for sure when they come home they would be talking about almost the same thing. So I was hoping that mine would be different, that I would be sent somewhere where no one has gone before (no, that's not the famous line from Star Trek). I don't have anything against being in the US, but it's just that we hear about the US all the time. So, I prayed, hoped and wished that my host country would be different from the others, it could be in the US but maybe somewhere in the central, the southern or the northern States.

It was summer, around April, when I was still waiting for the approval of my application. I stayed home and watched TV all day. You see, my Dad was an anchorman in one of the local TV networks in our city, and our one and only Sony Trinitron 19" color TV at home was set on his channel only; he took out the channel knob to prevent us from changing the station. Well, he did not know that I had kept a long-nose pliers somewhere nearby just for that purpose. Anyhow, I got bored watching his channel, so I got the pliers and flipped the channels; during those years, we only had three TV stations and no cable yet. When I turned on the “wrong” channel, they were showing a concert by Anne Murray with Engelbert Humperdinck in BERMUDA.

BERMUDA? I have heard of Bermuda grass, Bermuda shorts and most especially the Bermuda triangle, but I have never known about the country Bermuda. So, I watched the show, and in that show Anne and Engelbert took the viewers in a sneak peak tour of Bermuda, and I fell in love with it instantly. How I wish I could go there, I said to myself. Ahhh...wouldn't that be something.

A week have gone by and I still have not heard from the Rotary International. I was beginning to think that my application was rejected or worse, that I failed my interview. I told my Dad that I would just enroll for college while waiting for the results of my application, and so I did. The following week, I received a letter from the Rotary International saying that they have received my application and that it was accepted by the Rotary Club District of New York, and to await a letter from my host Rotary Club. Wow, the Big Apple...I am finally going to see New York! But much to my surprise, two days after, I received a letter stating that I will be hosted by the Rotary Club of St. George, Bermuda! What? Could this be true? I am actually going to BERMUDA! I later found out that the Rotary Club of St. George Bermuda was under the Rotary District of New York.

31st August, 1984, I finally arrived in Bermuda, it was the happiest, most memorable moment of my life. I couldn't believe I was there. What seemed to be an unreachable dream came to reality. I never knew dreams could come true, but it sure does. So to all of you dreamers out there, keep on dreaming...it's tax free...and it can come true.