Our Intramurals as Communication Students

To my fellow amazing student-journalists,

Hello! How’s your day going? Are you enjoying your week-long celebration of CNU Intramurals 2019?

This is dedicated to all communication students out there who have been feeling restless these days.

The most anticipated event of every Normalite each year has finally come, the Intramurals! No class, no assignment, no reporting, no long chapters to study, no quizzes to prepare for, no schoolwork.

When we imagine Intramurals, others would say that it’s time for fun and enjoyment; time to forget about schoolwork for a while.

But, I know pretty well that communication students can’t relate to that. They are an exception this year. Yes, you read that right.

Instead of joining games in sports, they choose to give updates about them.

Instead of taking Instagram-worthy selfies and photos together with friends with captions like #Intramurals2019, they are taking photographs of others, athletes and coaches, and upload them on Facebook with captions, JUST IN or UPDATE.

Instead of treating themselves with a cold milk tea along with a sour cream flavored french fries in a mall, they prefer to eat inside or anywhere near the school because they can’t leave their responsibility.

Instead of staying longer in bed and arriving at school late, they wake up early, wearing a jacket and a cap, because Intramural games commence early in the morning.

Instead of sleeping early to be ready and feel recharged for tomorrow’s coverage, they strongly battle against their sleepiness each night because they still have loads of articles, photos, and videos to edit.

Instead of not thinking about a lot this week, their minds can’t rest because responsibilities are everywhere.

Instead of enjoying their supposedly “free” time, there they are, moving from one station to another, holding a phone or a pen and paper, writing an article on what’s happening.

Instead of acting like normal students, they are acting like real-life journalists already.

Having mentioned these, who wouldn’t feel restless?

But hey, my dear fellow student-journalists, you might not be feeling fine these days. You might feel restless and uninspired. You might feel like what you’re doing is a mess. But trust me when I say that we are all doing great.

Yes, you read that right. You have been doing great these days, and whether we are aware or not, an individual or a group is looking up to us thinking that what we are actually doing is incredible and worth recognizing for.

Your family and friends are proud of you. Your secret admirer might just be observing you each day and appreciating you more and more.

You might not have joined anything this year, but you’re giving immense help to people because you’re giving them updates 24/7.

You might not have photos of yourself this year, but you are producing amazing shots of others with your names printed below as photographers.

You might not be relaxing these days, but you are producing inspiring articles which illuminate lives.

You might be nagging about how stressful our tasks are, but hey, you’re learning. And every single thing that you are learning each day can be applied on your job as a future media practitioner.

Now, you might be thinking that you or what you’re doing is not good enough, but someone out there, smiling in awe, is proud of you and believes that you are amazing and great.

Just keep going, even if you have no clue if every thing you’re doing is right.

Just keep going, even if the fire in you is slowly losing its glow.

Just keep going, because God is just watching over us and happy seeing us persistent in life.

You just have to believe in yourself; in your ability and growth. You’re amazing. You’re growing better.

At this very moment, I am just plainly writing, scribbling whatever comes into my mind. And I have no idea what impact this article can give to its readers, or if this will ever have an impact, but I still keep on writing anyway.

I have no clue if this can make a difference, but I still keep on going because I can relate to these sentiments 100%, and I wish to inspire and encourage my fellow student-journalists to also keep going because we are all doing great.

When you are through this week, take a step back, release from responsibility and be carefree. It keeps us positive. Laid back. And grounded. Everyone calls these moments different things. I like to think of them as winds in the province, beaches, good company, and relaxing music.

Pray. Pray for guidance, courage, and enlightenment. Talk. Talk to the Lord, thank Him, and just be grateful for everything. Connect. Find even a little time to connect with your Mom and Dad and say how much you love them. Breathe. It’s okay to pause for a while, nap or listen to good music.

After all, in the race of humanity, it’s not about who reached his destination restless or not, it’s about who still kept going amidst all the trials and challenges along the way.

That means you’re great because you’re almost through this week.

You are doing so great and you deserve a rest from stress. You got your back. You got you.

Again, yes, you read that right.

Words by: Jonas Raymond Tatoy