Last week, due to a higher heat index in the city classes were shortened, and on Friday noon our City Mayor have announced that,
Due to a high heat index of 40 degrees forecasted by PAGASA, classes in all levels both in Public and Private schools and universities in Bacolod City are canceled today, March 8, 2024. This decision prioritizes the safety of our students and educators.
Please stay cool, hydrated, and take necessary precautions.
Source: BCD PIO
The weather was this scorching since last week and limits our outdoor activities to avoid heat exhaustion. Some of our classes were even held online since the students were adviced to stay at home. The precautions are for our safety, but as a student who doesn't have a stable internet connection for online classes, especially if we were going to present topics for group reporting, this prompted us to look for alternatives. However, the only way we have in mind was still going outdoors.
Luckily, I have that group member who has a WiFi connection in his home, and since we were going to present as a group, we agreed to held our online reporting in their house.
While under pressure to deliver a comprehensive discussions, we still managed to make it fun in a cramped up space and it was hot in there. Even our Professor was laughing seeing our setup, 'cause we're telling her that some of our members were cooking our lunch. She even told us to eat first when it's not our turn to speak yet, or eat while listening when you aren't the reporter.
It was my first time presenting online and I wasn't comfortable with it since I couldn't see myself in the monitor when I'm sharing my screen. My classmates were not responding, so I didn't know if they understood whatever I was saying there. Gladly, our Prof was going with flow and vibing with us, so it made me enjoy presenting somehow.
Around 3 PM, we went to the seaside to have some air since the heat inside the house was suffocating us. And in this hot weather, some of my friends here even wanted to be refreshed by swimming in the sea. That's one thing I couldn't bear myself to do, I just want some air in this dessert-like city.
Before they go swimming, we traversed from the other resort to the next one by jumping on this structures. We often did this save because the next resort's entrance fee was more expensive than the other one, but the cheaper one doesn't have any cottages where we can stay and leave our things when they swin or walk on the shore.
Just how far can your online class adventures be more enjoyable?
Of course, it was with a taste of Karaoke after!
Karaoke will never be absent in any celebration, it's their soul during our get-together. They insert some coins on the Karaoke Machine, choose some songs on the book, and sang a few songs before going home. A day before this we even intended to have a Boodle fight during lunch, but it didn't happen since our class ended at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and we didn't have much time to prepare.
This is what we often do after we have done something worthy of celebrating, after all that hard work and done with the pressure, to destress and enjoy a normal life once again.
At exactly 5PM, we catch a ride to go home and seperate ways. But I went straight to the New Government Center after that to meet a friend. It was a hectic schedule and exhausting from all the walks and activities but I'm thankful that I have seen this sunset. It's beauty mesmerized me that I have forgotten how stressed I am for a while.