Hello!
I am Princess Hygeia, 18. From the Queen City of the South, Cebu!
Whenever I introduce myself, many people would tell me I have a very unique name. H-Y-G-E-I-A (pronounced as hay-jey-ya) According to Google, Hygeia is the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness, and sanitation. Hygeia is the daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine. I don't know why my parents gave me one of the most unique names then putting "Princess" in it. Took me a lot of time to appreciate the name Princess. 😂 But I'd rather have people call me Hygeia tho.
A self-introduction proved to be one of the hardest to write yet. I have nothing to say about myself that I think would greatly interest people that they would finish reading my self-intro. But here I am, I'll try.
MY LIKES
READING
I love reading. I started reading stories from e-books back when I was in Grade 5. When I got my first decent phone in Grade 7, I downloaded Wattpad and my obsession with reading started there. I loved reading books with legal thriller, crime, and slice of life genres as it piques my interest a lot. I would still remember being scolded a lot of times as I wouldn't let go of my phone even just for a while. I remember having terrible headaches while I was reading from my phone the whole day. It was bad for my health but reading felt great at that time. It felt like an escape from the real world. It made me look forward to tomorrow a lot and made me realize dreams of mine.
WRITING
Of course, when you are a reader you just can't help but also write what you have in mind. Whether it be opinions about the book you have just read, or your perceptions about society, life, and the rest of the world. My junior high school days were my peak in writing. I would write and write essays and poems I was only able to read. I would enjoy tasks that require us to write something about a topic. English was my favorite subject. It felt easy for me. (And maybe, having English major teachers around helped me a lot —my mama and ma'am 
These lasted up until the latter part of 2020 and everyone was on lockdown. I found another that piqued my interest. Like a typical teenager, I have had moments wherein I was greatly influenced by what is on trend.
KPOP. 2019 was the year I was introduced to KPOP by my friends. I started liking it at that time. EXO's Love Shot was my first favorite. However, 2020 was the peak for me. I got into NCity (the imaginary place where the K-Pop boy group NCT lives). And then again, my day was always spent watching content from their social media accounts, listening to their music, and learning everything about each member of the group. I became very active on Twitter and Instagram. I joined groups and met people with the same interests as me.
2022 came, on my 17th birthday, I bought my first NCT albums (NCT's Universe and NCT Dream's Hello Future). It was a very momentous moment for me as a fan. I was ecstatic. Up until now, my collection has been growing as I have also bought other albums from artists like aespa and EXO. Although albums like these are pretty expensive, as an avid fan, I would do my best to save up for these things as it not only shows my support for my favorite artists but it also fills my heart with great joy.
MUSIC
My love for music has always been so clear as I do not only listen to KPOP but also to other artists. From the likes of Lola Amour, Cup of Joe, The Ridleys, Wave To Earth, NIKI, Phoebe Bridgers, Harry Styles, and of course Taylor Swift. Listening to music would not only complete each task I do but also help me in accomplishing it with ease. As a kid, I would always struggle in traveling a lot since I get headaches and it makes me vomit. However, when senior high school started and I was traveling a lot, I found out that listening to music really helps me travel without getting headaches so I did it from then on.
In reference to Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour, get to know me more in my…
NEW ERA
Turning into an adult was a pretty exciting journey I thought of when I was a kid. But no one really warned me it isn't so. I have been romanticizing my adulthood a lot. Maybe because I was such a great reader and I was so into dramas that I thought I would sort my life out when I turn 18. 18 would be my breakthrough. It would be me turning my dreams into reality. Me in my new era. And yes, I was right— but not entirely.
Do you ever get so excited about one thing that it keeps you up at night? Well, I did. As I have mentioned earlier, I have been romanticizing my life a lot. With this, I already had my plans before and when I turned 18. Firstly, that would be graduating senior high school with flying colors. Congratulations to me, I did just that with my hard work, perseverance, with a lot of tears and prayers.
Second, I would take up Legal Management so I could pursue Law in the future. That is one thing I wasn't able to do. There wasn't really a school in Cebu offering BS in Legal Management so I took up another course that everyone loved for me. I tried to make myself believe that I wanted this so hard that I started to think this was the right path for me to take. Third, I would study in my dream school. Which is something I would not be able to do right now.
All the things I wished – and believed– I would be experiencing when I turned 18 vanished right in front of me. As a dreamer– who thought I would get all the pretty things in life, experience things just like how I planned it to be, dreamed so high so I'd still end up soaring even if I'd fall – cutting me off my dreams even before I started working hard to achieve them was a big blow to my heart. And it made me cry a lot. However, through His grace, I realized it was redirection.
With this, I am embracing new dreams of mine. And with a hopeful heart, may this new era be good to me.
REDIRECTION
I was always a person who believed in destiny. If something is for you, then it will come to you no matter what. Even though I was hurt a lot by certain circumstances leading me to where I am today, I am still grateful to Him. I may not have yet completely learned the way of accepting the art of redirection, but it is something I am starting to understand through His grace. I believe what is given to me is what I was meant for. We are not denied. And with this, I quote Catriona Gray on his final walk as Miss Universe, “To everyone with a dream, know that your dreams are valid and on your path, you are never denied, and only redirected.”
Why am I here?
Ever since I was little, I always had a different kind of love for the English subject. My Mama is an English teacher so I'm sure I got it from her. When I got into high school, my love for the subject blossomed until I realized I loved writing. Our then English teacher, ma'am
Now, I am here because of her as she invited me to this platform. Also, through the constant motivation of my mama to join this community, I decided to start writing again. I am not a professional as I am still learning different things in writing and life. I am still a student– young and inexperienced– but I will surely be dedicating my best to writing good things. I really am having a hard time adjusting to college life. I've been so unmotivated lately that I would just look forward to weekends so I could go home to my family. But I hope that through writing, I would be able to express myself, my ideas, and be able to find an inspiration to continue. I'm here because I am ready to challenge myself in becoming better at things I love to do.