Between Stranger and Neighbor
When and where have you been a stranger and what did it feel like?
I have been a stranger numerous times in my life. Let me share a story about one of those occasions when I was a stranger and what was the effect it had on me.
I was 16 years old when I left home for the university, the University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB). The university is about 12 hours away from my hometown. That meant that I will only be able to go home every semestral break. That was the very first time I had been away from my family, on my own in an unfamiliar place. I did not know anyone, no family, no relatives, no friends. I was on my own.
I can vividly remember my first day in the university. I felt alone. During that time, all first-year students were assigned to a block section of about thirty-five students. I was assigned to a block where thirty out of the thirty-five students came from the local high school, UP Rural High and the rest of us, the five of us, came from various parts of the Philippines. We were strangers.
Before the end of that day though, one of my “blockmates,” Nerry, from UP Rural High approached me, introduced herself and then she brought me to her friends to meet them. For the first time that day, I did not feel alone, I felt welcomed. The next day, she invited me to her home which is just a walking distance from the university, to have some snack or we call it “merienda” and to meet her family, her mom, her sisters, and a brother who happened to be my English Professor!
Her action made me feel accepted, belonged, less homesick and hopeful that everything would be all right. I will never forget Nerry’s kindness.
Prayer: Lord, through your grace and mercy, forgive me for my shortcomings. Help me be more welcoming, attentive, responsive, and sensitive to the needs of others around me. Amen
Leah Danao