Dear Teachers and Classmates,
Hey guys, I have good news and bad news.
Good news first -- I was selected to be part of the final 22 player lineup that will participate in the Asean Football Federation’s (AFF) U19 Championship in Yangon, Myanmar from September 6 - 22, 2011. The RP U19 Musangs (hehe ugly name) will leave Bacolod for Manila on August 29 9pm. Then, we will depart for Vietnam on August 30 7am for a more intensive 1-week training camp. There, we will continue our training and play 2 or 3 international friendlies. From Vietnam, we will go directly to Myanmar for the tournament proper. (This link http://www.aseanfootball.org/?page_id=61 shows our AFF U19 schedule) Our first game will be against Singapore on September 9. We will also play against Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Now for the bad news -- I will lose almost 3 more weeks of school. Initially, I thought that we would be given a week off to go back to our schools and catch up a bit. However, plans have changed and instead, we will go on the Vietnam training camp. I’m sorry I will miss Humanities Week and Sayaw Interpretasyon, but good luck to Photon! :) I will also be missing a huge chunk of the 2nd quarter and all the lessons, homework and projects that come with it. During this camp, I realized that I will have to focus 100% on football because our country’s honor and pride is at stake. I will have less and less time to study and do the requirements, especially in Vietnam, where Facebook isn’t even allowed and in Myanmar, where internet connection is limited and expensive. (Check out this article about the RP U19 Musangs’ training schedule http://filipinofootball.blogspot.com/2011/08/musangs-training-continues.html)
So, why am I doing this when my high school graduation is at stake? This was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made in my life. It took me weeks of thinking and praying and it boils down to this. When the country calls, you drop everything and go. (My doctor said that, my coach said the same thing and most of all, my lola, who doesn’t even know football, said, go!) I just couldn’t miss this great opportunity to represent our country at the highest level while playing the game that I am most passionate about. If I passed on this rare chance, I don’t think I would be able to live the rest of my life thinking the “what ifs” and “what could have beens”.
In 2009, I missed 5 weeks because of the U16 Asian Football Confederation Tournament. I had an incredibly hard time catching up and it took me almost an additional month to submit the requirements. Now, under these circumstances and with the toxic 4th year schedule, I expect an even harder time. It will mean a whole lot to me if you can help me in the challenges I will be facing these coming weeks. Even if it’s just a few minutes to help me understand the missed lessons and homework.
I’m really thankful that I have such wonderful and supportive family, teachers, classmates and friends. Thanks to Photon for always updating the blog about every school day. Thanks to Pisay and my teachers for allowing me to go on this journey.
Gaby
