Unspoken and Unheard of: g’s Secret Guide to the Ateneo
by Rica S. Facundo, Job B. de Leon on June 16, 2010
FRESHMAN YEAR is exciting as it is daunting, especially during the first weeks of school.
Most of you freshmeat, or should we say, freshmen, will stumble several times and make mistakes you can only hope to look back on and laugh at as an upperclassman. Experience may be the best teacher, but knowing a few of the Ateneo’s trade secrets makes for a life-changing lesson too. Don’t fret Ateneo freshies; g is here to hold your hand every step of the way.
1. Beware of benches
Think twice before you sit down and relax on a bench— you may find yourself unwelcome at one of the exclusive bench tambayans around the campus. Unless you’ve been invited, stay away. Watch out for the more prominent ones like the ASSOC benches at the Kostka Extension, the Blue Babble Batallion benches at the SEC-C foyer, and the ((aMp)) bench between the SEC-B and SEC-C foyers.
2. Block bonding
It sounds like a cut-throat reality show: throw together a bunch of strangers and abandon them to their wits to make sense of the Atenean way of life. If there’s one thing you can learn from Survivor, it’s this— make as many alliances as you can. Your blockmates are your support group for everything about college. Get to know your brand new set of college friends in between walks to classes, study groups for long tests and merienda and block lunches in between.
3. Savory secrets
Although the mainstay college eateries (Caf Down, Caf Up and JSEC) are convenient for a quick bite, they aren’t your only options for a satisfying meal. The Bellarmine Satellite Cafeteria (1st floor, Bellarmine Hall) offers various rice meals, snacks and drinks to replenish energy spent walking to the farthest classroom building of the Loyola Schools. The Pork ¬Sisig with Egg (P65) from its neighbor, the ISO cafeteria, hits your soft spot for tasty, oily goodness. And if you have a little extra time and money on your hands, venture out to Café Azul at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center. Their Mongolian meals are highly recommended (P150-P200).
4. Beat the heat
It takes awhile to learn how to beat the heat in the Ateneo. Although you can try and get away by wearing the skimpiest clothing possible or drowning your thirst with endless bottles of water, sometimes all you need to know is where to go. Immerse yourself in air-conditioning and keep cool in Escaler Hall, the Rizal Library and Matteo Ricci and the naturally-ventilated SEC Walk.
5. Befriend your teachers
You may have heard stories of evil, stonehearted professors refusing to accept late papers and sending students outside the classroom. But this isn’t the standard— teachers can be nice too, even in college. To get on their side, however, may take initiative. You can do a few things like volunteering to be the class beadle or reciting frequently to ensure that your teacher remembers you.
Befriending your professors (or at least getting them to like you in their class) also increases your chances of being given the little breaks you just might need. Charm, however, isn’t a substitute for good old hard work.
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