PAY IN EXACT AMOUNT PLEASE

That was the sign on the window. I was supposed to pay P150 but my money was P500. I thought, they may have the change since its so early in the morning (so early in fact that I had to wait around 5 minutes before anyone took notice of me at the window. Sweating in the heat and getting impatient I might add.) and it was a nice round number. No coins to count.

But hell no! After glancing at the P500 bill she goes, “Exact amount only”, and proceeded to ignore me. Staring at the paper I had handed her she said, “Change it to a smaller bill, I don’t have any change,” looking for all the world like she didn’t care if I had to walk to hell and back to find smaller bills for her. I stood their for several minutes, wondering if she would offer me any suggestions on where I might be able to find change, a word of encouragement, apology, kindness…!? I could have stood there for an hour and she probably wouldn’t have minded at all.

I walked back to the cafeteria, about three quarters of the way I had came from to get to the cashier’s, fuming over the heartlessness of this person. Wondering over the negligent disregard of such a culture that would let its employee sit in comfort, while having the people who contributed to their salaries and benefits suffer the heat, distance, and indignity of finding smaller bills when in fact it was their responsibility to provide such change (have these people ever heard of Change Fund???).

If it weren’t for the fact that I had been part of this institution for almost 10 years, I probably would not think twice of vilifying the whole of it. I am ashamed to say that they have become archaic and ensconced in their ivory tower, blinded by their vanity, and unwilling to look beyond their arrogant assumption that they are the “best” in their field. Well, soon enough they will have to face the fact that they need to compete with “lesser” giants which have overtaken them, and will over run them with “armies” built from the brilliant troops which they have initially produced.

I was angry. But now I am sad at the thought. A famed institution well known for striving towards academic “honor and excellence” and giving “service” to its country can be reduced to this: pitiful and unsatisfactory service. For a moment, I felt doubt about pursuing my higher education in their hands. If people were this uncaring in the administration of students, what more could I expect from the professors?

But then, there are saving graces. The cashier at the cafeteria still recognized me from my high school days and chatted me up, the gardener I passed gave me a polite greeting, and the people at the division office are always helpful and kind.

So… “Pay in exact amount”? For sure. In life, as reflected in this institution (and as often iterated by its denizens), sometimes people just don’t care and we’re left to fend for ourselves. “Sink or swim”, as they say. I hope not only to “swim” but be able to extend my learning to others who’ll make use of it as a lifeline in this world.

When I returned to the cashier’s office, the lady there was combing her hair in front of her computer. My receipt was ready, so I dropped one P100 bill and one P50 bill and walked away thinking that the “Iskolars ng Bayan” need not look beyond the walls of their school to find an opportunity to start changing the world.