Confronting worries at MAAP

Embarking into the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) has been a double-edged sword that keeps my self-reflecting mind challenged. As I venture into an unfamiliar, yet interesting path, so do the worries I have to handle to keep myself sailing.

There have been moments when I space out and think of the people I left outside the academy. I can’t help but think about how they are doing, knowing that I am not physically by their side. Gone are the days when I see their smiles painted on their faces. Gone are the days when the chirping sound of birds adds rhythm to our unending laughter. Gone are the days when we converse all night and do not run out of things to talk about.

Beyond this thinking, however, is the desire to make my dreams for them into reality – watching them be happy, financially stable, and far from problems. That being said, I always try to fight my worries and put all my vision in the limelight. I have been making myself busy such as befriending my roommates and other probationary midshipmen (PM) to pull myself out of the quicksand of anxiety. I have also been listening to music to prevent myself from getting bored. Moreover, the facilities and accommodation offered by MAAP have been of help as it aids me from being confined in the four corners of our room or in google meetings for that matter. Somehow, it feels like home.

Thankfully, such things keep me sailing and I hope that I can survive all the way through, especially that I have been slowly building a rapport and harmonious relationship with my co-PM’s. Apparently, I am no longer thinking of my family as much as I had in the first two-days.  

With these experiences I have been having here in the academy, I have come to realize that being apart from my loved ones is not bad at all. It is okay to feel homesickness, but I should not indulge in it too much for it will only drown me. I just always have to seize the moment and remind myself of the reason why I am here and with that, I can be able to think of ways to battle out my fears, hurdles and worries.

Courtesy: IMMAJ Academic Building, Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific.