PINOY ADVENTURES: The Soulmate Charade

I am in my third year in college now. In three years of staying in another house and living with students like me, I have learned a lot of things that a gregarious being like me should know. I learned to go along with different people. I learned how to cook my food, do my laundry, wake up with just the use of a noisy alarm clock, fight for what I know is right and most of all, live.

Six days a week, I’m away from my home. Six days a week, I face people who, like me, strive to survive the rattling hands of learning. I live in a dormitory. Every afternoon after class, I return to a dormitory, to my second home.

As students, we face a lot of challenges of every day – shortage of allowance, shortage of food, shortage of clothes and many others. But we Filipinos are known to smile despite of problems. We laugh even though strong rains flood us. We smile even though there are no foods on the table. And we laugh even though our pockets are empty. And when we get bored – we entertain ourselves.

In this juncture, let me share with you what happened on my first year in our dormitory -- an initiation that almost every freshman experienced. It all started one Tuesday night (we don’t have classes during Wednesdays) when the senior students in our dormitory decided to “initiate” us – by meeting our 'soulmates.'

All right, it went this way. A senior student asked us if we want to meet our 'soulmates.' Of course, who wouldn't say no? We all said YES and we all met our 'soulmates!' (Yahoo!)

Before our meet-your-soul-mate moment, we were asked to stay together in a room – we will meet our 'soulmates' one by one. When the first person went out of the room, we bid her ''Good luck," still not sure of what is waiting outside. We waited for her for about 10 minutes and when she came back, a smile was plastered on her face. I noticed that her hair was wet but I ignored it. She said she really saw her soul mate! Gosh, you can imagine the excitement we felt. One by one, each went out of the room and came back saying affirmingly. As my turn came nearer, I felt backing out saying that it could be dark magic they are using. I imagined the Devil haunting me just because I used the dark art for flirting! I even thought that the people of the dormitory are people who want to earn followers for the Devil.

Here is how I met my 'soulmate.'

I saw the eldest dormitorian waiting for me in the dark. A lone candle is on her side and a stainless plate is next to it. She asked me if I really wanted to do it. I said yes and she gave a sisterly smile. The first thing she made me do was to close my eyes -- no peeking -- because I won’t be able to see my soul mate if I cheat. So I obeyed the instructions dutifully while she laid the plate on my bare hands and told me to speak after her. She spoke in Latin while setting the plate on my hands on a circular motion. After, she put my hands on my eyes, still speaking the words. I felt like she’s giving me the power to see my soul mate. She let me touch my cheeks and told me to think of a person I like so I did. She told me to open my eyes. I saw her and I realize that I trust this sister. She smiled at me and told me to go to the next room where a mirror is waiting.

This is it! I’m gonna see whoever HE is! I felt fear as I walked nearer to the mirror. Who could I be seeing? Did I just use black magic? My emotions are mixed up; I don’t know which one to feel. The mirror is so large and another dormitorian was next to it waiting for me to meet my 'soulmate.' As I was nearing the mirror, I knew. I should have seen it coming! I was shocked to see that image! Next thing I know I was screaming but the dormitorian with me calmed me up.

***

After 5 minutes I came back to the room where those who haven’t seen their soul mates were waiting. They asked me if I saw my 'soulmate.' I smiled and said the truth.

“YES, I SAW MY SOUL, MATE.”

They all smiled and as the next one went out of the room with an excited smile, I stopped myself from laughing while thinking of the talk of the next day -- about a bunch of freshmen who wanted to see their 'soulmates' but instead saw a reflection of their own faces, doodled with black soothe from their own hands and the eldest dormitorian in the dark holding a stainless plate over a candle and smiling about why little girls are easily convinced with an old time ‘initiation.'

I felt like a child giggling about a harmless prank. I can laugh.