[:en]
A New World
I grew up in a small island where we only had the pleasure of electricity from 6pm to 10pm at that time. We never had any Chinese school even to this time.
When I was about four years old, my mom (I know it was her idea) had to leave me with the famous Siao Sisters in R.R Landon St., Cebu City. There, together with 70 other students of different ages and speaking different dialects, my world began.
It was one of the toughest times (if not the toughest) in my life and I would wait and sit on those long dark stairs leading to that small door hoping for the silhouette of my mom to appear one day. It was my wish that this door would bring me back to the old world where I came from, the old world where I was most comfortable, in the arms of my mom and dad, not knowing how to read nor write or speak other languages other than the Bisaya dialect.
My mom never came to pick me up. She was tougher than a bull, or maybe she knew I was tougher than a bull. She knew that the door should be my exit to a better world. It was tough, and I cried a lot.. a lot.. a lot.. day after day.
Tears dried, heart toughened, and at the age of four, I decided to end this waiting game. I decided to let go and move on.. and then my real world began.
Sian Si Peleng
When things are so dark, there will always be a spark somewhere and from that spark, a Light! Yes, one thing great about staying there was the fact that, at a very young age, even before school ever began for me, I was introduced to Sunday School.
It happened that Sian Si Peleng was sort of in charge of me. Anywhere she went, I tagged along.
And where did we go? Of course to the Philippine Christian Gospel School (PCGS), then called Cebu Christian School. Why go to school? The school was also the church. The church was in the school.
She was one of the earliest Sunday School teachers of our church. After World War II, they started Sunday school together with Pek Eng Sian and other young people at that time. She was big, tough and was full of love.
She would hold my hands when we crossed the streets and would teach me how to sing Christian songs, of course, Chinese Songs. Did I understand them? Of course not, but only for a short while…
Judge Po’s story continues in Part 2
Photo of author taken from the coming Centennial issue of Gospel Light.
This originally appeared as “My Sunday School Encounter” in Gospel Light vol. 20, December 2012. the author is the judge of the 8th Circuit, Municipal Circuit Trial Court and former Principal of the Sunday School at Cebu Gospel Church.
[:zh]
A New World
I grew up in a small island where we only had the pleasure of electricity from 6pm to 10pm at that time. We never had any Chinese school even to this time.
When I was about four years old, my mom (I know it was her idea) had to leave me with the famous Siao Sisters in R.R Landon St., Cebu City. There, together with 70 other students of different ages and speaking different dialects, my world began.
It was one of the toughest times (if not the toughest) in my life and I would wait and sit on those long dark stairs leading to that small door hoping for the silhouette of my mom to appear one day. It was my wish that this door would bring me back to the old world where I came from, the old world where I was most comfortable, in the arms of my mom and dad, not knowing how to read nor write or speak other languages other than the Bisaya dialect.
My mom never came to pick me up. She was tougher than a bull, or maybe she knew I was tougher than a bull. She knew that the door should be my exit to a better world. It was tough, and I cried a lot.. a lot.. a lot.. day after day.
Tears dried, heart toughened, and at the age of four, I decided to end this waiting game. I decided to let go and move on.. and then my real world began.
Sian Si Peleng
When things are so dark, there will always be a spark somewhere and from that spark, a Light! Yes, one thing great about staying there was the fact that, at a very young age, even before school ever began for me, I was introduced to Sunday School.
It happened that Sian Si Peleng was sort of in charge of me. Anywhere she went, I tagged along.
And where did we go? Of course to the Philippine Christian Gospel School (PCGS), then called Cebu Christian School. Why go to school? The school was also the church. The church was in the school.
She was one of the earliest Sunday School teachers of our church. After World War II, they started Sunday school together with Pek Eng Sian and other young people at that time. She was big, tough and was full of love.
She would hold my hands when we crossed the streets and would teach me how to sing Christian songs, of course, Chinese Songs. Did I understand them? Of course not, but only for a short while…
Judge Po’s story continues in Part 2
Photo of author taken from the coming Centennial issue of Gospel Light.
This originally appeared as “My Sunday School Encounter” in Gospel Light vol. 20, December 2012. the author is the judge of the 8th Circuit, Municipal Circuit Trial Court and former Principal of the Sunday School at Cebu Gospel Church.
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