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CHAPTER I
THE PHENOMENON AND ITS SETTING

In this chapter, I present my “I” account of how did I came here and how my lived

experiences in my province helping me adapt in living here. This sets the mood of my

reader as s/he journeys with me through the pages of this paper. It is also in this chapter

that the background of the study, statement of the problem, the significance of the study,

its scope and delimitation as well as its operational terms, are presented to the reader.

INTRODUCTION

I have undergone a lot of transformation in my life and one of the obvious

transformations in me is my physical body. As I look at my pictures when I was still a

naive child and compared it with my recent pictures, I cannot help but smile at my

physical transformation. I had a slender body when I was a child, but now, I have almost

reached my full maturation.

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Figure 1.1. From left to right, the photos show when I was a young boy of 9 years old,
elementary school graduate at 12 years old (2007-2013), high school graduate at 16 years
old (2014-2018), and as a senior high school student at Manuel L. Quezon University at
17 years old.

But, more than the physical dimension is my mind and perspective of things that

has gone through maturity.

During my childhood, I had a very carefree attitude and always do things without

thinking of its consequences, because I always get what I wanted and needs, I always

take advantage of this to do what I want to do and never care what happen next. So, I

embraced my carefree attitude so much that I had this exclusivity attitude.

With my carefree attitude, I thought it was supposedly to be this way and things

will not change, But I realized things didn’t work that way and things actually are not

simple it seem. This is one sign of my transforming growth to spirituality.

I’m a very sociable and very friendly person. Throughout my childhood days

almost all kids in our subdivision are my friend, because I particularly prefer playing

together with other kids in the middle of the street than staying at home. Unconsciously,

perhaps this experience was one reason why I desired to become an educator when I was

asked by my elementary school adviser what I want to be in the future when I was an

elementary student, which is fairly significant. Because I like to interact with other

people and for the most part help them like what a teacher does.

My Cainta Journey
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My life as a student in Cainta, Rizal for the most part was very stressful, but very

memorable for me and it was my treasure that worth keeping. And my friends who

accompany my journey through thick and thin particularly was my reward for the things

that I work hard for and I very definitely much like to keep in touch with them always.

When I was 6 years old I studied in Marick Elementary School, which located in

our subdivision from grade 1 to grade 6 and that kind of was in year 2007-2013 which

basically I spent my whole 6 years of elementary days there. It was very fun and also

stressful, but I very much enjoy there, because the school is great, the teachers are great,

and also my classmate there are great. I gained a lot there from the knowledge that my

teachers impart to me which actually help me and still helping me today, and to my

friends and memories.

After I graduated and got my diploma, I decided to enrolled in a well-known

prestigious school in our area, Francisco P. Felix Memorial, National High School are

public school but it can compete head-to-head with many private schools in Cainta. And

it's also known to be very strict that’s why when I enrolled there I behave and I want to

avoid creating trouble because it may stress my mother if the guidance counsellor

decided to talk to my parent, that’s why for the whole 4 years I was studying there I

behave properly. But just because I didn’t cause trouble doesn’t mean I didn’t do

anything exciting and memorable in fact, I do many things that can cause a headache to

our adviser, but I know the bottom- line of things that we can do that’s why I enjoy very

much my stay there and not only I enjoy I also make more friends and am very happy

about.
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Figure 1.2. From left to right, the photos show when I was at farewell party after our

graduation, I was 12 years old that time (2007-2013), the next picture was taken when we

celebrate our Christmas party at our classroom when I was grade 7, the photo of a

middle-left section was taken when I was a grade 9 student, the last 2 pictures was taken

when we celebrate our JS prom and cheer dance when I was grade 10 (2014-2018).

But all this thing will not happen without my loveable, beautiful and caring

mother who always there by my side and supported me with my dreams and hobby. My
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mother is the one who shape and carve my personality with her teaching and lesson. My

mother was very religious and she always takes me together with her when she attend

mass at our local church when I was a child I developed my fear and faith with God at

such a young age, that’s why from then on I always consider my action whether if its

good or bad because I thought God is always watching my action.

My mother raise us 3 siblings by herself when my mother and my father decided

to separate and that happen when I was still a child, that’s why I had no memories of my

father and don’t know anything about him. As far as I remember why my parent

separated is because my father suspected that my mother was having an affair and I was a

child of different men, but I don't think that's the real reason, because when my mother

decided to take me and my 2 sisters and go and live in Cainta, Rizal there's nobody there

to help us except our relatives there. And because of all of this reason I always love and

respect my mother who raise us independently and for all those independent mother who

work hard for themselves and for their family.

But on October 2018 my mother’s body can’t take anymore the workload that she

bears and her body fail. My mother got stroked which lead her into a state of coma and

doctors said that my mother had only 7 days to live, but I never believe that and I always

think at that time that my mother can succeed and recover from being in a coma because I

know my mother was a very strong willed woman and I also still want to spend time with

her and I want her to accompany me when I graduate with top 1 honors because of when

I started studying from prep to kinder, from kinder to grade 1, and from grade 1 to grade

6 I always get on top but not top 1 but still my mother was very proud of me, but I
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decided to surprise my mother when I get in grade 10 to take the top 1 in our class and

accompany me, I was walking up on the stage to get my diploma with top 1 certificate it

was my dream and I want to repay her with all my life and do anything for her, make her

live like a queen, but things didn’t work that way

and my mother passed away just after 3 days. My

feelings at that time was very hurtful and it

was my first time experiencing that kind of

feeling it was very hurtful, especially in my

chest it was like there was something

scratching inside my chest. I feel nothing after

that, it’s like someone steals something very

important to me and I don’t want that kind of

feeling.

And all of this didn’t end because just after I experience a very sad moment of my

life another one come already because we need to live in our place after I finish and

graduated in high school and live in QC because we have no relatives anymore in Cainta

in we need someone to act as our guardian because we are still minor. I love my

experience and childhood there in Cainta and I plan to continue living there and make my

own family, but I need to accept the situation and live together with the rest of our family

together with my two elder sisters and brother that we separated with. And when I get

here I need to start from the scratch and make a friend and get accustomed to a new

lifestyle here.
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Figure 1.2. From left to right, the photo show me together with my mother when I was 9

years old, and in my graduation ceremony when I was 12 years old.

MOTIVATION OF THE STUDY

My motivation in choosing this topic in my qualitative research is too, because

I''m curious to mostly know about how my life experience that I gained in Cainta, Rizal,
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my province affecting me in adapting here in a new environment that I actually know

nothing about, which actually is quite significant.

And this curiosity of mine led me to generally have a kind of better understanding

of who I truly am and how my lived experiences from my behavior and personality to

help me essentially adopt with different lifestyles and new people in a very big way.

My understanding of myself by searching and gaining insight to my life

experience allow me to know fairly more about who I am and realize my full potential

and how I use my potential to become a better person

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

As time flies fast, in the process of making my qualitative research, the time has

come to choose a topics. The topic that I chose is about my life experience in my

province that we originally reside in. My heart speaks out of my life, so, I decided to

make an autobiographical research paper. I think the Cosmic Consciousness wants me to

make a qualitative research about my own journey of self-transformation, thus, my

transformation. My transformation through self-realization by individuation journeys are

what I call as “My journey”. It is during my student life in Cainta that I was able to

weave my lived experiences towards an understanding of my Self.

In My journey, my reflections are not limited to my student life in Cainta. It also

included how myself and my mind gone through maturation.

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My journey makes me attuned with the realities but more on the discovery of my

Self. I started writing my qualitative research, immediately, just when we finished our

academic requirements. It is one of my most personal transforming journeys within that

led me to the discovery of myself. For me, writing a qualitative research is the most

tedious requirement for the degree but it is where I found the most beautiful experiences

of my reflective life. It is like having wings and loving them without anyone seeing it.

My life quest, my student life in Cainta, the weaving of my insights from my

writings and the synchronicities of events which I call my “My journey” led me towards

transformation that brought about my qualitative title, “My Lived Experience in Cainta”

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

General Statement: This research is about my lived experience as a child living in a

rural town transferring to study and live in the city

Specific Objectives:

1. How may I describe and reflectively analyze my lived experience as a student in

Cainta?
2. What meanings and insights do I derive from these lived experiences?
3. What are the implications of my research to senior high school student?

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This entire scope of this research is an autobiographical study using

phenomenological method of research based on my lived experiences as student

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This study uses phenomenological method, thus, it is qualitative in nature. The

value of the study is based on the meaningful insights and reflections on my life

experiences as well as, its importance, relevance and significance on problem under

study. As a phenomenological method, the study is not meant to simply tell my life

stories chronologically, but rather, my transformations resulting in my eidetic insight and

creative synthesis.

There are no mathematical computations to analyze the data. It does not answer

the questions how many or how much but how are insights be meaningfully put together

through creative synthesis. There will be illustrations, several mandalas and mythological

drawings as expressions of my soul transformations.

The scope of the study is on my lived experiences as articulated in my personal

stories. It includes my relationship with my mother who is my significant other, my

siblings and my friends, it includes also the cultural background of my province.

The whole extent of this autobiographic-phenomenological think about is my

lived encounters that fill in as my own accounts. These are my first reflections. The

auxiliary or are my self-acknowledge or 'enlightenment' with the reflexive response of

my significant others.

One limitation of my research is on my life experiences that are buried deep in my

memories, though, I want to bring them forth, but I have no way of recalling them

anymore even with the aid of my significant others and non-significant others.
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Unfortunately, my father can no longer be one of my significant others because he

is now deceased, but, he has, if I can recall, left a great impact into my life. His death,

may be a gap to my significant others, thus, it is one limitation to my study.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

For the scientific community

This research includes my understanding and insight that can specifically help

people with their lives. It targeted a teenager specifically because my research is all about

the timeframe of my teenagers.

To my Fellow students in Cainta

This is my legacy to you who have been my companions in our journey. I hope

this paper will serve as an inspiration and source of guide to all of you specially those

who want to make a similar research.

To Myself

After knowing myself and my lived experience, I gave more importance to how

people lived and how they overcame their hardships, and because of how we understood

each other, together with my co - researcher, she was able to affirm our experiences.

To my Family
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I think my family knew me more than any other person on earth. And, there are

times when they know me more than I know myself, if not most of the time. But this

paper is proof that I'm willing to share my true self with them that I've hidden from them

consciously and unconsciously.

To the community I belong

As I earlier mentioned, life stories are very touching because we can resonate with

them. My accounts can offer confirmation to others with comparative encounters

throughout everyday life.

This paper is my handbook that will serve as my guide as I venture to the different

communities where I belong or my affiliation to their advocacies.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Allegory – In this research, a symbolic narrative of the lived experiences of the

researcher of his transformation as expressed into facing the splashing water head-on

Creative imagination – any symbolism such as a mandala.

Individuation Journey – the lived experiences that lead to wholeness or

integration.

Mandala – a symbol of wholeness.

Enlightenment – self-knowledge or understanding the self

Carefree attitude – being carefree is the opposite of being stressed out. Carefree
is not the same thing as careless.