[DETOURS] Founded by the sciences yet blossomed in the arts

Editor’s note: We’ve all been pressured to take a college degree that other people think is good for us. Most of the time, we don’t have a shred of interest in their suggestions. Ralph made sure he wouldn’t submit to this pressure. Get to know his story. You, too, can share your life’s greatest detours. Here’s how.

My high school classmates wrote biology, chemical engineering, nursing, applied physics, computer science, economics, and mathematics in their UPCAT application forms. Meanwhile, I wrote European languages.

Studying in a science high school meant taking advanced lessons in science and math. When I was a junior in 2009, we studied C+ programming, chemistry, physics, biotechnology, advanced algebra, and trigonometry. Come senior year, we studied college chemistry and physics, finite mathematics, analytic geometry, and calculus. 

With such a curriculum, it was an unspoken expectation for us to take courses in the sciences, either natural or applied. To make matters worse, I belonged to the star section of the batch, and all eyes were on us. It’s as if deciding on a degree to take in college would determine how much we excelled in numbers, formulae, laboratory experiments, and equations throughout the four years in high school. 

Choosing to take up French raised a few eyebrows. After all, my knowledge of French was limited to the beloved cartoon, ‘Madeline,’ and Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.’ Coming from a science high school, I was supposed to use all the advanced classes as an advantage.

But I didn’t, because, well, I was not really good at them. While my classmates breezed through the numbers, I was always lost in exam papers filled with red marks.

So when it was time to plan for college, I was certain not to take any math or science degree. What I was more certain of was to choose a skill that uplifted me: the ability to speak French – even if at the time, my environment saw me as someone unusually different.

Exam results were released, I passed, and eventually, I sealed my selected course. I really did try to love Petri dishes and scientific calculators but I guess they didn’t love me back.

Yet, I wasn’t sorry at all. While I couldn’t relate to my high school classmates’ dilemma in their college math classes or their throwback stories about chemistry equations, I enjoyed studying French. It really was a time for me to shine – from reporting about the life of Coco Chanel in our French history class to studying language teaching theories, to differentiating the French nasal sounds in phonetics class.

I was motivated to continue learning even outside of the classroom. I loved being part of the French club. We created exhibits featuring French-speaking countries, practiced our French language skills with embassy attachés, and watched French films. My university life basically constituted the best days I’ve lived. I knew – and felt – that I was having fun.

After graduation, I pursued a career that continued to enrich my interests. I worked as an intern for cultural events such as the French Film Festival and the International Festival of Extraordinary Textiles. I have been a French Embassy staff for more than 5 years now, and have been to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs twice. 

For years, I’ve taught French expats Tagalog, explained Philippine traffic, and have encountered French people who do not like Paris. I continue to learn and I’m more than glad to share my own culture with foreigners. I feel more engaged with what I do and have embraced the field I followed.

It has been 10 years now since I’ve started speaking in French. As I take a trip down memory lane, I realize that all of these started with a bold decision to swim against the current of quadratic equations and Erlenmeyer flasks. 11 years ago, I mustered the courage to take the road less traveled by science high school graduates. I may have been different because of my chosen track but I feel even more loved by my classmates. Whenever we hang out, I bring unique stories of my French experience, and I’m glad they enjoy listening.

I’m relieved I said goodbye to the sciences. The humanities warmly welcomed me. My decision to take French as my undergraduate degree has been my life’s greatest detour.

We’ve always been told to take specific fields of study because they yield more money. However, as I share my experience, I hope we could all honor one’s passions and interests as acceptable reasons for making important life decisions. Choosing a college course is challenging for a young student, but in such detours, we find who we are, what motivates us the most, and what makes us happy. – Rappler.com

Ralph Ferolino majored in French at UP Diliman. He lives in Dasmariñas, Cavite and currently works at the French Embassy Manila. His enthusiasm in culture allows him to prepare festive holiday and grazing tables, write witty hashtags, and journal his eat, pray, love experience in his Instagram posts.