Thank you, ASMPH

Right now, the inside of my head feels all fuzzy and my eyes are impossibly puffy. It's because I've been crying and crying and crying these past few hours, and the reason for that is that around 8 PM tonight, as I was about to dig into a salad, I got a call from Mr. Peabody.

Mr. Peabody works for the financial aid committee of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, and when I saw his name flashing on the screen of my phone as it rang, I was not expecting good news. I knew the scholarship results were supposed to come out tomorrow, so the fact that he was already calling me at this hour probably meant something bad. It probably meant that I didn't make it, and that he wanted to break the news to me gently, before the list came out and before the scholars started celebrating. Our conversation went like this:

Hello Aimee? Hello?
Yes, Sir. Hi.

Hello. So we've made a decision already. 
Yes sir? (Internal dialogue: HOLY CRAP THIS IS IT. LET ME DOWN EASY. DON'T LET ME SUFFER.)

Do you want to be a nurse?
...What?

Didn't you want to take up nursing?
...Uh, no...

So you really want to be a doctor?
I really do.

Well congratulations. You just earned yourself a 100%  scholarship.
......................................................OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOASDLFKJ AS;LFJASLD;FKJ ASL;DFJA SLDKFJASLFJASLDJFASLDFJ *random blubbering ensues*

Now, here's the bad news.
...What is it?

The scholarship is for Fatima University.
(Mr. Peabody has a terribly dry sense of humor and it's really hard to tell when he's joking. At this point I kind of believed he was telling the truth.)

Just kidding. You got the scholarship.
Are you sure it's me? This is Aimee, sir!

Your last name is C-A-P-I-N-P-U-Y-A-N, correct?
YES!!!

Then you got it.
ASKLFJASDLFKJASLDFJASDL;FJASDL;FJASLDKFJALSKDJF *wails and cries*

When you go for confirmation, you don't have to pay the fee anymore. Just-
ASLDKFJASLDKFJASL;DFJASL;DKFJASKLDFJA
(I couldn't hear him anymore over my own sobs but I pretend to, anyway) Okay sir. Thank you so much.

All right, goodnight.

After the phone call, I took a while to cry and scream and blubber to myself. I couldn't believe it (I still  can't). I was not expecting it at all. Without even trying to collect myself, I called my parents and Rap to tell them the news.

Rap instantly invited me out for a celebratory coffee, and then minutes later, he shows up with a box of chocolate and six pink roses. Just when I thought the night couldn't get any better.

I'm so happy. And still in shock. During my scholarship application, I applied for an 80% scholarship. My dad said even 50% would be a big big help. AND THEY GO AND GIVE ME A FULL ONE OMG I'm tearing up again.

Salamat, Ateneo. Salamat, ASMPH. If not for this scholarship, I wouldn't have been able to afford ASMPH. But now I'm definitely on the road to getting that MD-MBA!!!

Above all, I'm happiest that my med school won't be a financial burden to my parents. Honestly, that was something I felt so agonizingly guilty about for so long - making them sacrifice so much to put me through five more years of school. And now they won't have to. Now they can breathe easy. And so can I. I'm SO so happy. This is a TREMENDOUS help to my family. Really. Thank you, Ateneo. Thank you, ASMPH. And thank you, Mr. Peabody.

Thank you thank you thank you. I cannot say it enough.