Seeing the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) Sunken Garden on the Alone/Together movie poster from the plane movie list, I decided to watch it to remind me what it’s like to be in UPD. I can remember how during my master’s, my classmates were giddy about seeing Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil while shooting for the movie during the UP Lantern Parade. While also working at UPD, I kept telling myself that if I had to work on a new project somewhere else, I would like to be in a place that feels like UPD—surrounded by trees and greens.
There’s this part where Christine (Liza) shares with her professor her intentions to work abroad and bring that experience back to the Philippines. Her professor responded that many scholar-graduates held the same ideals but did not return to their home country when they were needed the most, after receiving better compensation and opportunities than what their home country could offer.
That landed. I imagined the realities I had as a researcher at the university—only employed as a contract-of-service worker with no employer-employee relationship and ineligible for government benefits. The one that stung most: no maternal leave, should I ever need it. Watching the movie made me miss UPD deeply, and what the professor said resonated—especially since I am writing this on my flight to Toronto for my PhD studies.
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