This post is a continuation of Phytomedicine I wrote months ago. Warning: please if your suffering from severe mental health issues or unstable mental condition, refrain from reading this post.
Supposedly, our final defense should be on the last week of January after our finals exam but a major accident happened and it got postponed. Unfortunately, it was an unforeseen accident where a life was lost and other students sustained major injuries. That accident scarred many students who witnessed that occurrence. The university issued a memorandum and all activities are postponed for a week.
I, one of the students who witnessed the tragedy, was also a few meters away from where the accident happened. It was a place where many students gathered to review and eat their brunch so it would not be an understatement to call it a safe zone. So, an accident to occur in that place was the last thing on our mind.
I was there to grab some food to eat before proceeding to our college building and continue to review when I witness that accident. I froze and dropped my food unknowingly and the next thing I knew, there was pool of blood. Three students lay unconscious under the vehicle, one in between the truck and the tree, and one was thrown few meters because of the impact. I will spare other details as it is not suitable to describe.
I was shaking, the crowd was in chaos, and I can hear others shouting for help. It was few minutes later that I recollect my mind and started to move. I immediately look for my friends who were with me and it was a relief to see them not injured. But…others are not lucky. It was an anguish cry from the vehicle driver that we knew someone lost their life. At that moment, I felt so down and helpless.
The help arrive quickly but…a life was still lost. The four students were quickly brought to the hospital and fortunately, they are treated on time.
Later that day, we found out who died in that accident and it is much more heartbreaking to know that the day she died was the day her father celebrate his birthday. She was a freshman, an aspiring doctor, full of dreams and hope. But…life was truly cruel and took it away from her. I can’t imagine how much painful that is for her parents especially her dad.
Later that day, I got a call from my mom. She found out what happened from my sister and asked if I’m okay. I lied and told her I was okay because I was in the college building that time. I don’t want her to worry and knew it was best to conceal what happened that day because I don’t want her to recollect unpleasant memories by informing I nearly got into an accident.
From that moment, I strictly monitor my mental health. I did seek a psychological counseling that time and I guess I could say it was mild. I did my best to not be overly happy at times or drown in sadness by reading, writing, and occupying my mind in games. Why? Being overly happy gave you strength to do ‘things’ you would not normally consider when you’re mentally sound and being drowned in sadness will make you isolate from the world which I do not want to happen. So, yeah, I stay in between those lines. It wasn’t easy but I get the hang of it.
By the way, tomorrow’s the day of our final defense. Maybe after that, we would chill out with my thesis mates to celebrate from the tiring yet fulfilling paperworks. After that, maybe I could sneak a few peeks here to show you all. That’s all and I hope everyone’s doing well.