3

[from facebook - Aug 23, 2007]

Long ago the number three (3) has managed to have a peculiar significance in various aspects in my life. Last night, Thursday March 15, 2007, I enumerated some of them and found myself rather shaken emotionally. The biggest aspect right then was the three years in college I would have to spend in excess to complete my degree in Computer Engineering. These three years have complicated implications that bother me sometimes and make me feel grateful some others.
A great deal of my decisions and goals have been shifted three years. An embarrassing six semesters academically wasted. Almost a thousand days invested in new relationships and not developing existing ones. Three of my grandparents have died. I nearly broke up with my girlfriend three times. I’ve endured my parents’ frustration, my brothers’ cluelessness, and their overall negligence in doing their part to keep our nucleus entire and secure.
In order to keep studying and finish my degree, an overwhelming fifteen-thousand dollars (multiple of three) have to be needlessly invested. Furthermore, given the average salary of a computer engineer these days, an absurd (and also a multiple of three) one-hundred and fifty thousand dollars will not reach my pocket, or anybody’s for that matter. Please, reader, understand why it’s uncomfortable to answer “What year are you?” Please settle for the common answers: “Nth year…” or “Final year…”
This is in terms of costs. I then tried to find enough benefits to breakeven or exceed these costs. It’s the kind of stuff that makes me feel glad and reminds me why I should get up every morning.
I counted three new families. First of all, La Tribu (The Tribe)…

Our relationship began... [in year 2000]... as each of us began undergraduate studies in the same college and field. As time went by, [...] we found comfort in other fields and talents, finally creating a very diverse group of people who have very little in common except for a strong sense of friendship. We became a family away from ours.
- (Excerpt) Goñi’s Traces

Then there is Team Made. This team’s main goal is to give the most complete introduction to college life as a student of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) to Electrical Engineering freshmen. Madeline, the professional counselor, has been my guide in various decisions throughout these 7 years. From the most influential members I can talk about Ricardo, Gimbert, Melitza, Michelle, Karla. The last three helped me organize a team to start a chapter in campus for the IEEE Engineering Management Society. Melitza took the lead and has done an excellent job. Ricardo is thinking of taking the presidency of the UPRM IEEE Student Branch. I admire Ricardo’s ambition. He sets a goal and follows it until the end. Michelle and Karla are go-to girls. They’ll do whatever is necessary to get the work done. Essentially, these are the type of people in this family. If I decide to work in this year’s “Freshmen Week” with Team Made, six generations of students would pass through my influence to seize everything this campus has to offer. Six generations… multiple of three.
The other family falls under “the rest”. They are a continuance of God’s answer to my prayer to have really good friends. I haven’t counted, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with 3. Iriana, Abel, Yasmin among special others are great blessings in my life and I proudly call them brothers and sisters.
Continuing the list of good things, I also counted professors…yep. Maestre Kopich, Rogelio Palomera, Carlos Pabon, Jose Luis Cruz, Hamed Parsiani, Pedro Rivera, Manuel Jimenez, Ivan Baiges, Nelson Sepulveda. Curiously, there are nine (three times three.) From them I acquired great additions to my arsenal for dealing with life. From Kopich and Baiges I got the type of advice grandparents would give. Please note I’m highlighting their wisdom not their age. From Pabon and Rivera I got the don’t-settle-for-less-than

-your-best drive. I took 9 classes but 3 courses with them, not necessarily three tries each. I’ve have more classes with them than with any other professor in UPRM. From JL Cruz, Parsiani, Palomera and Sepulveda I got reminders. These didn’t exchange words but rather let their action tell the story. They are wise men. They have this awe inspiring personalities in the sense of demonstrating what could be accomplished with genuine hard work and showing the reality of the possibility of staying human and at peace while doing their best at their job.
My friends from before entering college are a big addition to the good part of my life these past years. They represent the reason why I should never doubt to say I’ve had a great life, a life with wonderful things in it. I’ve never felt my friendship with Gaby, the guys at UHS 2000 and the people at Buen Oleo fade into mere companionship. I thank God for them and for allowing me to maintain communication with them.
I also have to count as blessings a lot of aspects of my own family. I don’t think of everything about my family is a blessing. I’m counting blessings not characteristics. They are always willing to support me. It doesn’t matter how much it takes for me to finish my degree, as long as I finish it. I’ve enjoyed my dad’s daydreams of playing with his grandchildren and having big family get-togethers (odd coming from him), or his teachings from what he’s learned while pursuing his Master of Divinity degree. I’ve taken pleasure observing my mom’s heavenly attitude towards a lot of life’s mishaps. My younger brother’s untiring ambition keeps me alert to when any member of my family needs support. The innocence and moral approach to life my second brother has keep me sane when I think about where the selfish people of the world are bound for.
I have to talk about Sharma in the end so that my mind helps me finish this essay. I think that if I were writing from the heart, nobody would be reading this. Every second with Sharma is a blessing. I can count the bad things as blessing because they provoke growth in me as an individual or us as a couple, or help me refresh solid philosophies which I live by. Her patience is one of her virtues which I appreciate most. Others are her passion, senses of friendship and family, and her fragility. That last one can easily be confused as a weakness but, when seen as a window through which to look at a person, it becomes an interruption to certain animal instincts when dealing with people.
This pretty much takes care of most of my costs these past years. I’ve written a lot of good things here. So, should anyone see me in a less than good mood, please remind me of them. I’m graduating in May 2008… God willing… I’ll see if I write about it then.

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