JANUARY 12, 2023・THURSDAY・8:13
"Academic text has the following features except..." Maya mutters to herself, reading the question; trying to finish her homework.
"Class, good morning," the teacher says as she enters the classroom. Maya hurriedly closes her book and gets up as everyone in the class stands. She notices a girl with brown-dyed hair next to their teacher.
"Good morning, Ma'am," the whole class greets.
"So class starting today, you have a new classmate," she says, her hands firmly resting on the girl's shoulders. "Okay, introduce yourself."
The girl adjusts her throat. "Hello, everyone. I'm Mariz. Erm..." She looks at the teacher, wondering what to say next.
"And? Tell them where you came from..."
Almost embarrassed, she looks down. "I transferred here from Canada."
There's chatter from the class. Maya isn't paying that much attention. She's still thinking of her unfinished homework.
Mariz bites her lip. "Pero kabalo ko mag Bisaya."
"BUT I CAN SPEAK BISAYA."
The teacher, with a proud smile, claps her right shoulder as if she's the one that enrolled her there. "Okay, class. Unsa man atong iingon kay Mariz?"
"OKAY, CLASS. WHAT DO WE SAY TO MARIZ?"
"Welcome Mariz!"
"Okay, sige sit down na."
"OKAY, EVERYBODY SIT DOWN."
Everyone in the class sits down. Maya immediately gets back to working on her homework.
"Be nice mo sa iyaha class, okay? Mariz, you can find your seat na. Didto sa likod naa'y bakante. Kinsa'y absent? Naa'y absent?"
"BE NICE TO HER, OKAY? MARIZ, YOU CAN FIND A SEAT HERE SOMEWHERE. MAYBE THERE AT THE BACK. YEAH, THAT SEAT'S VACANT. WHO'S ABSENT? IS ANYONE ABSENT?"
"Wala, ma'am. Mahadlok lang mi mulingkod dira sa likod kay tungod kang Rosie," one of the student says. More chatter from the class.
"NO, MA'AM. WE'RE JUST SCARED TO SIT THERE BECAUSE OF ROSIE."
"Da tuo-tuo pud mo anang Rosie, no."
"YOU KIDS WATCH TOO MANY HORROR MOVIES."
"Tinood mana si Rosie, ma'am. Nakita siya ni Jerson last week, ma'am," another one responds.
"BUT IT'S TRUE, MA'AM. JERSON SAW HER LAST WEEK."
"Hi," Mariz says, which startles Maya a bit. She forgot that the seat next to her was empty.
"Hello," Maya says, absentmindedly.
"Kinsa si Rosie?" Mariz asks.
"WHO'S ROSIE?"
"Ha?"
"WHAT?"
"Ana imong classmate mahadlok daw sila kang Rosie." Mariz hangs her backpack on the chair in front of her, smiling at the person sitting in front of them.
"YOUR CLASSMATES MENTIONED THEY WERE SCARED OF ROSIE."
"Ah." Maya does a half-chuckle. "Kalag daw na siya, usually naa siya dira sa likod sa imong chair."
"SHE'S A GHOST. SHE USUALLY SHOWS UP SOMEWHERE THERE BEHIND YOUR SEAT."
"Wow, spooky."
Maya nods and proceeds to the next question on her textbook. Mariz takes a quick look at it.
"Paraphrasing."
Maya looks at her, confused. "Unsa?"
"WHAT?"
"Paraphrasing ang answer ana nga question. 'A restatement of the meaning or the usage of other words.' Paraphrasing."
"THAT'S THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION..."
Maya looks at her textbook and then looks back at Mariz. She smiles. "Thanks."
Mariz smiles back. "No problem."
Maya continues to answer her homework.