a flash of high school memory

in high school, we had a science elective. we had to choose among three science courses: the amazing world of STP (selected topics in physics), the boggling world of organic chemistry, and the "memorable" world of physiology. that was during our senior year, when we had to have 2 math subjects and 2 science subjects to go with our other subjects. back then, i had no inkling that i would be venturing into physics, so i didn't choose STP; i chose physiology, which is technically defined as the biological study of the functions of living organisms and their parts. i was thinking that, of the three options, it was the one which would be most useful when i would finally venture into psychology, my would-have-been college major.

in my opinion, we students who belonged to that class never really took the subject that seriously. well, if we were serious, at least, we were not as serious as the geekheads who chose STP or organic chemistry were with their own electives (*makes the peace sign*). nevertheless, there were a lot of unforgettable learning experiences in physiology class. during our one-year stint in that science course, we studied and became adept at plant and animal structures, human muscles, bones, processes and their functions. aside from the usual lectures and copying of notes, we had projects like terrarium-making and illustrated dictionary of plants. i remember that during the lectures and note-taking, i was often listening to my seatmate's stories (which were told upon my prodding) and the volcano's rants rather than to our kind teacher. my notes were far from complete (although they looked complete) because i could barely read the writings on the board and i couldn't check with my seatmate's notebook as i had difficulty reading her handwriting (*chuckles*). terrarium-making was fun yet unsuccessful; we merely played with our creativity. rather than to ensure the survival of the plants and insects inside the soil-filled shoeboxes, we ended up more concerned with the appearance of our miniature "landscapes". aside from those, we also spent some time watching relevant videos, the most memorable of which is the main reason for this entry.

now, there were a lot of physiology-related films shown in class, but the one which tackled the processes from fertilization to chilbirth stood out...and the sequence on childbirth still stands out.

before the film was popped into the player, we were reminded by our teacher to be mature and react like the young adults that we were. no, the video didn't show sexual acts, there was nothing pornographic in it. it was basically an engaging documentary which started with clips showing sperm cells racing for the egg cell. it then went on to show what goes on during fertilization, the issues involved, what processes come after, how the fetus develops inside the uterus until the time comes for...childbirth, an actual footage of which was incorporated in the film.

about the footage...sorry if i'm going to be graphic about it. on the screen, you could see that the camera was focused on the mother's small vaginal opening. yeah, her legs were positioned apart, and her vagina was visible and all...but, remember, it was done with educational intentions! you could hear the mother shouting for dear life as she was instructed by the attendants to give the baby inside her a "push". after several struggles and "pushes", the vagina opened really really big (as in really really big) to let the baby out. i didn't see it rip, but seeing how the baby got out of the mother's womb...i'm sure it did!!! whew! it was really a very graphic detail of how painful (and should i add miraculous?) giving birth is!

here's the class story: when that scene was flashed on screen, the gals (and even the guys!!! -- hahaha, they can sue me, but i know i'm telling the truth *laughs out loud*) in class were unconsciously shouting out "aaahhhhh", as if it was the whole class that was in intense pain. when the mother let out a sigh of relief after the doctor announced the gender of her healthy baby, the class sighed in relief, too. talk about having a collective vicarious childbirth experience! unlike the mother in the footage though, the class didn't feel at peace after letting out the sigh. right after the collective sigh (which fortunately coincided with the end of the film), everyone in class let out giggles (perhaps to hide all the astonishment and to hold on to innocence *hahaha*). everyone started to point fingers as to who shouted, who put hands over their mouths, who shouted the loudest, who cried for their mothers, who grabbed a classmate...needless to say, the end of the period became a circus with all the childish teasing and bickering (*laughs out loud*).