Why Architecture?

Karamihan 'yan ang tanong ng marami sa aming mga architect, o kahit na noong nag-aaral pa ako. Tanong ng family, friends, mga kakilala sa ibang course, etc. Maraming sagot d'yan:

1. "The Beauty Queen" answer - A pleasant day to you and to the judges. Thank you for that wonderful question. I studied Architecture so that I can contribute to the construction business that I believe is the key for the development of our country. (pak!)

2. "Showcase your talent" answer - May talent naman po ako sa pagdodrowing, mas maganda naman po n ma-apply ko sa course ko 'yon :)

3. "Gahaman" answer - I heard po kasi na mataas ang sweldo ng Arkitekto....he he he

I'm sure marami pang mga answers d'yan. Pero the above three ang madalas gamitin naming mga Arkitekto. Pero noong nag-eenroll ako at tinanong ako ng College Admin Asst. namin, ang sinagot ko yung number two.

Fast Forward. First day ng klase, pagkatapos ng mahaba-habang introduction of the class and the professor, nag-dialogue si sir ng: "Sigurado akong kaya ito ang kinuha n'yong course dahil may talent kayo sa pagdo-drowing." I was shocked! Sapul na sapul ako. Pero to my surprise, intro palang pala yun. Dugtong niya: "Huwag kayong pakasisiguro, hindi lang talent sa pagdodrowing ang puhunan ng pagiging Architect."

True enough, tama siya. Sa nakalipas na 5 taon ko sa university na 'yon, may times na gusto ko ng sumuko, to the point na I want to drop-out. Pero naisip ko ang hirap na that my parents went through mapag-aral lang ako. There were also times na nag-eenjoy ako. I got to show my talent. Bragging rights kumbaga.

Architecture is Arki Torture. To the sense na pahihirapan ka talaga. Naranasan ko na ang hindi matulog ng 3 araw na straight. Nakaidlip lang ako 'pag day of submission na. Yung eksena n dala dala mo yung presentation materials mo sa jeep, yung kamay mo nakahawak sa handle bars, samantalang yung isa nakahawak sa 30X40 n board.

Multiply that to (5 college years + 2 years working experience), you do the Math kung gaano katagal na pahirap yun. But that's the point of Architecture - to challenge yourself and how far can you go with that challenge. Luckily for me, I survived those years, and now I'm facing the real world of Architecture, with my fellow Architects and other professionals.

Architecture is Arki Torture. The only difference here is that there is a reward after all that tormenting. I can finally call myself....

Architect. :)