The Flame Homepage

KATHERINE Madhel Daroya was reared like a princess for being the unica hija in her family. Every day, she would wake up to a home-cooked meal and dress up clothes already washed and ironed by her mother. It was almost unimaginable having to give up such pleasurable lifestyle in exchange of pursuing her studies in the country. For a young girl who was very close to her mother, it was diffi cult to leave.

Daroya, fondly called by her friends as “Kat-kat”, is a devout Muslim who was born and reared in Pangasinan. At an early age, she was forced to get accustomed to the twists and turns of migrating brought by the international job opportunities given to her mother. After staying for a couple of years in Qatar, she was forced to give up her pleasurable lifestyle and to live separately from her mother as she went back to the Philippines to finish her studies.

Despite living in a country far from her loved ones, Daroya managed to stand up against the odds and master—in a good
way—the solitary yet fulfi lling art of independence.

Life in Artlets

Despite having a wide range of universities and colleges to

choose from, Daroya said that it was her mother who convinced her to choose UST because of its “good reputati on” and culturally-diverse environment. However, she noted that along with this choice are certain misconcepti ons about her identi ty perceived by her friends and classmates.

“Sometimes, professors always think that I am a nun,” Daroya said as she explained how some uncompromising students and even professors tease her about the almost permanent headscarf she religiously wears.

Worn by most Muslim women to conceal their hair and neck, the hijab is an Islamic head cover that is noti ceably one of the garments Daroya would never forget to wear even when she goes to school.

A woman’s crowning glory should not be exposed because that ritual has been a vital part of the Muslim women’s modest way of dressing.

Part of her being a devout Muslim is sti cking to her vegetable, fi sh, and chicken diet. Consequently, only the food classifi ed as halal, (animal meat slaughtered in the ritual prescribed by Islamic law) are the only ones she allows herself to eat.

Attending parti es was never really something Daroya thought she would ever enjoy. She was invited to some, but she makes it a point to avoid what has to be avoided.

It was diffi cult having to adjust to a completely new environment but Daroya mustered enough strength to easily adapt to her surroundings. What made it easier for her to get accustomed to a new chapter in her life was the guidance of her high school classmate and family friend, Marie Salonga, who coincidentally happened to be her classmate in the Faculty.

When she was sti ll a child, she was very determined to pursue medicine and to become a pediatrician despite pursuing Asian Studies as her undergraduate course. She originally intended to take up Biology, but it seemed like desti ny had other plans for her.

Born a naturally helpful and caring person, Daroya is a committ ed member of the United Nati on Children’s Fund (UNICEF)-UST.

Independent lifestyle

Throughout her fi rst year as a college student, Daroya would come home to an apartment shared by some of her female friends. One of the most diffi cult parts of being alone was to cook, to clean, and to perform other household chores. It was not that she was complaining, she said, but it was just like missing her mother more and more each day.

“I remember crying almost every night,” she said, although she knew that this was for her own good. A half of her wanted to take a plane back to Qatar to see her mother, but the other wanted to stay and fi nish her studies.

Daroya would oft en tell her mother how hard it is to live separately from her everytime they talk over the phone. It was just hard for a mother to allow her only princess to live afar and be independent but it has to be done.

Two years have passed since she left Qatar but Daroya has made it a point to visit her mother as much as she could. Her younger brother, who is also in college, lives with her. On the other hand, she barely gets to meet her older brother who also lives in the Philippines.

A typical day for Daroya consists of waking up early despite most of her classes being in the aft ernoon. Instead of choosing to sleep, she assumes the role of a mother as she prepares her younger brother’s breakfast and watch him eat. According to her, “he would not eat without me keeping watch of him.”

Last July, she occupied herself assisti ng her fellow UNICEF members during recruitment in the organizati on fair. She knows that being busy could be a good thing. It would not be long before she and her siblings would see their mother again.

The prophet Muhammad once said, “the world and all things in it are valuable; but the most valuable thing in the world is a virtuous woman.”

Now in her third year as an Artlets student, Daroya recalls how living life on her own has changed the way she perceived and handled things since her first year in college.

“From being a scared, easily saddened freshman, I grew to become a confi dent and optimistic junior,” she said, noti ng how certain experiences served as a good foundation for her soon-to-be adult self.