If there is one person who made me fall in love with research and all the details it involves, there is no one to blame but her. Indeed, if I knew her not, I and my group mates would not in our right mind plunge ourselves into something as complex as doing a survey to back up our paper that time. But we had no choice as the topic we drew out from the box necessitates it. Out of all the topics included, that was the only one that does not have enough literature for us to submit our requirements. Thus, defines our lot.
We worried about how are we supposed to go about it–us being only juniors then and with no experience or input whatsoever about research methods and all that in entails. Yet, she never even hinted on changing our topic. She never said anything that we could not do it. She never gave the impression that because of time constraints we could dilute or diminish her expectation to deliver. She never did any of that.
We were doomed. Or so we thought.
What saved us then was all her guidance and input. Her availability to accommodate our concerns in doing the paper was almost without bounds. Her inputs were short and sharp and sweet all at the same time. I distinctly remember those times when we waited at the college steps for her to come and be delighted at the glance of her alighting her car knowing that like lost children we would get clear directions from one who knows well the road.
Dr. Alfiler was indeed for us, both tormentor and savior. She was honest enough to say the journey would be long and tiring. She did not mince words as to the things we need to hurdle to deliver a substantive paper. She did not allow us to take an easier road even after complaining and wailing. She introduced to us Earl Babbie, someone who helped us a lot in our senior year for our thesis, instead.
I once wrote her that we would be better off if we had not known her because we would not have undergone those things she let us went through… wrecking our brains how to craft out tools, refining our methods, confirming our frameworks… then having a crash course on sampling methods, not to mention gaining access to the voters’ list and finding out it was not really clean and what to do with it…
But if we knew her not, we would have lost that opportunity to better ourselves–to know ourselves as we push ourselves beyond what we thought was our limits then. If we knew her not, we would not have any benchmark as to what a good adviser is.
If I knew her not, I would not ever experienced that discovery of new knowledge through research can actually be something that would get me into the flow–something exciting and liberating even–including the thrill of defending one’s findings. If I knew her not, I know I would be less than the person that I am now.
Those who knew her not, never know what they missed.
