e-Journal #3: The Waiting

There was so much enthusiasm and excitement at the beginning of my special project. It felt ideal—a passion project rooted in an advocacy I truly care about, pursued in the perfect place. At the start, everything looked promising, and I was motivated to push forward. What followed, however, became the most difficult part of the journey: the waiting.

Because of the library’s strict rules on maintaining data privacy, my gatekeeper emphasized the need to secure a letter of authorization from the Library’s Head Librarian and OIC before any steps could move forward. This requirement introduced challenges I had not fully anticipated. Scheduling time with the OIC proved difficult as she was often out of the office due to field events, and even my gatekeeper’s responses to messages were delayed. By May 4, a response finally came from the OIC, but it presented another challenge: the letter could only be signed once there were confirmed participants for the project.

This shifted the responsibility back to the gatekeeper, who, as moderator of the Children’s Reading Club, needed to gather interested participants. The process required drafting cover letters and parental consent forms to ensure that children could attend the three-day program. What I expected to be a straightforward step stretched into weeks of waiting. The uncertainty of this period made me anxious, especially as delays extended into the first week of June.

Thankfully, patience and persistence eventually bore fruit. The gatekeeper, despite his delayed responses, remained supportive and later informed me that six participants had agreed to join. Shortly after, the Library OIC officially signed the authorization letter.

Looking back, this experience taught me the value of patience, persistence, and adaptability when working with institutions and stakeholders. Enthusiasm alone is not enough to move a project forward; one must also be prepared to face delays, bureaucratic processes, and the realities of coordinating with busy professionals. Though the waiting tested my commitment, the eventual breakthrough reminded me that meaningful initiatives often take time to unfold—and that resilience is as important as passion in seeing a project through.

The townhall presentation on May 13 and 14 gave me an important opportunity to step back and view my project from a wider perspective. Presenting my Mid-Progress Report not only helped me consolidate my own ideas and see where I currently stood, but it also reminded me that I am part of a bigger community of learners and peers navigating similar challenges. Seeing the progress of my peers lightened my spirits and made me feel less isolated in my own struggles.

What struck me most was the diversity of projects presented. Each one reflected different advocacies, contexts, and goals, yet all were rooted in Instructional Design principles. This helped me realize just how flexible and adaptable Instructional Design can be—it can be applied in schools, communities, professional settings, and even in religious aspects. The variety of approaches reinforced that learning is not confined to one path; it can occur in many different avenues and methods, as long as it is aligned and organized through a coherent model.

This experience renewed my motivation for my own project. It reminded me that while the journey may feel overwhelming at times, the frameworks I am applying are proven to work across contexts. More importantly, it gave me a sense of solidarity and inspiration, knowing that we are all working toward creating meaningful learning experiences in our unique ways.

Thanks to my evaluator, Ms Seth Emmanuelle Maderal, she was able to point to several areas for improvement. She opened to build the foundation even further by using more theoretical underpinnings to guide the project, such as Vygotsky’s Socio-cultural theory, especially as the project focuses on social interaction as a driver for learning.