By Rajeev Ezekiel Diesta

I am turning 17 next month. Why did I decide to get the vaccine? I just want to help end this virus soon! We've been in this situation for almost two years now. It's literally draining our abilities, halting our desires for greatness and crippling our gifts and talents, so I want this to end! With my decision and millions of others, maybe this pandemic will come to an end.

It's been a crazy chapter of our lives that we don't want to remember! We were unable to study in our classrooms, we were unable to play our favorite sports. In my case I am crazy playing football with friends and because of this pandemic we were stuck in our small rooms and now addicted to some online games! We want the normal way of life without fear and restrictions.

My parents were talking about vaccines for about a year now. They waited like seven to 10 months before they got the vaccine themselves. My mother is a registered nurse-a frontliner too. But she herself would not want to get vaccinated, at least during the introductory period. In fact she waited until my father got vaccinated before she finally decided to get the vaccine. She was scared. But I am not. After I saw they had no serious or adverse effects, that's when they registered my name.

I got the jab last Monday. The vaccination center was crowded. I saw throngs of people queuing for the vaccine. I went home, slept, ate and repeat-I've been anticipating headaches or probably fever, as some of my classmates told me but I was disappointed feeling no pain at all, only small type of insect bite on my arm where I got the jab.