The following article is about Carmela's experience in the 2nd International Science and Mathematics Olympiad last November 2004, where she earned the country's first ever gold in this competition. Only a grade 4 student, this girl from St. Jude Catholic School has indeed made her mark in the MTG. She has already represented the country in four international mathematics competitions, and brought home major awrds in some of these. She also topped the recently concluded 3rd Ateneo Mathematics Olympiad and earned the admiration of the school's top math professors.



When I first arrived in Indonesia, my initial reaction was, “Am I still in the Philippines?” For truly, Indonesia did look a lot like the Philippines, with the models of its cars, the faces of its people, and its buildings looking similar as ours. At first I didn’t seem too eager to go to another country because I usually wondered what the food would taste like and if I would be comfortable there, but because of my love for math, I have never given up on the opportunity to compete.

Our first day in Indonesia proved to be very nice. We stayed at an exquisite five-star hotel in Jakarta. We got a chance to know each other (since some of the Philippine delegates were from the province) and meet with our team leader Mr. Adi. The food turned out to be better than I had first expected. The buffet served international cuisine, which could be compared to the ones served in five-star hotels in the Philippines. That changed my view of Indonesia immediately.

The next morning, the opening ceremonies were held to welcome the delegates from the eleven countries participating, namely the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Singapore. We were then grouped with Cambodia and Lao PDR for the tours. The tours that came within the next two days changed my view of Indonesia even further. Indonesia, at a glance, would look like a normal country, but just like the Philippines, it had a lot of beautiful tourist spots. I particularly enjoyed going to Safari World, where you could see a lot of wild animals walking freely and roaming around. The exciting and enjoyable tours helped me relax my nerves for the difficult tests that we were to take the next day.

The morning of the contest, I slowly became more nervous as time went by. Being surrounded by mathematicians that you know are as good as or even better than you will surely make you feel the same way. The first test given was the Short Answer Test. You would be given a set of twenty five problems and were to give a direct answer. No solutions or explanations were needed. When I first looked at the problems, I immediately thought, “Oh man! Help me!” But after reading them carefully, I found them to be relatively simple. In my opinion, the Short Answer Test was the easiest among the three tests that I took.

The Essay Test came thirty minutes after the Short Answer Test. In the Essay Test, you had to answer thirteen questions with the most complete and detailed solutions that you could do. Full marks for a question were worth three points. For each problem, you would be given only about one fourth sheet of short bond paper to show a complete solution. With that being the case, I considered that test as one of the most difficult that I have answered ever. The problems weren’t really that hard. Showing a complete and detailed solution was the one that made it challenging.

After the Essay Test, we were taken to another tour to loosen up for the final test that we were to take the next day, the Exploration Test. We were trained very well for this unusual type of test. It’s unusual because in the Philippines, we aren’t normally given any tests like these. There were six problems, each worth six points. To answer the test, you need to use the manipulative given. Even if you really had a vast knowledge in Math, you wouldn’t even get half the perfect score if you didn’t have logic and a sense of adventure. Actually, answering the problems wouldn’t make your head ache even the slightest bit. Those problems were actually fun to solve because, just as what its name suggests, you had to “explore” to get the answer.

When the tests were finally over, we started worrying about the results. “What is my score? Will I even get a medal?” We had to wait 2 days before the awarding ceremonies would be held. It seemed like two eternities of suspense and worrying until at last, the night of the awarding came. In Math, there were five gold, nine silver, and thirteen bronze medal awardees. For every time a name announced wasn’t mine, I became more and more nervous. When they started reading the list of gold medalists, I suddenly heard my name called. I gleamed with pride as I went up the stage to receive my medal. I have made my family proud. I have made my school proud. But most of all, I have made my country proud.

Most people either hate or even don’t bother learning Math. To be able to learn it, you have to love Math first. To me, Math isn’t just a subject. It is a world with endless roads and challenges, the next one always harder than the previous. You might lose sometimes, but it is the joy and the fun that you get out of it which really counts.