Sunday, May 01, 2005
immersion (mis)adventures part 2
More stories of what happened to me during the immersion…
I felt really yucky the whole time. Not to be so maarte or anything but imagine taking a bath once every other day only (meaning you change clothes at the same rate also). So, for the 6 days, I took a bath 3 times only. Actually, it was already unusual for the people there to see us taking a bath that often.
Another thing, how do they dishes? They just dip it in a pail of water where they also wash their hands after eating. Yucky huh? Well, I survived 6 days with that set up.
When we were already going down to go home, we (our self sustaining unit) didn't have a jeep to ride anymore (much to my dismay). So we had to endure walking from 5am until around 9am from the mountains to the lahar area (it's really a desert, I swear) and finally to the meeting point where we were going to be picked up.
I never thought I'd learn to love pop cola after the immersion. Haha! Ask my groupmates, I was itching to get to sta. juliana to drink pop.
Despite all the hardships (which by the way is the whole point of the immersion), it was a truly enriching experience for me. It was a great opportunity for me to think my life over, to reflect on what I have done with my life thus far, and to realize how much I should be thankful for everything I have in my life.
I came to know first hand how these people have so little in life (sometimes none at all). It was the harsh reality of society that I used to read only in my books and case studies back in college. I realized that these people no matter how little they have in life are truly good people. Even if they didn't have anything, they would still offer you the best they have. It was really touching (and made me force myself to stop ranting about everything).
True, I hated the fact that I didn't have the usual comforts I have. But looking back, I learned a lot - not laws, not theories, but life.
Given the chance, I would l;ove to go back and visit them again. Well, uhh… minus the walking part. (may nakakaakyat naman na jeep eh. Hehe!)
I felt really yucky the whole time. Not to be so maarte or anything but imagine taking a bath once every other day only (meaning you change clothes at the same rate also). So, for the 6 days, I took a bath 3 times only. Actually, it was already unusual for the people there to see us taking a bath that often.
Another thing, how do they dishes? They just dip it in a pail of water where they also wash their hands after eating. Yucky huh? Well, I survived 6 days with that set up.
When we were already going down to go home, we (our self sustaining unit) didn't have a jeep to ride anymore (much to my dismay). So we had to endure walking from 5am until around 9am from the mountains to the lahar area (it's really a desert, I swear) and finally to the meeting point where we were going to be picked up.
I never thought I'd learn to love pop cola after the immersion. Haha! Ask my groupmates, I was itching to get to sta. juliana to drink pop.
Despite all the hardships (which by the way is the whole point of the immersion), it was a truly enriching experience for me. It was a great opportunity for me to think my life over, to reflect on what I have done with my life thus far, and to realize how much I should be thankful for everything I have in my life.
I came to know first hand how these people have so little in life (sometimes none at all). It was the harsh reality of society that I used to read only in my books and case studies back in college. I realized that these people no matter how little they have in life are truly good people. Even if they didn't have anything, they would still offer you the best they have. It was really touching (and made me force myself to stop ranting about everything).
True, I hated the fact that I didn't have the usual comforts I have. But looking back, I learned a lot - not laws, not theories, but life.
Given the chance, I would l;ove to go back and visit them again. Well, uhh… minus the walking part. (may nakakaakyat naman na jeep eh. Hehe!)
# posted by ryan quan @ 9:23 PM 
