Friday, June 17, 2005
paglaya
Summer Internship Program 2005 marked a lot of “firsts” in my life. The immersion experience was a first. Well, not exactly… I’ve been through an immersion before but this one was something else. I still consider it a first because I’ve never gone mountain climbing before. (READ: Ryan is NOT sporty.) My first shot at living for more for six days way, way out of my comfort zone. The night before we left for Tarlac, I had moments of uncertainty about going to the immersion because I didn’t know if I’d live to tell my own story of this experience. I had a lot of doubts. I was not sure of what I was getting myself into. At that point, I just had to bear in mind that I chose this so I might as well try something new. (READ: Ryan is NOT adventurous.)
Immersion was not so bad after all. Minus the fact that we took baths only once every two days, or probably the fact that we had to walk up and down mountains and through the lahar area (which, by the way, was literally a desert), and such other things which I now consider “just okay,” (Before immersion à X: hey, let’s take a walk. Ryan: no thanks, mainit eh) I must admit that I did enjoy the immersion. Well, at least most of it.
Just when I thought I had my enough of my “firsts” in life, fate suddenly whispered, “Yeah right, dream on!” Send-off dinner came and we were given our assignments. When I learned that I was assigned to ELAC in Coron, I had mixed feelings. I was apprehensive (yet again) of leaving home, this time for a much longer period, but I was also jubilant of getting assigned to my most preferred sector plus the thought of being able to travel out of manila. Okay… fine, a bit of sacrifice probably would be all right. Again, it was my first time to be away from home and from my family for a long period of time. More adventures, I thought. And yes, I was right. It was my first time to take a boat trip for 12 hours. Once in Palawan, it was there that I first rode small boats. And here’s the catch, the boats I ride seem to get smaller and smaller each time I have a trip. It was the first time that I did not mind at all how I dressed, how I looked like or if my hair was a total mess. I seemed not to care about these things that seemed so important to me when I am in Manila.
Seriously…
Coron seemed boring to me the first time I set foot in the town. It was a small provincial town, which one could explore in 30 minutes while walking. Little did I know that my month-long stay in Coron would pave the way for me to think things over, to answer “life” questions like “what am I doing in law school?” I haven’t fully answered this question but at least now, it’s getting clearer as each day passes.
My ELAC internship is so far the best experience in my life. It was my internship, yet I didn’t seem to feel that I was actually doing work. I enjoyed doing all those visual aids using manila paper, talking with the people in the community, and being with the staff of ELAC, who became my family for one month. Involvement in NGOs is not something new to me. Yet, it was only in Coron where I understood fully the hardships and sacrifices of the people who work in NGOs. I truly admire the people working in ELAC. I mean, these people have so much talent that they could have been into more lucrative jobs; yet they chose to take on a job that most people consider “odd” primarily because it is not high-paying. I have very high regard for them because of the spark of idealism that they still possess, which, sadly, most of the people of today have already lost.
It was such a humbling experience living in Coron and working for ELAC for a month. Arriving there, I felt I knew a lot. I was wrong. Yes, I knew things, mostly in theory, but I have much more to learn. Arriving there, I felt I could do a lot to help. Well, in a way, yes, but I realized that I can only do so much. NGOs and alternative law practice is about teamwork; as they say, there is strength in numbers. Arriving there, I felt good about myself, having been lucky enough to be able to study in good schools. But after my stay in Coron, I felt far better about myself after experiencing ELAC and Coron.
I felt independence not because I was away from home but because I learned a lot more than what I get inside the classroom or from my books. I felt liberty because I was able to break free from my “usual” life and in turn, broadened my horizons. But more importantly, I felt freedom because I experienced life.
The entire month I spent there went by swiftly but the lessons and memories will have a special place in me forever. SIP 2005 may be over but this is just the start of a new chapter in my life. I know there will be a lot of ordeals along the way, but I know that this is part of my quest to gain more “freedoms” in my life.
------------------
Afterthought: There is such a thing as a simple life. It’s just a matter of you choosing to live it.
One last comic moment: When I was asked if I wanted to go back to Coron to work for ELAC, my answer was, “I’m honestly considering it.” Seriously, I am actually considering it. (At the back of my mind: I want to go back there to work. But the next time I go back there, I’m going to make sure to bring an air-conditioning unit. Haha!) Ü
Immersion was not so bad after all. Minus the fact that we took baths only once every two days, or probably the fact that we had to walk up and down mountains and through the lahar area (which, by the way, was literally a desert), and such other things which I now consider “just okay,” (Before immersion à X: hey, let’s take a walk. Ryan: no thanks, mainit eh) I must admit that I did enjoy the immersion. Well, at least most of it.
Just when I thought I had my enough of my “firsts” in life, fate suddenly whispered, “Yeah right, dream on!” Send-off dinner came and we were given our assignments. When I learned that I was assigned to ELAC in Coron, I had mixed feelings. I was apprehensive (yet again) of leaving home, this time for a much longer period, but I was also jubilant of getting assigned to my most preferred sector plus the thought of being able to travel out of manila. Okay… fine, a bit of sacrifice probably would be all right. Again, it was my first time to be away from home and from my family for a long period of time. More adventures, I thought. And yes, I was right. It was my first time to take a boat trip for 12 hours. Once in Palawan, it was there that I first rode small boats. And here’s the catch, the boats I ride seem to get smaller and smaller each time I have a trip. It was the first time that I did not mind at all how I dressed, how I looked like or if my hair was a total mess. I seemed not to care about these things that seemed so important to me when I am in Manila.
Seriously…
Coron seemed boring to me the first time I set foot in the town. It was a small provincial town, which one could explore in 30 minutes while walking. Little did I know that my month-long stay in Coron would pave the way for me to think things over, to answer “life” questions like “what am I doing in law school?” I haven’t fully answered this question but at least now, it’s getting clearer as each day passes.
My ELAC internship is so far the best experience in my life. It was my internship, yet I didn’t seem to feel that I was actually doing work. I enjoyed doing all those visual aids using manila paper, talking with the people in the community, and being with the staff of ELAC, who became my family for one month. Involvement in NGOs is not something new to me. Yet, it was only in Coron where I understood fully the hardships and sacrifices of the people who work in NGOs. I truly admire the people working in ELAC. I mean, these people have so much talent that they could have been into more lucrative jobs; yet they chose to take on a job that most people consider “odd” primarily because it is not high-paying. I have very high regard for them because of the spark of idealism that they still possess, which, sadly, most of the people of today have already lost.
It was such a humbling experience living in Coron and working for ELAC for a month. Arriving there, I felt I knew a lot. I was wrong. Yes, I knew things, mostly in theory, but I have much more to learn. Arriving there, I felt I could do a lot to help. Well, in a way, yes, but I realized that I can only do so much. NGOs and alternative law practice is about teamwork; as they say, there is strength in numbers. Arriving there, I felt good about myself, having been lucky enough to be able to study in good schools. But after my stay in Coron, I felt far better about myself after experiencing ELAC and Coron.
I felt independence not because I was away from home but because I learned a lot more than what I get inside the classroom or from my books. I felt liberty because I was able to break free from my “usual” life and in turn, broadened my horizons. But more importantly, I felt freedom because I experienced life.
The entire month I spent there went by swiftly but the lessons and memories will have a special place in me forever. SIP 2005 may be over but this is just the start of a new chapter in my life. I know there will be a lot of ordeals along the way, but I know that this is part of my quest to gain more “freedoms” in my life.
------------------
Afterthought: There is such a thing as a simple life. It’s just a matter of you choosing to live it.
One last comic moment: When I was asked if I wanted to go back to Coron to work for ELAC, my answer was, “I’m honestly considering it.” Seriously, I am actually considering it. (At the back of my mind: I want to go back there to work. But the next time I go back there, I’m going to make sure to bring an air-conditioning unit. Haha!) Ü
after more than a month...
i seriously want to update my blog, but circumstances prevent me from doing so... o well... life...
i promise to blog from time to time... update little by little... haha! Ü
i promise to blog from time to time... update little by little... haha! Ü
