the Bagong Silang XX-posure trip

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            Yesterday, Block XX had its required INTACT (Introduction to Ateneo Culture) exposure trip to Bagong Silang, the largest barangay in the Philippines. Because we're Health Sci majors, yesterday was only the first of numerous visits we're going to be paying to Bagong Silang as part of a five-year partnership with Gawad Kalinga aimed at improving the health system in the barangay. Our mission was to educate the kids a bit about healthy habits. 

           I loved every bit of the trip. It takes a bit more than an hour going to Bagong Silang from Ateneo via jeep. (Ateneo provided us with three jeeps, so there quite a bit of leg room. Ateneo also provided snacks for us and the kids!) Thankfully, the jeep ride was fun fun fun. We sang songs the whole time!
           
          When we arrived, we were split into three groups and given a small tour around the barangay. Bagong Silang looks like your typical semi-rural Philippine area, with tiny streets and bunched-together houses.

           When we got back from our small tour, it was time to get started with the program we prepared for the kids. We met them in an adorable little purple-colored room, and I'd say there were roughly thirty of them. At first it was pretty awkward, because they were all hunched up in a corner while we, their ate's and kuya's, were all standing around them. Eventually Cheryl, Mico and AC asked them to sit down and line up so we could begin introducing ourselves. 

           AC introduced us as Health Sciences freshmen from Ateneo de Manila. When he said that, I had a thought: when these kids retell this event in the future, we, all the girls and boys from Block XX, are going to referred to as "taga-Ateneo." I'M going to be referred to as a taga-Ateneo. At that moment, we were Ateneo. We were bringing the name of our school, on our shirts, on our ID's, in our words and our actions, and it scared me a little. 

           It was the first time I was ever bringing the Ateneo name outside my school. When I go home to the dorm, or to back to CDO, I'm still just one among many students from Ateneo. But there in Bagong Silang I was part of this whole community known for its excellence, passion, service. I felt pressured to be more, to do more. Magis. 
           
        I don't want to write about what happened in detail, because my writing skillz will never do justice to all the beautiful things I witnessed that day. So, to make up for my linguistic deficiencies, here are some of my favorite photos from that day. Credit goes to Albert and Tin!
Isn't this picture just so beautiful? :D This was taken during the Doctor Goes to the Hospital game. Credits: Albert Song
That's me with a less-than-beautiful expression on my face as I get to know some of the kids on my team.
From left to right,  that's Junior (black shirt), Warren, John Mark, and Jo Mari, four awesome boys who helped deliver victory to the blue team during the Doctor Goes to the Hospital game! :D Go Team!
Cheryl and I make the dorkiest "bahay" ever during the Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo game. That's Reynalyn, the "baboy", who remained cool and calm despite our (my) dorkiness. 
Snack tiemz! Alessi and her kids had fun making a water bottle tower, while... 

...Jules, Deo, and their kids raise their bottles in a toast. Jules is an awesome kuya, by the way!
Best Kuya Award goes to Karl Duque! While he did play favorites with Eloisa (pictured) and Andrew (beside Eloisa), he was still so warm and nice to everybody in the room. ಥ_ಥ

Block XX meets Bagong Silang. I absolutely cannot wait until we go back! (Photo by Tin!)
 (Just a few more things: After the wonderful wonderful XXposure trip, we went to the Ateneo High School fair, rode the defective Octopus in which Pat, AC, and I got stuck at the top, and hit the bouncy castle and inhaled bouncy gas. Jeth obtained a goldfish. I got a cool hat.)

           In hindsight, I wonder what difference our little trip to Bagong Silang made in the lives of those kids. We all had fun, we all got lollipops, but then what? Did we bring about any real change in them? I will never know the answer. I'm just really glad that there will be more chances to do so in the future, as a Health Sciences major. As an Atenean. As a Filipino.

Comments

  1. UnknownSunday, January 30, 2011

    ಥ_ಥ grabe aims

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aimee CapinpuyanSunday, January 30, 2011

    thanks for the chicken head, by the way ಥ_ಥ

    ReplyDelete
  3. CherylMonday, January 31, 2011

    I like this post. ಥ_ಥ

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aimee CapinpuyanMonday, January 31, 2011

    I like your super awesome program and koala tea leadership skillz, Cher Bear. ಥ_ಥ

    ReplyDelete
  5. CaitThursday, February 03, 2011

    Hey Ach, how come you rode the Octopus there but not in the annual KetKai Carnival? Were you not a wuss this time?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aimee CapinpuyanThursday, February 03, 2011

    The Space Shuttle has given me guts o' steel.

    ReplyDelete

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