For many outdoor enthusiasts, summer is a season for beach bathing, out of town trips, hiking and meeting different people. But for me, all of these activities could be summarized in the context of an immersion camp. And that is Salesian Lay Volunteer Philippines’s (SLVP) bABBAd ’09. The SLVP, headed by Fr. Ramon Borja S.D.B. and Ms. Reggie Medalla as the Executive Officer, together with other volunteers, decided that bABBAd ’09 would be held at Brgy. Mabato, Calamba City Laguna, one of the upland communities that belong to the Parish of Mary Help of Christians, Mayapa. Brgy. Mabato is known for its coffee beans and breathe taking scenery.
May 16, 2009, at around 5:00 pm, right after our overnight pre-camp at Don Bosco Canlubang, we traveled for an hour and a half to reach our immersion site. It was already getting dark and our foster parents were still not in the Baranggay Chapel. So, the 2 S.K. kagawads decided to take us to our foster homes. The way to our foster homes already became a challenge for us. The rough and steep road, slowly enveloped by darkness, made it difficult for us to see our footholds. It took us about 30 minutes walk from the Baranggay Chapel to our foster home. Halfway through our strides, I, together with my buddy Gabby, a graduate of Don Bosco Sta. Cruz, met our foster mother, Mrs. Tonet Laurel and her only child, Emmanuel. She approached us with a smile and led us to their home. While she was leading us to their home, she immediately introduced herself and her son, and we started getting acquainted with each other.
At last, we reached our foster home! The Barking of their dogs echoed and Nanay Tonet rushed forward for us to safely enter their home. As I sat down on their sofa, I realized how tiring that 30minutes was. Tired and hungry, Nanay Tonet prepared a squash soup with galunggong for our first dinner together. The squash soup tasted fresher compared to the squash soup from the city. One can savor the flavor very well in their cuisine, even if Nanay didn’t use MSG. After eating dinner, my partner and I decided to wash the dishes. But we have to conserve the water very well because they have no faucet. Their primary water source is the rain, while, they have to go down a steep hill to for drinking water. My foster father came late at night because he got stuck a bit in a Bingo game. He shared a number of funny stories that night; making us feel very welcome in their home.
After our light talk, it is time to sleep. They provided a mosquito net, a blanket and a covered pillow for each of us. Both beddings smell newly bought. That night, I felt not just the Filipino hospitality, but the warm welcome of having acknowledged us as one, or two, of their family members.
The next morning I woke up to the cock’s crow, with the cool breeze still rushing through my veins, giving me Goosebumps. This was my very first time to see my surroundings, since we arrived dark the other day. I lived in a 2 storey, cement founded house with a window made of “capiz” in the front and right sides. It was then that I realized that it was only our foster home that stood within the area. That morning, I tasted their home made brewed coffee, with beans fresh from their backyard that serves as their small coffee plantation.
In the following days, I was able to get used to their way of living such as long distance walks, somehow I was able to chop wood, the tiring up and down hill walks just to take a bath and fetch drinking water. All these and many simple things made me be one of with the community, and a brother and friend to my fellow ka-bABBAds. We became one with the community because every time we passed by somebody, they would not hesitate to give us a smile, a smile which signifies that we are very much welcome in their place; a place not just for an immersion, but a place where you can return to every time you want to… a HOME.
It was definitely sad that the 5 days of being with them has gone through very quickly. But it the time has come for us to process ourselves as to what learning we have acquired during the 5 days of stay with the community of Brgy. Mabato. The processing took place at Bulabod, Puerto Galera, in a private beach resort with a mesmerizing view of the sea and sky, a perfect way for us to recollect our experiences of Baranggay Mabato.
To sum it up, bABBAd ’09 made me realize how generous and hospitable Filipinos are. We share with the ones we acknowledge as friends and family, and sacrifice for the ones we love. For 5 days we were able to become part of the community who have shared and sacrificed much for us. That sacrificial love, expressed in the daily lives of the people of Baranggay Mabato has captured my heart, not as an immersionist, but as a fellow Christian, whose goal in immersing with a community is to be in deeper communion with Abba, our Father and Creator.
No comments:
Post a Comment