Zoom, blag, done.

A reflection on our camping in SPD 506

Some things were just too wonderful that we not allowed to experience it in a pleasurably slow way. Rather, these things happen in agonizing brevity. Like falling in love, for example. But this is not about falling in love. I’m talking about the camping that we had for SPD 506 last September 24-26.

The camping that we did for SPD 506 was something unexpected. It came when I was really feeling dorky about work and home and school. Lots of things had been going on in all those areas that I feel like I really have to do something about it. I was high-strung and I just needed something to slacken my too taut nerves. The camping served as that badly needed break. The process of going there was not exactly that relaxing, however, as I am about to tell you.

The weekdays before that were too busy with a lot of things to do in school, including the overseeing of the third year contestants in declamation and oration for the Literary Contest. As fate would have it, the Lit-Mus fell on the first day of our camping, of course. So, I wasn’t able to go with the bus with the whole gang of my groupmates and classmates and schoolmates on it. Because the boss said so.

Let me elaborate.

September 24-26, 2009 are the days set for our camping.

September 24, Lit-Mus at school and left for camping at 12 noon with Fr. Noli and Atty. And Mrs. Teodosio and Ma’am Regie Saison.

Rewind to one day before.

September 23, 2009.

The morning of September 23, 2009 was spent training two kids for the Lit-Mus. Note, only one of them is technically my charge. The other one’s abandoned. The afternoon was spent trying to ask Peace on Earth to let me go the following day. Can’t, the Lit-Mus is tomorrow, she said. O-kay. And oh, I also had to convince Miss Cash Division to please let me have a cash advance because I have nothing to spend for the weekend’s activity. Thank goodness she allowed me to have one. Late evening I spent trying to contact Fr. Noli at San Jose Catholic Church. I even went there when I couldn’t contact him and was received by a too-condescending security guard. Haay. Left Father a note (he’s calling it a love letter) saying in essence “Pads, please do text me, here’s my number; or else, I’ll be feeling really sorry for myself if I’m left here in Iloilo City. Huhuhu.”

God is indeed kind and merciful. So is Father. He let carpool with them (Atty. Wence and Ma’am Amy Teodosio and Ma’am Regie) to Jamindan. It was a nice drive. They were all very nice people although the conversation on the way was mostly griping on how this camping would be relevant to teaching children with special needs. I couldn’t exactly agree, since I still didn’t know what would happen.

So anyway, after taking a break (coffee break for the others, lunch break for Ma’am Amy and me) in Capiz (Dao or Dumarao I’m not so sure anymore), we continued to Jamindan and finally, there we were, in Camp Peralta. At first, I thought I was in Baguio for my first impression of the place was that it looked and felt like the Philippine Military Academy, what with its vastness and the military air about it. The terrain, however, reminds me of the hills of Davao City –crisscrossing roads here and there, much like the way up to Jack’s Ridge.

Now that I’m actually writing about it, I’m recalling a lot of things about the camping – the zip-lining experience was the most unforgettable although the zip from the tower to those mattresses (ugh, buttresses!) only felt like .00005 seconds.

I was being harnessed, I was forced to say “Mae Sheilou Conserva, ready to die,” I was shouting, I was stepping off the wooden platform and ZOOM, green and blue blur, and then BLAG, I smacked into the blue and white striped mattresses. That’s it! It’s done. As much as my groupmates was saying that I looked fascinating, that my form was gorgeous (this is an actual quote, okay? I just forgot who said it), I wasn’t really that ready to jump up and down in excitement. I mean, that was it? Perhaps this is one of those moments you would wish to playback in slow motion. Haay, if only.

Aside from that, the nature trek was also the most challenging of all the nature treks that I have done since I was a girl scout in elementary up to my Silak adventures in college. I’m so proud of myself because I didn’t have asthma during, immediately after, and long after the camping was done and I was already home and comfortable. Thank you, Lord!

The whole thing was just like my zip-lining gig. Everything was wonderful, yet it all zooms by in a flash that you really would wish it to be like watching a DVD with adjustable playback speed settings. If it were so, I’d play it real nice and slow.