A Collective Experience
That was mid-August particularly on the 12th to 14th. There was fun, stronger friendship, and encouraging challenges. That was the field trip fulfilled with gratitude from everyone else’ thanks…
In order to understand more what you have studied, there must be a need to integrate yourself to your subjects. This is what some of the people would say just as you need to get out of the four corners of the classroom to learn more of the relevant emotions to get. The trip to Tobabao, Guiuan was an ideal place to integrate with the masses that are away from the busy streets of Tacloban. Even before the field trip, I saw it as an opportunity to serve as my stepping stone to start my research career. I think that it is too early to give thanks to everyone but anyway, what had happened throughout the trip was unforgettable.
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| Stop at Silogan along Guiuan Coast for a breakfast |
It might be a little too hassle that we actually deprived our self from sleeping the night before the fieldtrip because we probably want to enjoy the fun before departing from Tacloban. We had good communication with my group mates at the Student Lounge and at Zilog where we made a transcript to our research topic. Though we were a little bit late in departing from the campus as we still went to fetch our two classmates who were late all the way from their respective boarding houses, the fun during the travel was at worth considering that we all who paid were complete.
After a long travel which I spent all through sleeping, the food stop in Silogan was very much worth the cause. We had this very sumptuous breakfast beside the shore of Guiuan. They had this large piece of chicken, a pair of hotdog, and rice which fully occupied the packed meal. Right after the breakfast was the moment of buying goods for the following breakfasts in the island. Oh, well, it is actually our group which was given the task to figure out the menu for breakfast and which is assigned to buy some of it at Guiuan public market. Looking out for danggit, fresh eggs, and canned goods in their market was actually the challenged that took us a little late to depart from BFAR site to Tobabao Island, somehow a 30-minute ride from Guiuan proper.
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| Waiting for the pumpboat after a tiring market 'tour'! |
Travelling towards our venue island through riding in a “baluto” or the “lantsa” was very new to me. That was actually the first ever experience that I traveled the sea not through big ships. That was definitely unforgettable given that I fear travelling by seas much specially when heavy rains pour and you were facing rough waves below dark skies. Anyway, I see an encouragement though to my group mates who were also sharing giggles and poses from random digital picture taking despite being exhausted from roaming around Guiuan’s market.
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| Yehey! My first time ride in a pumpboat :) |
As we were almost at Tobabao Island, few of my classmates with some of our faculties who joined the trip crowded the shed where the “lantsa” is destined to stop. With my two bags, one gray sling bag and a black hand carry bag, I walked from their port to their barangay hall where all of my classmates who arrived before us stayed. As the long road enjoyed my heavy footsteps, I came out to realize that there is something that the place wants to tell me. I notice the silence, the splash of the waves along the shore, the gushing wind that clashes the leaves of the trees, the chuckles of kids playing along the way that around 10 in the morning, and all those enlightening moments that were enough to disturb my mind that the place where I visited was no longer a busy, noisy place of Tacloban, but in fact, a calm, refreshing island of Tobabao.
I felt the weary faces of my classmates as I entered the Barangay Hall. I could not have imagined how some of them happily gathered around a long table with cards spread on top, some sat beside each other on a sofa which tiredness closed their eyes. Some even managed to spread themselves on the floor using a carton as a mat to protect their back from dirt. All the bags were put on top of another in one corner. At the kitchen adjacent to the barangay hall were all of the busy women from the barangay cooking our food for lunch. Given the condition that greeted upon my entrance of the hall, it planned me to stay outside the windows sitting on the cement. That was even better to escape myself from the tight space inside the hall. The silence of the environment makes me think to take a nap that time but given no clear seat to sit on, I was still able to please myself in regenerating energy after being hackneyed. Later on, Sir Nival, our Philosophy instructor in the university began to talk with one of my classmates seated near to me outside which caught my interest to listen as well. One question was about whether or not we have freedom which can be immediately followed up by asking on whether we believe in God or not. To discuss this is something which I believe to leave it to some philosophical matter. Anyway, there were a lot of intellectual discussions bombarded to us who listened in him until we had our sumptuous lunch.
Then afternoon came when we first armed ourselves to be ready to our respective barangays for an interview given our different topics. We had San Antonio as the barangay next to Trinidad, the barangay where we stayed in. It was a matter of sacrificing walk from the slippery stones that embossed on the pathways. It took us almost an hour to arrive at the barangay hall. We had a tricky experience as where to confront their Kapitana. Anyway, their barangay captain was good enough to answer the questions that we offered even if it looks like she lack the confidence of giving conviction to her every words in related to her governance. Finally we had this snack time with her. Just some sip of coke and pieces of biscuit is enough. That was even funnier when I accidentally spilled my little remaining soft drink.
Feeling what we have done was all right, we finally head our way back to Brgy. Trinidad. We were actually the first group who arrived. It was in the elementary school that we stayed. So the set up was about arranging the chairs with our own little ways of effort to come out an arrangement that will suit ourselves for the sleep. Everyone from the room, who were all my group mates, all boys, was noisy that moment. I never took a notice about what detailed happened since I automatically fell on my brain child connected elementary chairs that will serve as my bed. Then heavy rain poured.
As evening arrived, we went on our way back to the barangay hall for the dinner. Happy dinner it was when we had sharing about our experiences to the respective barangays that we had visited. After we had the dinner, it was expected that some of us were about to take some casual drink of liquor. I was invited but I neglected and choose to sleep early that night.
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| An interview to one of the residents of Brgy. San Juan |
Day 2 came. It was Saturday for our remaining two barangays that awaits our presence for an interview. We had San Juan to visit first together with the other group from our class. We decided to take the “lantsa” for 20.00 for the convenience from trekking the slippery road.
When we ended our interview session with the barangay captain and with some of the residence of their area, we made a consensus to take a walk way back to Trinidad instead of riding again on the “lantsa”. We just enjoyed our long walk along the green environment with entertaining talks and songs. The next barangay we crossed was San Antonio which we decided to take some rest right on their basketball court. We had this experience when one person draws nearer to where we rested. He kept on insisting to make us go to his house for him to get interviewed after he asked why we were there in their barangay. After all the moment of dragging us towards his house, he left, and which we also left startled by that man as we started the long walk in going back to Trinidad.
The final barangay assigned for us is Trinidad, a little effort though since we had already enough knowledge to the barangay. So everything was all done for the data gathering of the research! It was all fun that comes right after that afternoon. We enjoyed ourselves right at the shed located at the end of their port. We had this long moment of taking pictures against each other. We had enjoyed about different poses even doing the well-known planking. We had fun in targeting different jelly fish. Finally we had discovered a snake under water which terrified most of us. No more attempt this time to target that snake. That was already almost completely evening when we marched our way again to the barangay hall for a dinner. It was completely fun to all of us as we forget our hassle walks between barangays in data gathering. We all gathered in one room playing different stuffs. Some get drunk; others turned fun matters to serious discussion, etc. But what matters all the most was that turning point of transforming our weariness to happiness.
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| The Pearl Island together with the pearly white dog! |
The following day, Day 3 was all about recreation. Bagonbanua was the name of the island next from Tobabao. It is surrounded by mangroves and one thing which I regretted the most, and that is when I failed to watch those giant clams under water. Some of my classmates experienced to watch it with full of awesome. Anyway, when we had that trip to Pearl Island was all the more refreshing, probably the best islet I ever had.
Packing up all the experiences was something more than beautiful words can explain. Almost everything I encountered that 3 days were new thus forever will treasure in my memory. This is what I appreciate too in political science. This is also what I am very thankful of.
