Just A Thought: Life is Simple.

Life is Simple.

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“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but that ocean would be less because of that missing drop” ~Mother Teresa

The Mission

The immersion for the Aeta Community of Tarlac has always been one of the SSpS sisters mission in extending themselves for the betterment of those who are in poverty for many years. Teachers, students, and some alumni of the SHS Community volunteered for the experience last June 2-4, 2014.

We journeyed unto the unknown with giant back packs on our backs, boxes of goods in our hands, and load full of smiles, excitement, and new found friendship.

The mission in reality has always been for the betterment of the Aeta Community but none of us who joined knew that it will make us better individuals for ourselves and for society.

The Journey

A group of eleven students, nine teachers, two alumni, together with Sr. Evelia (SSpS), left the school grounds at exactly 5:45AM on the 2^nd of June 2014, riding a school bus shuttle all the way to Solid North Bus Lines in Cubao.

The bus left at exactly 7:00AM bound for Capas, Tarlac. It took two hours to reach our destination and we had to eat breakfast inside the bus where Solid North bus conductors were nice enough and helped us out in ordering our food.

The jeepney that took us to the convent of the SSpS in Patling, Tarlac waited at the drop off in Petron gas station at Capas. Before going to the convent, our group decided to pass by the city market to do some final shopping for the things we need atop the mountain.

It was a 30-minute ride from the city market to reach the home of the SSpS sisters. Sr. Maria Virgo, Sr. Sarah, and Sr. Flora together with two 4WD jeepneys with cargo carts were waiting for us in Patling,Tarlac ready to bring us at the foot of the mountain of Sitio Yangka. It was a 45-minute rough road ride through the vastness of volcano ash.

Cargo 4WDs waiting at SSpS Home in Patling, TarlacPhoto by Maika Anthoni

The ride in itself was breath taking, a magical place where destruction and rebuilding can clearly be seen. Despite the back breaking rough road, we were able to witness and pass through a place where volcano ash, long rivers, mountains, and trees all are intertwined together perfectly creating a beautiful landscape.

Truly, God is the best artist in the world.

Road less traveled by the SSpS sisters through rough terrainPhoto by Maika Anthoni

The unknown will always be there to push us to the test, from the foot of the mountain everybody was in for a surprise. It was drizzling when we got to the foot of the mountain of Sitio Yangka and everyone was thankful for this because of the task ahead.

We were all unprepared to do some mountain climbing through a 90-degree

steep path where we re-learned that we have arms and feet that can work

together. We were quadruped individuals all over again, where we had to feel

each step with our feet and hold on to soft-crumbling soil for our dear lives.

In that journey we all manage to trust again and have faith that every step

of the way will be unraveled to us and that we will eventually reach our

final destination.

Resting through like a boss.
Photo by Nina Gonzales

It was also amazing to see how well adapted our brothers and sisters were through this terrain where it seemed like they were just walking on pavement with three to four bags hanging on their backs, heads, and arms. Kids were also amazing that the climb seemed like a giant playground for them; where they were just enjoying themselves and having the time of their lives, still laughing and teasing each other. It was in fact a sight to see, all the pain from our legs through the climb seemed to have vanished because of awe

from our brothers and sisters.

Partly dehydrated, with hearts pounding, and with still enough positivity we were finally able to reach Sitio Yangka. It was around 12:30NN and when we got to the top of the mountain a line of boys and girls in their costumes with their ethnic instruments were already waiting, smiling, and congratulating us for reaching their community.

Welcoming the rookies of the mountain
Photo by Nina Gonzales

A ceremonial bonfire was lighted and each of us was instructed to do a short dance around the fire. This has been tradition for our Aeta brothers and sisters, so that the smoke will bless us and guide us in our missionfor their community. It was another wonderful sight to see and all the pain and dehydration from the climb seemed to just all go away and we wanted to immerse ourselves already unto this unknown path.

Settling

Once our group was able to set foot at Sitio Yangka we were sent to their “Stop House” to rest for a while. Sr. Sarah, the head of the SSpS for the Aeta mission, did not waste time in assigning us to our designated families. The group was divided by pairs and each pair was assigned to their respective families to whom they extended themselves and had a temporary home for the two-day immersion.

We all had the chance to get to know our family members before grabbing lunch and before doing our mission. While waiting for some of our luggage to get to us, we had the chance to share stories with our families; stories about their community and about our lives in Manila. We listened and learned new things; there was language barrier for some of our brothers and sisters but despite the differences, the non-verbal cues were enough to suffice what we all wanted to come across with.

The fear of the unknown somewhat turned into love and nothing was there but just the reassuring feeling that everything will be alright and He knows that you were able to reach that peak for a purpose.

2-Day Experience

On the first day of the immersion the students of SHSQC asked some of the children of the community to play games in their mini-school at the side of the mountain. The teacher who used to teach in their school left to get married in Mindoro. It is a sad fact that there are willing minds to learn but we lack capable and willing minds to teach. This may be caused by better opportunities down the mountain and/or abroad.

The first day of the immersion was spent with getting-to-know activities and settling to a new environment. Everyone in the community was excited to bring us to a new place for our second day. None of us knew that we were in for a surprise again.

Hide & seek among the crops.
Photo by Nina Gonzales

Gasak in their language is a farm of bananas and mango trees all rooted awkwardly at the edge of a mountain; together with the abundant trees they have rows and rows of root crops and other vegetables and fruits planted for their personal use and their business below the mountain.

We spent half an hour trekking this beautiful mountain pass where children of the community kept playing hide and seek with us and they made the rough terrain once again into a giant playground. Kids hung from trees jumped up and down them, ran through the trail barefooted, laughed and teased, asked to have their pictures taken---just plain enjoyment in their smiles. Once we got to the gasak it was another arduous trek for us to see the good view of the mountain.

Some of the members of the community shared with us that most days they spend in the gasak doing work. Doing heavy work that is, plowing the soil and planting new seeds is hard work more than we could imagine. It gave a sense of realization that the bananas we usually have in our kitchens have been rooted and planted somewhere by someone who spent days doing so.

It took us a shorter time to get back from the gasak because the trail was already familiar to us; when we got back the sisters of the SSpS: Sr. Sara, Sr. Flora, Sr. Evelia, Sr. Ma. Virgo, and Eva (Lay Missionary from Slovakia) had a feeding program readied for the community. They prepared rice and noodle soup for the whole community to eat and share with each other. After the feeding, the volunteer students of SHSQC had the chance to teach the children the basics of reading, writing, speaking, and coloring. They sang songs, laughed and enjoyed their remaining day with the children.

While the students were busy teaching, the teachers on the other hand were back in their own houses preparing macaroni and sausage soup for the feeding program in the afternoon. Preparing three giant pots of macaroni soup for everyone to share was a tiring task because of all the preparations but it was all worth it, because in our hearts we knew that we will make a lot of people full and happy.

Innocence.
Photo by Nina Gonzales

The last night was spent beautifully by the whole community. They have prepared a simple song and dance number for us while we also did some performances of our own. We spent the second night forming a group circle in front of a giant bonfire by the clearing of the mountain.

Everyone had the chance to introduce themselves, their families, and some memorable experiences they’ve had in Sitio Yangka. Students and teachers of SHSQC played some songs accompanied with a guitar. The night ended with a ceremonial dance around the bonfire while they played their own music using the guitar. The dances seemed easy to do but it wasn’t! The dances were a series of standing to squat positions suddenly dropping to the beat of the music and a whole lot of foot work!

Everything was perfect and Sr. Sarah ended the night with a speech and told us that, “Being in Sitio Yangka is not an accident; God has a plan and purpose for us being here. The climb was the hardest part but the lessons we’ve learned will remain with us forever.” She said that she was thankful for the volunteers who found it in their hearts to make time for our brothers and sisters in Sitio Yangka.

It was truly a night to remember, where direct silence was needed to hear everyone because no technology was available to project our voices, where singing and dancing with the guitar is the best thing in the world and that no one is there to judge if you were a lousy dancer or not.

Life as we know it rolled back and we are finally united once again; as one community we shared love through singing, dancing, and smiles.

Learnings

The hardship of toiling in the farm for bananas, root crops, and mangoes, picking dried woods from the mountains for cooking, making their own houses are one of the many tasks that our brothers and sisters were doing in the mountain.

Everyone has a purpose in the community and what one has is to be shared to everyone else. We were all back in time where ownership and envy were non-existent, where cooking using three flat stones as our gas range was the only available tool for eating, where electricity is non-existent and water is limited.

The sudden fast paced life of Manila was gone for a while and life went back to the very basic where time is none of everyone’s concern and that night and day are the only measure of new endings and beginnings. Life as we’ve gotten used to down the mountain is too different up there. Everyone in the community made us feel very welcomed, very well understood, and very loved.

It was also amazing to know that a lot of the members of the community have no idea what their ages are; how long have they been existing is none of their concerns. A sixty-year old man can still carry a sack full of bananas going down from a mountain with no sweat or a fifty-year old woman can still take care of her babies like it was her first time to nurture them.

All smiles at the edge of the mountain
Photo by Nina Gonzales

Stories and cups of coffee by the fire were the only available entertainment we had. Our brothers and sisters of the Aeta community were too fond of drinking coffee while smoking their dried tobacco (men and women alike). It was culture unraveling beautifully in front of our eyes.

A place where facebook and all other social media went down the drain and everyone was back to talking again, to sharing old memories, understanding each experiences, without judgment, only ears to hear and hearts to listen.

We might have taught them how to read, write, and speak but what they don’t know is that we have learned more from them more than they have from us. It was an experience that cannot only be drawn or written on paper but something worthwhile to be experienced firsthand.

It felt like time stopped for a quick moment and all we had to do was bask in this glorious occasion that we got to see that life can be simple again and that we need nothing but the company of ourselves and the people we love.

Just A Thought

Life is Simple.

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but that ocean would be less because of that missing drop” ~Mother Teresa

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