October 30th, 2006

Lots of new things happened to me this weekend. And one of the highligthts is the teambuilding I had last Saturday. The activity was titled "Self-Exploration Through Outdoor Activities," which was organized for the Star Scholars batches 6-8. This is actually my fourth teambuilding activity under the AIM for the Stars program of the SDO (now part of SLIFE), so I already had expectations on what we will be doing. However, what we actually did was far from what I've imagined.

The day started out normally. We assembled at the South Gate at 6am, had breakfast in the bus, met the new Star Scholars (froshies), and dozed off on the way to Tagaytay. But when we arrived to the place, all of us were shocked at what we saw. Structures with lots of ropes and wires and poles, some of which rose to above 50 feet. Of course at first, we thought that those weren't the ones for us. That was until we were oriented on what we were to do. The first thing we were told to do is wear the safety gear (harness and other stuff). It was confirmed. We're gonna die!

The following are some of the activities that we did. You do know what a Meralco post looks like, right? Well, we kinda climbed one of them, about 40 feet tall. Then we would stand on top of it (the base was just enough for my two feet). Maintaining balance is very difficult considering these factors: a) you are 40 feet above the ground. b) you're feet are shaking like hell! and c) the wind is quite strong up here! The challenge is to leap forward and reach a rope which is about six feet from the pole!

The next activity was done in pairs. Imagine three tall posts with thick wires tied to it 40 feet above the ground, forming a Y-shape. We would again climb two posts up to the 40 feet mark. Then, we would walk on the thick wires, meet at the center, then go to the third post at the same time. This was even more difficult, not to mention really frightening. Before climbing, each one of us would say our final will, just in case we don't make it back alive! Hehe...

After a few more activities, the big finale was the wall climbing. Quite easy one might think. But there's a catch. We would climb the 50-foot wall in groups of three. We are all tied together by a rope (which means it's was not meant to be a race). And lastly, one of us has to be blindfolded!!! Our task was to climb up together and then rapel downwards! This activity was the most difficult of all. My toes even cramped up in the middle of the climb.

At the end of the day, we were all tired. Sobrang bugbog talaga yung katawan namin. Bilad pa kami sa araw kaya nangitim kaming lahat. But after it was all done, there was a sense of fulfillment, a boost of self-esteem, and a much more confident person in each one of us. The activity tested our limitations, that you could actually do things that you never thought you could do. It was such a great feeling. Also, once you're way up there above the ground, a whole new perspective of thinking comes into play. You start thinking about how important your life is, how the simple things in life are taken for granted. It also helped to think happy thoughts once you're face to face with your fears. We also realize how we can always work better as a team, as long as you trust each other faithfully. That is the most important lesson we picked up from this activity, which I could say was the best teambuilding activity I ever had.

After the teambuilding, my day wasn't over. We got back to DLSU at 7pm. Then, Edgar and I went straight to Pisay to watch the concert that Batch 2007 organized. I have a special bond with this batch since I was a Big Brother of one of the sections (my beloved Ruby 07). I promised them that I would go to the concert, so I did despite my body aching all over! Great bands like Paramita, Up Dharma Down, Giniling Festival, Datu's Tribe, and Urbandub performed. But it was still my bond with Ruby 07 that brought me back to Pisay that Saturday night, and it was probably the last time that I went to Pisay with me still knowing some students there. I really miss my senior year in high school, which until now, I consider to be the best days of my life.=)