My Christmas All Year Round

during Christmas season, i always find time to look back for the year that has been and enumerate the many blessings that God has bestowed on me.
it always amazes me to realize how blessed i am.
and if those blessings be equated to some monetary value, i bet no banker could come up with the amount
or if one comes up with the amount, i will surely be the richest person alive! :)

this year has been my best so far; i have been given a lot of opportunities to grow.
i have journeyed far and near.
i went to places and i was also able to go within.
everything has been generously given by the Almighty.
what i find the most interesting was, God made partners with a lot of people to make me feel His love for me,they are in the form of human angels: family, friends and new found families and friends during my travels through SSEAYP.

i could recall that during bus rides to institutional visits, i find time to reflect
those reflections always make me cry
those tears are out of elation for the bliss that i have experienced in my life, especially for this year
i cannot help but to wonder, do i deserve all these?
but thinking that the God is so gracious, He makes things worthy for us to have; i then stop asking and just enjoy and savor whatever i have.

truly, i am blessed. i will not elaborate on that, those who know me will no doubt attest to such. :)
my Christmas prayer is, for God to bless those have shown to me the spirit of the Season all year round.
may He bless my family and friends who have been there; their love for me made all things possible.
their joy is to see me realize my dreams. they share my ups and downs as well.
indeed they are jewels worth keeping for a lifetime, and for eternity, if time permits:)

i am blessed with the 37th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program where i was able to meet more than 300 young people across Japan and ASEAN, youths who share the same aspiration with me and that is no less - create the best world we all deserve.

through the program, i was able to have new sets of wonderful families who inspired me to have one of my own.
these families considered me like their own. i never felt i was a stranger to them even on our first meeting.
i am truly blessed to have families in the countries we have visited, a family that is not defined by the time we have spent together but by the special bond we have developed.

i had also meaningful encounters with new friends, they were the ones who have shown warm hospitality to us when we were in their communities. their interactions and assistance meant a lot!

could you blame me if i would assert that it has been a Christmas to me all year round? ^^
surely, Christmas spirit has been manifested into my life way before the Christmas day.
i hope we all realize that we do not need Christmas season to show how we value and love each other.
if you only choose to be a blessing to others everyday, you can!
i can then imagine how beautiful this world will be.
may we never forget the essence of celebrating Christmas, upholding the value of Love through selfless giving just what the Father did:)
Merry Christmas to us all!
malou

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Homestay Lessons

i want to believe that the heart of SSEAYP is the homestay program in the countries of the ports of call.
nothing beats the direct immersion in a home in learning the culture of people and the society where they live in.

i am deeply overwhelmed by my homestay experiences. thus, i feel the need to share this with others.
oh by the way, i want to share that i keep a journal on this SSEAYP journey but i always fail to update it during homestays. well, it is not that i am too busy, that i do not have time to jot down what happened on those days and what my insights were, but is more on my fear - i was afraid not to give justice to the experiences and encounters i had for no amount of words could encompass what my heart truly feels. but then again, here i am, trying to put together words to at least give others a picture of my overwhelming experiences in the countries i have visited. :)

In Japan, where my first homestay was, i have learned hospitality. My foster mom has been a host to more than a hundred foreigners visiting Japan. She never ceases to offer her home to strangers.

In Malaysia, i have learned kindness and sincerity. The family that took us was not actually the original family assigned to us but they were just too kind to bring us back to their home together with the two male PYs (Participating Youths) they already have. They let us experience Malaysian culture in the best way they can and they never made us feel we are less favored. They treated us equally and they have loved us unconditionally.

In Thailand, i have learned love and the importance of time for the family. My family inspired me more to build my own. My foster parents always give top priority to their family even if they have their own preoccupations. My younger sister realizes how blessed she is and that she develops a very good disposition in life. At 10, i cannot believe that my sister Mint, thinks maturely; at some point, even matured than i do.haha

In Indonesia, I learned sisterhood, enthusiasm towards life and love for learning. My family together with my two other mothers went out their way to bring us around, we had a lot of exchanges on the car while waiting in the heavy traffic jam.those delays have been a blessing for us to have a lot of time to get to know each other more and learn from each other's differences and similarities.

In Singapore, I have learned patience and faith. My family might have a couple of preoccupations but they still manage to make things work for their children. In everything that they do, what they have in mind is what's good for their children, special concerns are being dealt with accordingly. By the way, this is the only country that i was able to visit a church and i am just so happy about it.

In Vietnam, I have learned friendship, adventure and importance of community. Truly, things are a lot better when done with a group. I appreciate it very much when people pull their resources together, go out their way to make things possible for us.

Looking back, I cannot deny that i am so blessed. Sometimes i am still crazy to ask whether i deserve such bliss or not. It leaves me on recalling how have i dealt with others, was i this good enough to deserve the outpour of blessings? But, yes, this is all from God, i should not be questioning in the first place.

I am a whole lot better person with this whole trip. Truly, no amount of priceless gifts can match the TIME consciously devoted by my foster families just to let me and my homestay sisters fit in on their very busy schedules.

May God unceasingly bless them all. Amen.

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37th SSEAYP Journey: Test of Faith and Character

When I started working to meet my quota, I was already claiming that I have it. I know that God will provide my needs. I do not have a job and I am really broke, but with my faith, I know I can pull things through. I thought it will just be a sort of walk-in-the-park-pursuit which all I have to do is to go to LGUs, explain about SSEAYP and highlight that I am one of the 28 youth ambassadors to the program and that’s it, I have the money I needed to raise. That is just my biased imagination, but it did not happen the way I thought it will be.

My first visit to LGUs was something that left me really frustrated. Not only because my request was not granted but there are sad realities that were laid right before my very eyes. I have seen how some government employees treat the people who go to them for help. And I readily recalled what a SSEAYP batchmate posted on his status message: “you can tell an awful lot of things to a politician by the way his employees treat you.” And as I wait for my turn, I pray, I pray for the employees who are inattentive to the people’s needs, that at least they will lend their ears to them, even just for once.

I harbored ill feelings to those whom I have asked help from in the first week of the 35k-hunt, especially to the LGUs. I felt I deserve to be supported and why is it very hard to convince them? At some point I have asked myself, “do I really have to beg for something that I deserve?”. If an LGU wills to help me, they surely can. They can look for a budget for this. I am not only representing my city rather the region and country as a whole.

I actually felt bad when upon handing the letter; the secretaries would read it and right there and then they will give a decline for an answer. I felt it was too premature to judge my representation. I have not even been given the chance to speak. How then can I explain fully what the cause I am into? Could they at least listen? Yes, not having given much chance to be listened to before they make their decisions was something I called “foul”. It is very unfair, I thought.

The above incidents triggered me to ask help from others. I began to approach private individuals and private companies for sponsorships. My friends took the effort to extend help to me. Things were not easy at first but with the support I have, I was very positive that I can raise the money in no time.

There were days that I shed tears not because of disappointments rather of the bliss I felt within. The outpour of love, help and support was so overwhelming that I sometimes questioned, “do I deserve this?”. I cannot imagine how people can be so generous!

I would account all the experiences I have to God, I have felt Him and I have seen Him in the people whom I have encountered on this pursuit; those people who made it possible to reach my dream. Looking back, I realized now the beauty of the things that happened and did not happen. That everything did happen for a beautiful reason, that I am bound to become a better person out of this process.

It was not easy for me to get that quota, when it could be possible to have it in a snap like my other batchmates, because I have to learn patience, perseverance, especially faith in God. Had I gotten the 35k easily from an LGU, I might have deprived myself of witnessing the sincere little acts of the people around. I might be too overwhelmed by the 35k from the LGUs that I will not be able to appreciate the little acts that people do for me. But thank God, I experienced the other way, I am much grateful with what I went through.

I have realized how it is important to be listened to. I recalled now those people I have encountered, they might have felt they were deprived to speak up and to be listened to, because they were not given the venue. I am inspired to listen more and talk less this time. I might not know, what others need is just to be listened to, just like what I have experienced.

It also dawned on me that though my cause is important, and I feel it is something huge, there are also pressing needs at hand, like mothers lobbying for help from LGUs for their children who are battling for their lives, elderly who asks for medical assistance, and so on, who, for me, need attention and fast action from the government as compared to me. This quota can wait.

I have been used to giving, that is why I find it hard to ask from others. And now I have learned the beauty of asking, admitting that I do not have much and that I need others to fill in the deficiencies I have.

God’s goodness, the people’s generosity, the outpour of love and support, the contagious goodness of people cannot be encompassed in an essay or reflection. I wanted to write something that will give others the idea on how it is and how it impact me, transforming me to become a better person, but I guess it is not meant to be felt through reading my story, it is meant for one to experience it to appreciate the beauty of it all.

I will leave Bacolod for SSYEAP with much bliss, so much that I can hardly contain. I did not know how much I am loved until I went through this recent process. God knows how much I am thankful of each person who made all this possible. Yes, reaching a dream is difficult, but if you have people who help you achieve it, it is like getting a guava fruit from its tree.

P.S. thank you Bago City, my hometown, for the support :) kudos to our officials.

thank you University of St. La Salle for rallying behind my back.

truly, God is seldom early but He is never late, and through these intitutions, much of my quota was realized :)
friends, i cannot thank you enough; i can only ask God to bless you unceasingly. thank you!

Thank you Lord, I know you truly love me.

malou :)

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37th SSEAYP Journey: My baby steps

SSEAYP: Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program

2007, I was an exchange student in South Korea, taking up Korean studies, when a roommate shared with me her dream of joining SSEAYP. I did not realize why she is that thrilled to share with us about her dream until I checked it in the web and there, when I learned about the program, it was a love-at-first-sight-encounter, yes; I readily fell in love with it.

2008, I came home to the Philippines bringing that dream to apply for the program but I did not act on it yet. I have taken some career moves and was working in getting my old life back; a lot had changed since I left the country and I have to iron things out to gain stability.

2009, I landed the kind of job I have always hoped to have, the one inclined to helping the children and the youth. At the same time, I enrolled in law school thinking that one of the best ways to help people in the community is to know their rights.

2010, I claimed that it will be a great year for me. I took a concrete step to realize my SSEAYP dream. I guess when you think the time is right, you just heed on. I went through the application process, the nitty-gritty. Waiting for the result was something I never want to go through again. Truly, waiting for something and not knowing to do because everything else will be dependent on the result, is just so difficult to bear. That time, I was attending classes; my University through our Dean has been so supportive of this pursuit to the point that they just allowed me to attend classes even without enrolling until I would know the result.

I was 100% percent ready to succeed and equally ready to fail. Yes, I prepared for both scenarios; best and worst. I have learned much from waiting; after all it is more than a wait. It was more like a very enriching experience that honed me to become a better person.

And I am very much relieved upon knowing that I made it. Indeed, the waiting proved to pay off. I cannot thank God for bringing me a step closer to that once seemingly distant dream. I am elated to know that it is finally within reach.

I and the other 27 youths representing all the regions of the country, and our National Leader, have finally met during the scheduled 10-day Pre-Departure Training (PDT) in Manila. I cannot contain the bliss I feel meeting such great people! Funny thing was, upon learning what everyone is doing in their respective communities or organizations, the things they have initiated and accomplished, I then questioned myself why I was there. I truly admire my kabagis and our Mommy Jing.

The PDT gave a clear idea on what to expect and what to do during the SSEAYP proper. Simulations and sharing of SSEAYP experiences, initiated by the PDT team together with the help of the PPY’s of Batch 2009, made it a lot easier for us to understand the beauty of the whole program.

On the PDT, I have refuted some of the things I have heard from others. Most of the people have this notion that SSEAYP is all about talent shows and tour. The program is too far to fall on those notions, for if it were, we need not go through the rigorous process of PDT and other steps there is to be a Philippine Participating Youth (PPY).

On a personal note, my experiences on PDT taught me to listen. For someone who talks a lot like me, listening is usually (though unconsciously) taken for granted. I have acknowledged that everyone in the group has something good to share and for me to hear that, I have to give way. I have learned the beauty of compromise that I have to sometimes bend to blend. Now more than ever, one has to act in consonance with the group, it is all about the team; the beauty of oneness shines the brightest.

My Pangkat Sulo (our Batch name), is all worth the sacrifices I have made and the opportunities I have let go. I can feel the warmth of love we all share. We draw inspiration from each other. That is why it was emotionally difficult for us to go back to our respective places after the PDT. On a lighter note, I went home with full of hope for a better Philippines because I have just met real people who strive to make a difference in their own concrete ways towards nation building. I feel blessed that I was affirmed, truly, we have all the reasons to look forward to a Philippines that we all deserve.

And the real challenge has just begun when we started to raise funds for our group. As I write now, I am still on the process of meeting my quota. I am very optimistic that I can raise the money needed but positivism isn’t enough at times. Going to LGUs and approaching private companies and individuals for the financial assistance is never easy. I sometimes want to cry out of frustration when upon reading my letter; decline is all in there for an answer. I even wonder why it is so difficult for the LGUs to give support for such a program like this. Questions started to flood me until I pacified myself by this thought: “Everything has to go through a process. You cannot get things in a snap.” This calls to mind the waiting-for-the-SSEAYP-result-scene; again the virtue of PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE are impressed upon me.

I know it could have been made a lot easier for us BUT if it were, we will never see the beauty of this all. This is meant to bring out the best in us and I will not deprive myself of the learning I can get out of this.

The previous batches are our inspiration, they made it, no doubt we will too! This is just the start, quitting is never an option for us.

PANGKAT SULO, KEEP THE TORCH BURNING!

malou

08/28/10

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Hopeless Case?

we are all ambassadors of the country, whatever we show, how great or worst may it be, is reflected to our country.
not everyone in the world have visited and stayed in the Philippines to have a clear picture of who we are as a people, most often they make the Filipinos they encounter as their basis as to who we are and what kind country do we have.
i am quite bothered by how we act on the crises that we face and how we handle the misfortunes of our fellowmen.
we have grown so expressive of what we feel, that we just blurt our thought on that certain moment without realizing its impact to us all.
the technology should work for us and should not be the other way around.
in just a click away, everybody knows our lot.
i am not saying that we always put up a good image even to the point of concealing the reality. no, i am not for that.
what i am trying to say is, yes, we acknowledge what happened and we readily act on it. should we clamor, we have to be responsible to offer solutions for it.
what is happening now is that, the exchanges we have on the different social networking sites create a hopeless mood enveloped by mistrust, disappointment, disgust and even fury.
we are Filipinos, we are resilient and we sure can surpass this like any other major adversities we faced in the past.

it is my prayer that we choose to foster a feeling of hope rather than entertaining an array of negative feelings that creates no good to us as a nation.
should we just allow ourselves to be drowned by shame, humiliation and anger which was triggered by the incompetence of some authorities? we should not.
why should we allow negative feelings creep in our systems? you may have forgotten, we have some other thousand better options, let's choose it.

we are Filipinos for a reason. one thing is certain to me, we are not here to put this country into shame. please do your share.
you are looking forward to a BETTER PHILIPPINES huh? it's time to translate that hope into action by starting IN YOU the change you want to see. now, if all you know is to clamor, you DO NOT REALLY have the right to demand and expect something good.

if you are ashamed of our lot, of being a Filipino, of having to live here: then you can just leave the country anytime.

we do not need people who drag us rather than boost us.

yes, there was a crisis yesterday brought about by the desolate hostage-taker who was dealt by the incompetent police, to which the whole scene was covered by insensitive media, which surprisingly showed how the oblivious bystanders swarmed the area because there was no crowd contol. tskk..tsk..tsk.. your negative feelings are valid, but for now, the best move is to move forward. let's bring the learning we have from this and make this a better nation.
God bless the Philippines and the Filipinos!

Lou

08/24/10

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