A Dialogue with Life
by Erika Blanche E. Gocuan, 3rd Year  Student

We, the first & second batch of Juniors from Sacred Heart School-Hijas de Jesús had our exposure / immersion activity called “A Dialogue with Life” last January 22 & 29, 2010

Our day started early, we assembled in the school grounds & at 7am left for the rural town of Catmon, in the northern part of Cebu. We arrived there in three brightly colored jeepneys, carrying everything from pots and pans to sun block lotions and cellular phones- anything to help us survive in the uncertainties that lay ahead. We had a pretty good idea of what we would face: poverty, lack of supplies and facilities and an endless sea of green. The moment we arrived, I thought to myself: “This is EXACTLY what I expected.” Little did I know that I was wrong. What I first thought to be a community of uncivilized simpletons turned out to be more civilized than many people I know. The whole community seemed as though it were one big family with an air of camaraderie that was hard to ignore. Even if I only spent a day there, I felt as though I had become a part of their family too.

Each of us was assigned to a specific family, either in pairs or in groups of three. I happened to be assigned to the household of a shy, yet humble and hardworking woman whom I will only call by the name Tita Arlene. She had five children, but we got to know only three & they were Generous, Kathyleen and Chris John. We shared in the toils these people have to face in their everyday lives. We cooked using firewood, we cleaned using water we had to fetch from a source far away and we also had to help watch over the children. All these may be burdensome tasks, but we never complained, because somehow, the knowledge that these people had to go through all these things every single day made us open our world to another reality at the same time be thankful to God for the many blessings we have taken for granted oftentimes.

The experience may be short-lived but it has made me stop, think & ask myself, “What do I really want to achieve in life? Beyond comfort & security I realized that I like to make the world a better place not only for myself but for as many people as possible since each one is precious in God’s eyes & we all belong Him. We form His one big fragile but important family.