GK Student Trip 2009: Lasting Imprints of Life's Lessons

June 28, 2009, a pretty typical Sunday for me at all cost. Humid weather, cozy sounds of the 50's, 60's and 70's, heck I can even hear Engelbert Humperdinck's "Lonely Table Just for One" resonate through my ears one last time before I boarded off the cab that I was in. I was so engrossed in the monotony of the afternoon that I was basically clueless to what Gawad Kalinga, or GK was all about. Yes, it's about building houses, and indeed it's just plain charity work for me, or a mere week-long escape from the fangs of my technical cases at work.

At the student's welcome lunch buffet at Max's, I was astounded by the speech given by Mr. Tony Meloto, founder and head of GK. He spoke as if poverty was not a mere curse millions of Filipinos are trying to get off with. I usually am not one who easily gets swayed by speakers who mastered the art of conveying sweet nothings into a whole grain of salt so to speak, but what he said that day left an imprint on me. I became an instant fan of the man, and an advocate of his beliefs and works, but not for GK...at least not yet.

We arrived at the site (GK TELUS, Pook Masagana) together with 25 Taiwanese students sponsored by our company Trend Micro. I was enamored with the surroundings. One can easily distinguish what has been, what it is now, and what the other houses will be once everything is laid out. I never imagined that if people will have the political and moral will to implement changes, anything, even those seemingly impossible ones, can be done. I marvel at how the "Kapitbahayan" worked, much less how they bond as one family, and how eager they are to welcome us, despite the oblivious confusion that they seem to be in; after all, this is their first time to host a delegation as many as we are, not to add the fact that most of us will be fully immersed into their lives for the entire week.

Physical work was not a new thing for me. I've been through house building a couple of times but never before had I enjoyed carrying bricks, shoveling sand, digging excavations, and painting steel rail posts as much as I did for the entire week. Our friends from Taiwan were exceptionally strong, specially the women, who despite their fragile frame displayed agility and strength one can typically see from men if not from athletes. Doing this blue-collar work made me realize that I am lucky not to be doing this kinds of stuff, at least not everyday, and most of all, as my sole source of income. I learned that ranting about how hard life is for us is not right, for there are countless people who suffer an even sadder fate than what most of us probably have been and will be into.

Being with the village people created an instant bond between the students and their foster families. This explains why the day when they had to leave to go to the other site was a tear jerker for most if not all of the people in the site. It's hard not to be glued to each other, for you share almost everything, even just for a couple of days. It showed me the human spirit and the indomitable Filipino hospitality at its finest. It further stressed the cliche' that life is indeed so short that you better make the most out of it before time runs out.

As the tickling sound of my cell phone's alarm came into a halt, I was flat out on my back wondering how fast the days have been spent without me even thinking and merely wishing the week finally comes into an end, as we often do whenever we get stressed out at work. I am proud to say that I did not cry as I was leaving the site. It's not because I was not moved by the moment or of what had transpired during my entire week stay in there. In fact, I had to hold back the tears a couple of times but I guess I was more than convinced that a smile would be better off as my lasting image for my dear friends in there rather than those unconventional tears.

Indeed, life is full of trickery and mystery. You'll never know what's the value of something until someone or something makes your realize it. Poverty is indeed a big problem, and it doesn't take a blink of an eye to change everything However, accepting it as a problem is not the right way to deal with it for as they say it in GK, "alleviation is not the answer but eradication"

Being content and thankful with what you have is not an aberration from pursuing higher goals and reaching loftier heights in one's career or family life. It's just the one of the better perspectives we can have, for not everyone is blessed with what we have. Lastly, as head back home, the enticing music of the Beatles rocked me. "Get back, get back, get back to where you once belong..", and I will surely be back, for being able to help other people is always heart-warming and uplifting, but the experience and the learning shouldn't end here, for there's a lot of lessons to uncover, a lot more lives to change, and a bounty of goodness to share.