Laguna Day Out

  

 

 

 The sun was about to rise when Mabel and I left the house. I was hoping for a bright, sunny day and I felt lucky I got my wish. This day is what most of us have been waiting for – a chance to ease the stress of work and school with old and newfound friends.

 I was feeling it would turn out to be a great day.

 We headed to Laguna without much difficulty. The two Joans in the van provided the entertainment during the trip. Those two have the gift of comedic timing. We knew we were near when it wasn’t that hot anymore and we couldn’t help opening the car windows to let the light breeze in. It’s so nice to smell the clean air!

 We had breakfast at a canteen in IRRI and we were very pleased with the food because it tasted real good and did not cost as much. After eating, picture-taking and feeding the fishes (which was prohibited), we hopped back to the van and went to the UP Open University.

 While waiting for the lecturer, we took lots of pictures with Oble and the surroundings of the university. The librarian and a faculty member gave us an overview of the UP Open University and its programs. The UPOU provides higher education to individuals who are unable to avail traditional instruction methods, through open learning and distance education.

 It makes use of Moodle, an open source Web-based application, that allows educators to effectively manage their courses online. Moodle serves as the platform where students and teachers exchange and absorb ideas. This method of information sharing and communication makes it possible for creating successful learning communities. Before the end of the session, some of us were already thinking about taking classes in UPOU. True, graduate school requires maturity and sense of responsibility, but a UPOU MA degree requires, on top of those two, strong self-discipline. I’m still working on that third value. =)

 After the very nice talk, we felt ready to fill our (again) hungry stomachs. Before that  meal, I was not really big on dishes with “gata.” But tasting the kuhol and ihaw na tilapia, I was instantly converted. Ang sarap pala ng gata!

Enjoying "Kuhol Deluxe"

 

 

 

The food was really great and I enjoyed “lacerating” (in Freya’s words) my buko juice and its meat. I was enjoying myself and my classmates seemed to be feeling the same way. Everyone appeared to be in good spirits.

 The rest of the afternoon was spent on shopping of pasalubong – dairy products from the Carabao Center, Chocolate cake from Mer-Nels, Original Buko Pie, Rambutan and Lanzones from the highway. The hike to Makiling gave us an exquisite view of the surrounding Bay and nearby islands. Some played Frisbee while others breathed in the majestic sight.

 We went home spent, but happy. Almost everybody fell asleep in the car on the way home. Someone in the van wanted to capture our tranquil moments. He thought he got away with it.

He was not aware he had been had! (Nakaganti rin tayo girls! =))

His out-of-body experience

 

I wished that day would not end so fast. I felt peaceful and relaxed and I can’t help but smile. I realized this is what I needed for the past few months. I sincerely enjoyed the day, because of the food, the company, and the stories we shared. But then as they say, good times fly so fast, but warm, happy memories with good friends always last. =)