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Last September, my class-4MCBJ was required to attend a 3-day retreat in Tagaytay. At first, a lot of us were reluctant to go because we had lots of things to do, lots of shoots/productions and papers to finish but after Sr. Angeline Arceo’s orientation we realized it was a perfect time for us to pause for a while to refocus and re-energize. The retreat didn’t only allow me to do those because it helped me get to know deeper, myself and classmates. I can say that I certainly learned a lot in the retreat. Allow me to share some lessons with you.

The sessions tackled everything from family, friends, God and self-worth was emphasized. I particularly liked one session when we were asked to write down the names of the people we hurt and the people who have hurt us. For some it was a painful experience to relieve the memories of all the pain but almost everyone felt relived and light after letting go of our grudges.

Tip: Let go of the bitterness in your heart, Candy girls! Forgive and you’ll feel better about yourself and about the person you have forgiven.

The retreat was a great time to remind us that no matter how busy we are, we shouldn’t forget to pray. We all admitted that sometimes we forget to pray because we’re too tired or busy. This is a big no-no!

Tip: No matter how sleepy we are, let’s whisper something to God, a simple and short prayer would suffice.

Another notable session during the retreat was when each of us had “wings” where everyone was supposed to write something uplifting to help us “fly” and reach our dreams. The notes I got where touching and funny. Some wrote “Your smile brightens up my day, keep on smiling!” I’ll save the funny lines for us. Hehe! You know, these little notes or comments makes me feel good whenever I read them.

Tip: A retreat is not needed for us to give random comments to our friends. Simple compliments on post-its brighten up a day of a person.

Through the retreat, our class got to know each other better. Trusting each other with our stories and experiences made us all feel good.

Almost everyone had this realization “We are not merely classmates, teammates, crew members, production team; we can be friends, actually close friends who we can laugh with, cry with and even argue with. At the end of the day, we still stick to each other’s company not because we have no choice but because it feels so comfy and right to stay with the Broad Journ family.”

Okay, cheesy as it may seem and sound but we mean this, well, I certainly do! Pardon my being cheesy, I think it’s because 5 months from now, we will graduate already. We’ll be more independent and away from each other. Well, that’s still 5 months, we still have one more sem to bond and survive! Haha!

Had a meaningful retreat,
Bea

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Experiencing something for the first time is exciting and somehow nerve-racking. But Matt Evans and Melissa Ricks weren’t nervous at all when we dared them to do something they’ve never done before, in connection with our theme-Exploring and widening our world.
For Matt’s challenge, we asked him to bake chocolate cookies. Since I was the Celebrity Editor, I was the one who looked for this recipe, (chocolate chip cookies recipe link). I got this from one of the cookbooks of my brother. I’m sharing it with you girls, just in case you want to bake these too.  (Smiley please) It was funny because the council girls assigned to this spread were Crissy, Sandy and me but all of us had no idea on how to bake cookies. Hehe!

The editors for this spread. :)

Anyway, I’m sure you’re wondering what happened in the shoot.  Well, we all had fun mingling with Matt and Melissa.  Matt in particular was very bubbly.  He kept on cracking jokes and making comments as he was baking. He had difficulty using the beater but Ate Macy was there to assist him. Ate Marla and Ate Angel were there to supervise as well.
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You girls know how much I love to eat, so this post will be dedicated to one of my favorite restaurants: Bubba Gump!

This resto was inspired by the movie Forrest Gump. If you have seen Forrest Gump, I’m sure you noticed how young and thin Tom Hanks was. Hehe! Kidding aside, Forrest Gump was about the travelogue of Forrest himself. His character is truly amusing and interesting. Google it, buy a DVD or download the film because you’ll surely enjoy watching the journey of Forrest. Anyway, you may me wondering how “Bubba” is related to Forrest. Well, let’s just say they were close because he named his company after his dear friend, which inspired an actual shrimp company; thus the birth of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

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As I mentioned in last week’s post, my thesis mates and I went back to Bacolod and Guihulngan, Negros Oriental for our thesis immersion again. We decided to go back to gather more data and footage, interview more residents and community health workers, and join the Negros Mercy Medical Mission. The med mission was sponsored by different non-government organizations such as Council for Health and Development, Negros Island Health Integrated Program, Visayas Community Medical Center, Health Alliance for Democracy-CEBU, Alliance of Health Workers-Bacolod/Cebu, and YCMC. We certainly achieved more aside from accomplishing the above-mentioned  objectives.

I wouldn’t discuss the details of our thesis anymore since I have elaborated it when I wrote an entry about our first immersion. This time, I’ll be showing you pictures to tell you about our amazing and educational experience . Special thanks to Tita Delen Dela Paz and Ariane Rimando for the pictures.

Cha wasn’t able to go with us because she attended her retreat. So Shai, Ariane, Kath, and I were the ones who went back. We also hired two production assistants to help us in shooting our videos. We were happy that we were able to rent a 3CCD camera. It’s a great video cam. The quality is really good. Plus, hiring the PAs also entitled us to audio equipment such as a lapel and boom mic. We also had a halogen lamp. Seriously, we were so prepared to shoot or docu/film. I’m excited to share this to you, by December, after our defense. Hehe!

Posing with our IDs

Here we are with our IDS. I know our names aren’t spelled correctly because the one who wrote it, Ate Girlie was teasing us.
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Hey everyone!

I just got back from Bacolod. What did I do there again? Thesis ethnography/immersion once again! Yes, my thesis mates and I went back to the Kansalakan mountain clinic in Barangay Banwague, Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. We had to go back to witness the medical mission, assist somehow, interview more residents and community health workers and shoot more footage.

I really have tons of stories to tell, but let me save the kwento about my newest adventure after my thesis mates give me copies of our pictures. Hehe! I did not bring my camera because for some reason, it is always low batt! Grr! I have to get a new cam soon!

So for now, I will be sharing the pasalubong I bought for my family and friends: Oh and my thesis mates and I bought pasalubong for our professors as well.  (smiley please)

Of course, the famous Piyaya of Bacolod! I love the chocolate and ube filling so I got both flavors.
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