Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Yesterday afternoon, when my last lab for the week was finished, we went to Dasmariñas to celebrate the feast day of the school system’s feast day, a biennial celebration that started last 2000 that paves the way for the centennial in 2001 of the founding of the very first school from the brothers here in the Philippines. I was invited by Student Activities director Ronnie to join them just this week, and I said, “Why not?”

During the hour and a half registration there was a cultural show at the field where the opening ceremonies and the mass was going to be held. Afterwards, it turned out that the students, when they registered, were given a color and a number signifying the group they would join, allowing them to interact with students from the sister schools, just like in the sports fest.

In fact, I saw some of the same students and facilitators from the sports fest also there. Not surprising that the same hands were raised for volunteering to the student activities, and ANY school.

The first part of the opening ceremonies, after the welcome message from the administrators, were action songs, again, parallel to the warm-up exercises at the start of the sports fest. Next the students were asked to share within their groups their insights on the passage about the founder’s teachings that was given in their kit.

When that was finished some of the groups were asked to present their song on the stage, which got dominated by very lively soloists and rappers from the high school in Greenhills. The rest of the around eighty groups were then asked to offer during the mass the posters they made summarizing their discussion.

There was a thirty-minute break (that got shortened because the sharing went overtime) during which our delegation (joined by the students who would be dancing in the cultural presentation later) had snacks in one of their cafeteria areas that had one roofed area surrounding another separated by trees. The inner shade was where the tables were, and the outer square was where the concessionaires were.

It was already after the gospel when we rejoined the mass. Candles were passed around for the procession afterwards of the founder’s statue to the ROTC grounds, where the show would be held.

There I approached the EVP of Dasmariñas, and former Dean of the College of Science in Manila, who was in one of the seats in front. I told her about everything that has happened to me in the 9 years since she left, and she told me that WAS a long time, and that she’d be back in Manila in May. I wonder if she’ll be Dean again after being Vice President. It would be a loss for her administration potential but a big boon to the College of Science.

We had been in front of the stage for more than 10 minutes watching crew who were emulating Spider-man fixing the lights and listening to a shrill-voiced woman on one of the microphones issuing sound check orders to the audio personnel.

Ronnie, ironically, started criticizing the delay, and I suppressed comparing it to our production exactly one week before, which I believe was much more amateurish.

And I have to go. I’ll continue with this on Monday, just like last week again.