Listening very closely to Jasmine�s song, I closed my eyes waiting for the dawning of the new day. When a ray of light came to my senses, I�ve realized that I was already home and that, my sojourn in Barotac and Boracay is over. Those were already milestones that could never be repeated again except in reminiscence. A warm hello to my fellow Junior Jaycees Huh! Tears are beginning to fall as I try to write in verbatim (if possible) the wonderful things I�ve had in the islands of Panay. It was such an opportune time for me to forget those sleepless nights for school projects, bulky pages of IT books including the ferocious voices of our very demanding teachers. It was indeed a very remarkable experience. It was beyond my expectation that the annual gathering of the Junior Jaycees in the Visayas would turn out to be an extraordinary fellowship of a barkada, which had its birth during the activity itself. I vividly recall the moment I stepped on the portals of Casa Fiametta. Good spirits enveloped my entire being as I stood on the threshold of my room. The rumbling of my stomach suddenly vanished as I momentarily observed the beauty that the place offered. Then suddenly, I heard the laughter of those juveniles who shared the same feelings with me. I thought of having an intimate moment with nature during the first few hours, but as I began to see my JJC family, I suddenly settled with the idea of tying a knot that will hold us forever. I slowly had myself acquainted with the people around me. When the stars glittered in the sky, I�ve noticed that I was more and more overwhelmed with excitement. The tiresome feelings in my body had its great escape as I burst into laughter with the gimmickries presented by each chapter during the opening ceremony. To exaggerate this a bit, I almost got head over feet as Metropolitan Tacloban headed by no less than there LOM president, George Faustino simply elicited the thought WALA LANG after they presented a heartwarming, yet meaningless (hehehe, pardon for the term) interpretative song. Then the bonfire followed. Each has its piece of sad experience in the JJC movement. Some cried and some were gratified as those taught them a very important lesson on leadership�that it is neither a seat of position nor an array of dazzling titles; that it does put one into pedestal but rather leads one to place where determination is prevalent and where courage is in the heart and soul of every individual. Who would forget our tour in Katamnan? Shock talaga ako sa place. Para iyong paraiso na nakapagbibigay sigla sa iyong puso�t damdamin. Honestly, if I have a girlfriend I would bring her to that place para malaman niyang nandoon ang mga iba�t-ibang hayop na magmamahal sa kanya kung sakaling iiwanan ko siya. CHAR! To be continued...
