| Of Pizza Pandesal and Dandelion Wine |
[Mar. 28th, 2009|02:24 am] |
| [ | Feeling... |
| |  thankful | ] |
| [ | The music in my mind... |
| | Edguy - Superheroes | ] |
I was invited by my students to their block party last Thursday. It was a small get-together of my Psych block, block Y2 (InTACT CCCC), at Anj's place in LGV. Having missed the block Christmas party due to work, I very much wanted to be present at this school-year-ender. Needless to say, I'm quite glad I didn't miss this one.
Anj's house was beautiful without being gaudy. It was a house for a family. How fitting that this little get-together happened there.
When I arrived, many of them were already there. Joi, Clau, Chiong, Jerome, Alexa, Clara, and, of course, Anj were watching American Idol. I was also introduced to Anj's mom. As usual, Adam Lambert destroyed everyone else. They should just end the season early and award him the damn contract. No one else even comes close to deserving it. We were all in consensus on this matter. Hahaha. A platter of chicken wings lay in silent temptation on the table. Who was I to refuse? :P Jerome seemed a bit distraught since there was a tiny problem with his Math project. He was having difficulty relaxing, so I tried to calm him down.
Soon, dinner was served. The spaghetti was delicious, complemented well by the chicken wings. But the true highlight of dinnertime was the pizza pandesal. The concept was simple. Meat sauce and cheese on a pandesal half. The result was fantastic. Anj's mom said it was a staple in the Caguioa house since Anj was in high school, but it was the first time any of her blockmates had tasted it. I'm thankful for having been there to experience it for the first time with them! -drool- Hahahaha!
Moments after we started eating, Julia, Patty, and Judde arrived, followed closely after by Joseph and Maita. I felt a bit under-dressed, having just thrown on a collared shirt and jeans, when the prescribed attire was "Gossip Girl." :P Everyone was dressed to kill yo! Joseph looked particularly snappy in his 70's inspired getup. His hairdo, or lack thereof, completed the ensemble. Hahahaha! Toombs arrived last, having come from a prior commitment.
With most of the cast in place, it was time to drink! Despite not being a drinker all, 'coz I'm allergic, and regardless of the fact that I'm still an InTACT Homeroom Adviser, I chose to have a few drinks with them. Not too much, though. After all, I don't wanna lose my job or my life for that matter. Had the first drink with them for the toast, care of Jerome. It was a light vodka-Sprite mix with slices of orange to add a sweet citrus taste. The alcohol was barely noticeable, so no problem there.
After the toast, we played a drinking game called King's Cup. Well, I didn't really join, but had a couple of shots when the game called for it. The game was dependent on a deck of cards. The deck rotated, each person drawing the top card. Each number and face card represented an action that needed to be performed or determined who would take a shot. So, for example, ace = touch your face, six = chicks (take a shot), queen = converse in questions until someone fails or falters, etc. Now, if someone draws a king, that person adds a liquid to the "King's Cup." The person who draws the last king must drink the resulting mixture. That in mind, restrictions were imposed. You can't add solids and bodily fluids. Hahahaha. A much appreciated decision.
As the game pushed forth, Jerome seemed to be getting the lion's share of shots. Halfway through, his face was as red as a spanked bottom! No one, however, got it worse than Clara, who drew the last King. She had to drink a mixture of water, alcohol (vodka, I think), and (you won't believe this) the oil from the chicken wings. -gag- Poor poor Clara. Gotta hand it to her, though. She actually drank it! Very well done!
The rest of the night was spent just chillin', enjoying each others' company. We all just sat around, talking, watching Chiong and Jerome burn up the dance floor, watching Patty try to get the simplest magic tricks of Clau, and, of course, drinking. I didn't drink too much, but Joseph had me taste some of the drinks he'd mix up. I quite enjoyed his version of the Tequila Sunrise. His mixtures were sweet, effectively masking the taste of alcohol. Tiny indulgences never hurt anyone, though, I think I would've indulged a whole lot more if I didn't have my allergies and responsibilities in mind.
More than the drinking, however, I enjoyed the little conversations here and there. I enjoyed the little stories and getting to know my students more. After years of listening to people say that intra-block relationships don't work, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were three existing couples within the block: Clau & Joi, Joseph & Maita, and Toombs & Judde. According to Chiong, another was one the way... :P (Intriga!) I smiled at the story of how Joseph and Maita became "official." I wonder what else Daddy Guev doesn't know... :P And of course, what I found out about Jerome and Judde as they sat on the hot-seat. Such interesting stories.
I wasn't spared from the hot-seat either. They asked, I answered. They wanted to get to know me, I shared a little bit of myself. Hopefully they don't respect me any less for all those things! Hahahahaha!
As the party ended and I sat in the backseat of a cab on the way home, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am to have a relationship like this with my students. No one could have said it better than Joseph: "Ma-flatter ka naman, tangina ka!" Hahahahaha! If you only knew. :P To be able to build such a relationship with one's students, where openness and togetherness are abundant, is the pinnacle of joy for an InTACT Homeroom Adviser, who sees his students but once a week. To have your students want to be with you outside the 50-minute per week session is so much more rewarding than academic or even monetary success.
Which is why it saddens me to think that some Homeroom Advisers don't experience this. It saddens me that some Homeroom Advisers become nothing more than a 50-minute nuisance to stressed freshmen.
See, just recently, I've been hearing about some InTACT Homeroom Advisers who don't have a very good relationship with their students. From what I've been hearing, there may have been a failure to establish the necessary rapport with their students in order to build a relationship of mutual respect and sense of family. One, in particular, purposely failed eleven students because of how bad the relationship was (quiet na lang kayo kung kilala niyo siya). What happened there!? WHY did it have to come to that!? Sayang naman.
It saddens me to think that these freshmen, who are still trying to find their place in the greater scheme of Ateneo, do not have a "home" to go to in their Homeroom Advisers. More than anything, the feeling of "home" in the Ateneo is what these kids need. However, much worse is that the Homeroom Advisers, themselves, do not have the respect and love of their students. They fail to win the minds and hearts of their charges. I cannot begin to describe how invigorating and fulfilling it feels to have these. It'd be such a waste if one allows these to pass one by. Napaka-sayang.
I think all HAs desire to feel loved by their students. Sadly, not all HAs are worthy, for one reason or another. I can't help but feel lucky to have had such wonderful classes in my first year as an InTACT Homeroom Adviser. I can't help but feel lucky to have been deemed worthy. No matter how bad it gets in the future, this first experience will keep me going. My first students will constantly reinforce my desire to keep going. They will be my taste of summer when the rains don't seem to let up. It will be like my Dandelion Wine, so to speak; the essence and warmth of summer captured in a jar tucked away in my heart.
Thank you, not only to Y2 (InTACT CCCC) for inviting me to your party, but to all my students for inviting me into your hearts. Thank you for the Dandelion Wine I'll be carrying for the rest of my teaching career. :D |
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