Day 1 – Obstacle Course

by Joseph Jonathan M. Hiponia

Day 1-Obstacle Course

“Whether it rains, whether it pours, I will trust you Lord in the light of day, in the dark of night.”

Day 1, what we thought to be a walk in the park turned to be a walk in a flooded park. Meet at SPED, go to Sports Complex and ride a jeepney to Delta Discovery Park. To others, it seems to be 3 easy steps.

First Day, First Obstacle, First Challenge to overcome. My other group mates were doubtful, some of them were afraid that we might not reach Delta Discovery Park safely due to the heavy rains and strong winds which seemed like a Category 4 typhoon.

“Whether it rains, whether it pours, I trust you Lord in the light of day, in the dark of night”, I was singing that song in my mind thinking and believing that God would show the way and would safely lead us to the park.

Finally, the jeepney of Delta arrived. A sense of relief filled my heart as the sky slowly but surely cleared and we were on our way. The rocky road going up the mountain and the dangerous curves tested our bravery. Thankfully, we arrived at our dormitory safely.

After much discussion, we decided to go to the swimming pool. Wonderstruck by the spiral staircase leading to a new discovery, we caved in to a natural spring hidden inside a cave just to realize that it isn’t a new discovery. Water pipes and electrical switches were hidden in the most obvious parts of the cave.

Without applying my 3 year expired sun block, I jumped into the ice cold pool and realizing that it was the right choice not to apply the 3 year expired sun block on my skin. The flowing pool whose main source is the spring was the star of the show.

Pool time ended, another obstacle arose. Despite calling the office of the park 5 minutes before we left, there was no jeepney available to pick us up. Giving up and waiting there for countless hours wasn’t a choice. We only had one option left, walk all the way to the lobby of the park. We enthusiastically walked about 200-400 meters when the substitute jeepney, sighted by my group mates arrived.

When we thought the challenges were over, another challenge arose right before my eyes. The substitute jeepney turned out to be a jeep. The jeep barely had enough space for 8 pupils and 3 teachers to seat. Again, giving up wasn’t an option. We squeezed ourselves into the jeep making sure no one was left behind.

Several minutes later, we arrived at the doorstep of the dormitory. The first thing we noticed was that somehow this certain fast food chain’s specialty, its chicken and spaghetti were waiting in the dining table ready to be eaten. There was another obstacle for those who swam. We couldn’t eat our dinner unless we have took a shower. Even with my 45kg body desperately telling me to eat, I had to take a shower. I patiently waited for my fellow group mates who were able to take their shower before I did to finish.

They finished showering, and it was my turn. After showering, I ate my dinner as fast as I could. About an hour after dinner, one of my group mates found out that the rooftop of the function hall had an amazing view of the city. Not wanting to miss a chance of the lifetime, I quickly grabbed my camera and I was on my way.

I was amazed by what I saw. Right after realizing how amazing the city’s skyline was, a firefly approached us. Living in the city, it is almost impossible to see a firefly.

After a few minutes, we went back to the dormitory and started to make the questions for the very special interview with the owner of Delta Discovery Park herself, Ma’am Daisy Plaza.

I looked back on the day that passed and realized how amazing it has been. I am truly blessed to have been given this rare opportunity.

There will always be challenges that we have to overcome. When we overcome those challenges, we can see a brighter tomorrow.
So far so good. That’s all I can say. Delta despite opening very recently, Delta proved to be one of the best places I have EVER been to.