Day 1 - The Start of a New Adventure: Don’t worry, this isn’t the end.

by John Michael D. Piencenaves

This morning was like… um… well…. uhh…
(Okay, let’s start it this way instead.)

Who would expect such heavy rains on a clear morning? Well, I can. And what is this supposed to do with DPSA? Well…just carry on reading.

This day’s morning, was kind of  boring. We (my team and I) had a final garage sale, with me moving in tandem from SPED to ANHS for my Regional Science Quest review. Nothing exiting, really.
This afternoon, at around 1330H, my team mates started to gather in my school, SPED. The sky was cloudy. When all of them finally arrived (except a few…), I told Ma’am Tiu to go within 30 minutes, or as I actually wanted, IMMIDIATELY. And this is where the rain happens. Our rendezvous point with the Delta Park Jeepney-Bus was in Butuan City Sports Complex, but while going there, we encountered rain, not light, but HEAVY rains. Some of my teammates actually complained about the rains and wanted to abort the expedition. But with the help of God, the rains weakened, with blue sky on the horizon. A few minutes later, the jeepney-bus arrived.

We all boarded the red bus-looking jeepney, with our things. After I boarded, the jeepney closed its doors and left for Delta. At one time, I actually wondered how such a large vehicle could get through the obstacle course-like road to Delta. I still thought about it, until we reached the road. The vehicle constantly made turns to avoid bumps and holes. Joseph, our team leader, told me to get photos of sights going to the park. I was sitting near the front, so I got the camera and took photos of the road ahead. They were tricky, with the risks of losing the camera or losing the shot. At least nothing was lost.
After a 20 minute ordeal with the road, we finally saw the ‘Delta Discovery Park- Welcome’ sign. We drove all the way to the Dormitory. When I got there, I immediately got out of the vehicle and took photos of it.

In the dormitory, we placed our things in the ‘lockers’. Nothing special about that, anyway. The dormitory had a balcony, where you can see the ziplines and parts of the Butuan Bay. Having seen this, which originally appeared to my mind as Agusan del Sur, I walked downhill to the function hall, where I saw it- my hometown, vividly moving right in front of my eyes. Many of my teammates and teachers also saw it. We stayed there for around 15-25 minutes, until we went back to the dormitory.

Back in the dormitory, 20 minutes later, we had a meeting about our dinner and events. The teachers were sitting there, looking at me, just like I was late for a meeting in the Pentagon. I almost collapsed laughing when they said what we want to eat for dinner.

Curious, I went up a nearby hill. About 1/6 on the way to the top, Ms. Balagot climbed and caught up with me. We went to a small shack on the top, enjoying the view of Butuan. When we went back to the dorm, we saw the jeepney waiting, so I ran and got on board.

I actually wondered why they were departing, wearing home clothes. But since they weren’t going home, they could only be going to one place, the swimming pool. After a short trip, we arrived. When we got to the pool, they immediately jumped in the water, not realizing it was cold and deep. Some teammates, like Noreen and Anessa, didn’t actually swim in the deep pool, they just sat in the poolside, moving their legs like swimming.

On the other hand, I spotted a set of ascending stairs. I went to the area and saw a black shady place. I assumed it was a cave and reported back to Joseph. Soon, Mrs. Tiu, Mrs. Obsenares, Vincent, Joseph and Me were going up the stairs. I led them there, but when I arrived at the top, I saw a man-made spring, not a cave. We took a few pictures and went back.

Later, I was taking pictures of the team bathing in the pool. They weren’t easy, I say. After a few (or many) pictures, I was drawing a map of the pool, while Mrs. Tiu called for a jeepney and said that we’d go back to the dorm. I needed to draw quickly, because they were leaving. At last I finished and caught up with them on time.

Back to the entrance, there was no jeepney, so we walked down, or in this case up the road, hoping to reach the main façade of the park. When we went by a turn, Daniel and Joart (or Vincent) spotted a red-colored vehicle. We thought it was the jeepney, but it was a jeep, sent by the park to substitute for our ride. We got in, barely fitting. We departed and arrived at the dorm at about 6.

When we got there, food was waiting. My teammates, still suffering from wetness from their swim, immediately took a bath and changed. I did not swim, so I finished my journal and ate. An hour later, Ma’am Obsenares and I made a challenge: She’d count to 1,600 while I try to finish my spaghetti. I finished at 791.

After the ‘food event’, I changed and went to the function hall balcony, where I could see Butuan, and saw the city’s glimmering lights at night. My teammates quickly followed, spotting fireflies on the way. They tried to take pictures, but they failed. They (and I) went back to the dorm.

After hours of chatting, I finally had my turn on this laptop, at around 11:30 pm. Writing the events that happened today, I wonder, how fast was the day?

But I don’t worry about the short stay. Besides, this is just The Start of a New Adventure.

P.S. I finished this at 1:00 AM Flat, on October 23, 2011.