At the Secretariat

|Nicole & Joanna  at the couch (Inside Secretariat) |

The Secretariat seemed like a house in structure and was just near the Benitez Hall at Teacher’s Camp, Baguio City. We called it “home” because we stayed there for almost a week. The Secretariat has 2 floors actually. The first floor was for the facilitators and important people in charge of the Leadership Training Activities. We were staying at the 1st floor, ground floor rather, with our Wonderful Teacher Mrs. Estrella Feliciano, together with 3 Senior High School Students at that time; Kuya Arnold Kent Bantaculo, Ate Lilian Mae Garcia and Ate Kathleen Calvara, and us, Junior High School students at that time; Joanna Christy Filamor, Gino Paul Lumpas, Niole Trisha Montallana and yours truly. 🙂

We were indeed lucky enough for staying at the Secretariat because a lot of delegates were staying at the different Halls, and not all of them are comfortable in their respective Halls. Luckily, we felt home in ours. we had 3 rooms, a mini kitchen, a comfort room, and a fridge. 🙂 The first room was for the Boys composed of 2 bedrooms. So Gino and Kuya Arnold were together in the same room, while Joanna, Ma’am Feliciano & I stayed at one room also composed of 2 bedrooms. Joanna and I happened to be together in one bed. The 3rd and final room was composed of 2 bedrooms as well, with Nicole, Ate Kath, and Ate Lilian.

|Yours truly, and Joanna at the Secretariat 🙂 | 

All throughout the days staying at the Secretariat was a fun moment especially when we feel exhausted and knackered. 😀 But there is also one thing I would like to share to all of you. It’s this experience that I never had since then, and it happened at the secretariat.

Every night, we are all aware that people upstairs are very busy and sleeps late at night because as I have mentioned earlier, they are the ones who are in charge of the activities. Every single night, we hear loud footsteps and stomps from above and oftentimes, we hear a lot of them stepping at different directions. Of course we don’t mind because people in there are always up to something important.

During our Last Evening at the Secretariats, we didn’t go to sleep early. We we’re just talking and laughing and sorting things out, when suddenly there were those footsteps again. Then I said; ” Here we are again.. People upstairs are always busy”. Then Kuya Arnold said, “No, your wrong about that. those footsteps you heard all throughout our stay didn’t came from the people upstairs”. 

After he said that, I started wondering.. “What?? seriously? I think your wrong because their floor upstairs is made up of wood. ”  I was in doubt at that time. “Of course not.. try to check their floor tomorrow morning if it’s made of wood. I dare you. ” Then I smiled and said, “Ok, deal. I’ll prove you wrong” 🙂

That Evening, we started packing our bags since we’ll all be leaving the next day. That morning, we woke up a little bit late because ’twas 7:30, and when we went out for breakfast on our way to Benitez, there were only a few delegates left since all others already left the camp. After Breakfast, we went to buy Delicacies for Pasalubong. Suddenly, I remembered what Kuya Arnold told me, And because of my curiosity, I sneaked in and took a peek at the Secretariat. And to my surprise, the floor wasn’t made up of wood, instead it was made of cement. I was stunned, and got my eyes wide open. Then I think to myself, Woah??? the whole time? I didn’t know what to say, and I got goose bumps. 😀 Lesson? 🙂 You don’t need to see things before you believe.