Jet J.

Casilihan Back to Base-ic

Recreational activities are done to serve as a break from the daily routine of people. In a
more profound sense, they are essential for staying fit physically in idle times and relaxed all
throughout adulthood. In terms of fitness, exercises and games could improve skill-related aspects
such as speed, coordination, and reaction time. For wellness, a healthy emotional release through
physical actions can help better lifestyles that are too work driven and unbalanced. Undoubtedly,
recreational activities are essential for the body and mind through stimulating both through leisure.
One everyday recreational activity for children is Laro ng Lahi. Typically, these are games
involving an "it" or a group. Some examples of LnL include Agawang Base, Chinese Garter, and
Tumbang Preso. Given the high energy needed for these games, shared experiences of young
adults would be to feel exhausted, get wounded, and have fun. First, feeling exhausted happens
because they are often bombarded with school works or formal activities that would compromise
time for improving stamina and physical health. Second, getting wounded is common since these
games are contact sports. It happens that contact with a tagger who has long nails could scratch
the skin of a young adult player. Third, enjoyment happens because of nostalgic feelings for
simpler times as children. In general, young adults miss the comfort of being young as they
approach the grown-up and severe life of adulthood. In short, LnL can make people re-experience
childhood with the pain and tiredness that comes from aging.
Personally, I love Agawang Base. Not only is it my usual childhood game but also my most
enjoyable leisure physical activity. Back then, I played AB every Friday dismissal in grades three
and four. Similar to most young adults, AB makes me reminisce of childhood joy. Honestly, my
overwhelming focus in academics and debates rendered my body physically weaker than the
average 18-year old male. In a way, AB makes me happy since it allows me to retain a degree of
physical fitness while remembering being a child.
Realistically, I would not be having recreational activities such as LnL for most of my free
time. For me, I would probably play such games when I visit my younger cousins in Daet every
Christmas vacation or semestral break. Often, I would just be reading articles, novels, researches,
and other literature in my free time to aid me in academics and debates.
Still, I could not deny that my AB playing style has significantly improved from grade
school. Before, I would always be the bait because of my slow reflexes and relatively enormous
weight. In those times, I would get caught by a tagger and be stuck in the enemy base as a captive.
At present, my relatively slimmer body gives room for quicker tagging and retreating. During my
last game in school, I was able to tag five students.
Nonetheless, my improvement is not solely on agility. Additionally, my strategies and tactics have
developed. I would not barge into the enemy; I make sure that they are distracted, and I am hidden.
Thus, I could employ surprise attacks to capture enemies and quick retreats to avoid capture.
Given my improvements, I could use LnL in outreach activities and immersions. By
playing with the children, I could keep them entertained without the influence of phones or
gadgets. In turn, I could help them enjoy the programs.
Notably, my experience of LnL as an activity that brings teamwork makes me inclined to
think of it as still essential today. Even if camaraderie could be acquired in online multiplayer
games, the physical presence of others gives a special bond through the pain and fun that are
experienced together. These values, teamwork, and resilience, are necessary in times of grave
social isolation brought by technology.
In the end, these values could be applied in my usual routines. Teamwork is essential for
group academic activities. Resilience is expected in difficult work such as research which would
not always go as planned. Simply put, leisure makes me better at labor.