#23 Charles Vincent Montero 9 - SAJ

Introduction
My mind on the scheduled recollection immersion was full of mixed feelings, like how would I
prepare for this certain event? Will I be able to have an open mind? Questions like that flooded
my mind as I was thinking of how I would approach this new experience.

Actual Experiences
My group all planned to bring some things that would be of use to our immersion. One brought
snacks, the other brought supplies to give to our foster parents, and I brought food. We all
gathered to the lobby and then went to the bus to go to Inayawan the place where we would have
our immersion, and along the way my groupmates and I thought of how we would present
ourselves to our foster parents because we needed to have a good first impression to gain their
trust. So we wanted to be honest, open, humble, to them so that we would be trusted to actually
be like one of them. We eventually met up with our foster parents, but it was a surprise that she
didn’t actually want to make us do any chores at all, she just wanted to talk about her experiences
in a way so that we can learn about it and do better after. Our talk with her was one that was full
of things that I have never even thought about when addressing the poor and it gave me a lot of
brief realizations, actually all of us. We insisted that we wanted to help her in any way possible,
so she told us to fetch some water and we did, we even payed for the water as our form of
gratitude for her wisdom she shared with us. After that, we ate our lunch and just, well had a good
time, our foster mother was really kind, sweet, and actually treated us like one of her children.
The best part of all of this is that we never really felt uncomfortable the entire experience we just
felt like we’ve learned a lot and became better people after the immersion. After lunch we went to
the chapel and prayed with the Father and soon after gave our prayer booklet to her then said our
farewells leaving us with new souls that was ready to face life with an open mind.

I would like to include some experiences that are mostly of my own and I think this experience
should deserve its own paragraph so here it goes. After we had our lunch I felt pretty light headed
and dizzy and our foster mother insisted me to rest on the bed even though I also insisted that I
was okay. She could really see that I was not feeling well and with her motherly instincts, took
care of me. I felt really touched that she would let me rest on the bed even though we were just
students made to be foster children for a day, she really cared. And the other experience when we
were at the chapel praying. My groupmates and I were outside praying because we thought that
others (especially the girls) would need the seat more than we do. I saw some girl students outside
looking really sweaty and I offered my umbrella to them and it made them less uncomfortable
because of the extreme heat. And I did not expect this, but our foster mother offered HER OWN
umbrella to us and honestly I was at lost for words at that point. How could such a kind mother
like her be so humble and nice to us who are living a comfortable life.

Realizations
I have had a lot of important realizations during the immersion but here are some important ones
 1. The poorest of the poor tend to be more charitable then the rich because the poor need to
rely on each other to survive which in return builds a stronger bond or trust within the
community.

2. Well at least to me, the poor are happier with their lives living very simply than the rich.
That’s because the poor are content with what they have while the rich always strive to
get something greater and greater which always leaves them unsatisfied.

3. But just because they live simple lives doesn’t mean they are not without struggle, in fact
struggling IS THEIR life every day. I realized that the poor can take things from scrap
and turn them into something that they can use to survive. That is major respect
especially coming from a guy like me that always wastes things on purpose until now.

4. I could really see the attitudes of the students with the people living in the dumpsite to be
really different.

5. I honestly thought that we would be discriminated by the people in Inayawan but it was
actually quite the opposite we were welcomed with open arms and we all had an eventful
experience.

Action Plan
With the few hours I’ve had with my foster parents’ I was motivated to help them out on chores
and their activities because I believed that I would learn something insightful if I did and well,
it did.
I planned to do chores and hopefully gained their trust to hear about their experiences in
Inayawan
I’ll do it by being kind and open so that they will see that there is no hidden intention in my
words and appearance.
I’ll do it when I first meet them because I think a good first impression is the key to gaining
people’s trust and also assuring them that you can be trusted.

Insights/Learnings
The things that I have learned during my experience on Inayawan definitely made me
impressionable so here are my 5 Insights/Learnings
1. I learned that family is much more important than money due to the fact that kids who
have parent’s working abroad may earn more money than average families but it also
comes with a lack of interaction and communication with the children so the child often
grows up to be misguided and without proper morals.

2. I learned to fully appreciate the things we were given by our parents and all the comforts,
because not all people can get what we have.
 3. I learned that the leftover food we eat at fast food restaurants or restaurants can go to the
dumpsite and that the people there will get it and wash it then eat it. Made me learn to
always finish my food.

4. I learned that we should recycle and find new ways to reuse our things so that there is less
trash that we can throw that will eventually go to the dumpsite, and in return be better for
the lives of the people living there.

5. The key to happiness is to be content with the things you have material wise in your life.
Because when you are content, you will not ask for more or expect more, because those
things are the leading cause to unhappiness, un satisfaction.

Prayer

Lord God thank you for this day you have given us to spread your love and kindness, I must
humbly pray for our foster parents who are living in dire situations that you may bless them and
love them. For you our God can only be realized through the poor. We pray that goodness may
shine upon them in their upcoming futures and by you and only you will be able to do that. We
pray for our families that we may be able to turn over a new leaf after the experience we have
had during Inayawan and that we may appreciate them better and be less spoiled. I pray for my
future family that through the struggles and the tough experiences that I am about to face later
in life will mold me into the person that I was meant to be, and a father that I can be proud of
and have a loving wife who can support me and love me all the way through as I love you my
Lord. Amen.