GK Build

Last November 26, I had a chance to join a GK Build Event in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. I have wanted to join these events for the longest time but I just haven't found the right time or the right person to contact to, up until my good friend, Maymay and I got reconnected last June 2012. You see, Maymay works in Gawad Kalinga full time so she naturally knows the different GK Builds going on around the city. It was a good thing that for the weekend she invited me to come and participate in this GK Build event. 

I was actually running late for this event since I came from duty. Thankfully, Maymay patiently waited for me and Gilson at MRT Quezon Avenue station and we rode a taxi towards Tandang Sora Shrine. When we got there, we got to meet Tito Jun, the GK Quezon City Director, and a descendant of Tandang Sora  (Melchora Aquino-Ramos) who allowed us to tour inside the Tandang Sora Shrine and gave us a brief history of why the GK Tabora is a memorable and historical place.

I love the font!

Tandang Sora Family Tree

It's a very chic historical place!

After the short tour we then started with our build. We only actually did a little - just moving gravel from the main road towards the village and that's it. But mind you, the scorching heat + the big buckets of sand and rocks + the 1-2 minute walk to and from the village more than compensated for more than 1 week of lack of physical activity. Haha! We took around 3 round trips before we called for 'Water Break'. Maymay, Gilson and I then bought Scramble. It's made of crushed ice with strawberry flavoring + chocolate and strawberry syrup with marshmallow toppings on top. I remember this sweet perk fondly during my elementary days since we had a vendor in our school before where he sells Scramble. Maymay and I were laughing at Gilson then because he didn't know (or couldn't recall) what Scramble was. He finally remembered it as a snack-with-no-name which he ate before when he was a teeny bit lad. Hehe.

Gilson's scramble experience.

Lunch was then served 'Boodle Fight' style. It was refreshing to see our other groupmates experiencing boodle fight for the first time. The processing of the entire activity after made the GK Build much more meaningful. It made me realize that there are people who really need to explore more and go out of their comfort zones to experience life at its peak. That goes to me too. I see a lot of opportunities out there waiting for me but I do not have all the time in the world right now. One day, hopefully, I get to fulfill all my dreams and aspirations. As I conquer each day ahead of me, I realize that my passion for helping others has tremendously increased. In my daily encounter with patients, I find myself being more patient, more caring, more matimpiin even though that trait is so not me. Haha! I guess my inner desire really is to help other people but I feel as if I could help more and I could use my potentials more if I just teach instead of be a doctor. I don't know. Sometimes, those kind of musings overwhelm my mind. I just shrug it off though. Sayang naman ang liimang taon ko sa Medisina kung hindi ko tatapusin. After I finish Med School, I plan to stay off the hook for a while, do some moon lighting and enroll in an MBA course, prolly in Ateneo or UP-D. Come two or three years after that, I plan to pursue residency again, probably Surgery or Orthopedics - still not sure about that. Is that a good plan or is that a good plan? Haha! We shall see in 2 years' time if I will still be sticking to my plans. 

Anyway, back to GK Build. We went to another GK Village in Commonwealth QC. The houses in that area look similar to the ones in GK Tabora except that some of the owners finally got to finish their second floor area already. I remember Tito Jun's words regarding the GK Community: "In GK, we build communities, not houses. It's so easy to build a house - you can get materials anywhere and just patch them up together. But building communities is different. We build communities to end poverty, to link the people together and give them a chance at experiencing a better life by building camaraderie and friendships first and then the houses become a bonus. For less privileged people, building houses and calling them their own uplifts the people's dignity." Indeed, the people who got to live in a better home (compared to their previous shabby abode) were all very welcoming and you can see it in their faces that they are very happy and very proud of their home and of themselves for building their own home. I would love to experience another GK Build soon. Events like this uplifts my being and keeps me empowered. 

Participants of GK Build Tabora! Until next time! (: