By Chino Batoctoy
Volunteerism, passion , and service; I didn’t realize that by being part of a certain group I would be embracing these three things.
As a door closed, a house was built and was preparing to welcome new guests. What’s so great about community service is that once you learn how to “do” the service, you’ll love how and what you are doing. See, learning is totally different from loving. I’ve learned that from numerous heated days under the afternoon heat beside a not-so-pungent creek. Learning how to teach is not similar to loving how to teach. The latter implies practice, hard work, and excellence beyond mediocrity. (enough of my egotistical aphorisms)
RACMM group pic
Staying at my senior year at Southridge is not a walk in the park, nor was it a piece of cake offered to everyone who wanted it. First, it was and never will be a piece, nor will it be a cake. Secondly, if it was a cake and one was offered to you, you might actually think twice. Academics back then were not-really-accommodating. Efforts, prayers,and time should all be extended beyond “beyond-ness”, if we could just extend nights to the farthest reach of our “beyond” then we could have done it. We were munching on principles of factoring, precalculus, zeros; taking a fast sure pace on writing our research paper; joggling on our right hand the principles of human dignity and theological virtues, on the left hand playing tricks with Economic principles, laws and hierarchies. And to top it all up, (the greatest challenge for me) we had to learn how to go along the beat of Physics; an academic Free Fall.
Studying became a passion, and due to practice and constant reminder of what I have and want to achieve, study became a virtue. But could I not have any other virtue? Other things to do? Something not everyone is and will be willing to do. I found my hands, feet, eyes, mouth, tummy, brows almost every part of me (figuratively) tied with my studies.Only then did I realize that there was still a part of me left idling. My heart.
I had to do something beyond academics, beyond extra-curricular activities, I had to keep my heart beating hence my critical mind over sees everything. See, when one’s desires are good and aims for something good, God will always be pleased to flood you with opportunities. Before 2007 ended, I found, God gave me what I was looking for: Rotaract Club of Manila Metro.
RACMM induction 2009
People wondered, some critiqued that being part of an international youth organization at my fourth year-of all years-would highly be ineffective or unhelpful for me. It would take my time, efforts and might even diverse my attention. The club indeed diverted my attention. It totally took my time and efforts. But contrary to their belief, it was and it is continuously helping and serving its effect and purpose on me.
We went back to teaching every saturday. This time we invited girl teachers, and girl students, we have extended the reach and goals of our activity. From then on projects of the club come and go, there were more members who joined, we grew in number, we grew with responsibilities, we live through pressure, we learned how to be part of everyone’s life. We became a family.
with children
Pressure and obligations are inevitable. Tasks are not suppose to decapitate us, if we try to be more optimistic and see things as challenges and concerns, we’ll find ourselves in front of a blank slate of opportunities; a wide field to commit mistakes and success, a stage filled with both dim and bright lighting. After all, it’s all about making your own marks, taking a fierce pose and finding your own “corner of the sky.”
I realized, there were more things to do; more success to achieve; failures to dwell in and challenges to face. But one thing is for sure, as long as you keep that passion–to whatever you do, or to whatever you wish and want to do–there will be no such thing as a hindrance.
Big Kuya
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Chino Batoctoy is the club president of Rotaract Manila Metro for Rotary Year 2010-2011. He is currently a college student in the Philippine Normal Universtiy taking AB/BS Literature.
