The Annual PWC Leadership Training initiated by our school’s Office of Student Affairs was the first Leadership Training that I’ve ever attended. It was a truly remarkable experience for me, it was truly a first of its kind. I’m still quite overwhelmed by all the good vibes I’ve brought home with me from the said event.

At first, I thought that I was quite out of place. I’ve only returned to study this school year, and even though I was blessed to be the Vice President of the PWC IT Club, it still seemed like I didn’t quite fit into the picture. Everything has changed.

Finally, I’ve connected with fellow student (leaders) of my High School Alma Mater and my current College.

Day 1

Editors Note: The place was quite nostalgic. This was were we had our Fourth Year High School Retreat when I studied at PWC.

Day 1 started off just how you’d expect a first day to start, it wasn’t quite significant as the following day, it did, however, serve as a good starting point for the next days activities. During the first day, we learned more about ourselves and about each other. It’s pivotal that you learn more about yourself first in order to become a more efficient and effective leader, whilst it’s of course, also important to get to know your fellow colleagues and as well as constituents more. Despite some tearjerking stories of my fellow group mates, we still managed to end our quite intimate sharing of our lives on a high note. We laughed, we had fun. It almost felt like we’ve known each other for some time. Well, one of my group mates has been my classmate during my Junior and Senior High School Years at PWC.

The Epic Day 2

Day 2 started with most of us being quite groggy and still offbeat. We had loads of discussion and sharing after our sessions with the facilitators back in our rooms before we went to bed. Logically, we didn’t quite get up on the right foot on day 2.

Our Facilitators, most notably Geber, the facilitator assigned to our team, Team Natural have really hyped the second day to be the most exciting, enjoy and yet exhausting and physically taxing one. Jeez, they were spot on with that.

The second activity has really pushed some of my teammates’ patience to its limits. The task may sounds simple, but we barely made it. We had to bring a Hula-Hoop down with the use of just two fingers apiece without detaching our fingers from the Hula Hoop. It was a tough call, really, and while some started to get upset, it was really understandable. All of us wanted to finish the activity on a high note. Nobody wanted to give in. Even though the odds did not seem in our favor in that particular activity, it was great how everyone was still so cooperative, positive and energetic.

When managing a team, you really need to have a lot of patience. You need to have good communication with your fellow officers/leaders and of course, with your constituents. Let’s not forget also, that no man is an island. Everyone has to do his or her part.

The Race to 100

There was one activity wherein everyone has really shown their competitive side. Well, almost everyone. Save for one who has really thought it through. Our group was actually leading in the game, where we had to haul the most number of balls as possible — or that’s what we thought. We were merely one round away from walking away as champions when one of the other groups approached us. A girl from another group, in particular, was wondering whether we’ve all got the mechanics of the game right. For her, the instructions, although rather vague, had a little twist. All of us, together, had to cooperate, and instead of rumbling for the most number of balls, place our Hula-Hoops over the place where all 100 balls were stacked. She justified that the instructions merely said that we should all get, if possible, 100 balls… and the only way to achieve this would be by everyone cooperating.

Kudos to my teammates and the other teams who were still in contention to win first place if the smash and rumble had gone on for the fifth and final round. Kudos because, even though it had a slight hint of being a trick, everyone agreed to it. No more students got wounded, or scratched or kicked in the hyper competitive rumble in the middle of the pitch. Instead, all of us have won. I find it awesome that we didn’t realize the true instructions right away, because in this way, groups who were leading have shown that despite their competitiveness, they’re willing to give it up for the greater good of everyone else.

I could go on and talk about the other activities we’ve had, like the Nuclear Wall (where one of our teammates got injured when she fell) or the Mysterious Maze, however, the lesson of these activities are still very similar to the learnings of the previous one. So, let me go straight ahead to the most epic activity which also concluded our Leadership Training.

The Epic Finale

If you think about it, the instructions for our finale were quite simple.

All we had to do was pass along a few balls using half-cut pipes and have them safely delivered to the other end – without dropping them. Acting out the instructions was anything but easy. In no time, we’ve already dropped two balls that have somewhat upset our facilitators. It was only with the third and fourth ball that we really got our game together.

I didn’t quite follow how the third ball fared because I was more focused on the fourth ball of ours. Our setup was simple, Whoever was carrying the ball on his or her pipe had to have people on both sides to support him or her if in case the ball moves towards either side. To go on with the game, the ball had to proceed to our right. Yet, there was one moment when our fourth ball, and thus the third of five balls, had almost fallen down to the ground. The incident happened at one of the short corners near an elevated platform. The support of the next one carrying the ball has already left to prepare the line ahead of us. Unfortunately, it also meant that no one was there to support the next one. While the one carrying the ball didn’t pay attention to the ball, and instead glanced over to her right to check the position of the next pipe, the ball exited the leftmost exit of her pipe… jeeez, and that’s when my contribution came in. I was about to head towards the head of the line because I have already finished my job near the tail a few pipes earlier. Luckily, I didn’t leave the scene and managed to catch the falling ball with my pipe. It was so clutch. Sorry for the word, but it was really so fucking clutch. It felt good. It felt good because I have finally felt being needed and because I have finally done my important contribution. Of course, everybody has contributed in his or her own way, but it wasn’t until this moment that I really got involved with it all. It was epic.

Once again, like how I’ve done a handful of times on Facebook already, I’d like to thank and congratulate everyone involved with the Leadership Training of PWC. From the Office of Student Affairs, down to the instructors present, to the facilitators, to our very own Geber, to my fellow teammates and of course to all the other leaders who were part of this epic event.

Here I’m hoping that everyone took home some good vibes, some good learnings, some new friends and more. 🙂

PS: Team Natural, let’s not forget ha, Geber invited us over to her place some time. Adto ta pag kanang gutom ta? hahaha!