I just can't resist blogging. Maybe it really is a great substitute for a journal. (Sigh. I do miss having a real one. )

Anyway, it is the first day of March. I just feel dazed at how the days pass by. One moment I was looking forward to senior year, the next thing I know school year is nearly at its end.

I'd like to think that I've learned a lot of things from this year, not just in academic terms, but also in the way that I view things. Well, about learning...I don't take it as synonymous with improving oneself. After all, some of the things I learned about myself are actually leaning on the negative side of matters. But at least I know some of the things that I need to work on:

I need to work out on my personal interaction skills.
I need to be more relaxed about things.
I need to appreciate the little things around me more often.
And with that thought, I need to SHOW my appreciation to my friends more often.
With that same thought too, I have to show the same to my family.
I need to include sleep in my work schedule.
I need to learn how to handle guys who can't seem to take no for an answer.
I need to be closer to God.

***
Earlier, I went to Tondo with TFA for SAPSPA work. SAPSPA stands for Samahan ng mga Angkop na Pabahay para sa mga taga-San Pablo Apostol. (Or something like that.) I may not be exactly sure about SAPSPA's true meaning, but I do know that we are involved in helping out the NGO in providing architectural details for the projects it has for the people applying in the program. The NGO was established to help out people who live in the area in building their homes by providing funds and basic schematics of the proposed structure.

TFA has long been a part of this project. Basically, we help out by doing the plans ourselves based on the inputs of the owners and the existing conditions of their houses. An alumni of our org, Ate Faith, serves as real architect behind the project - someone with authority has to check our plans if they are safe or what. Aside from architectural plans, we also provide basic necessities in the plan like plumbing, electricity, and structural details.

Anyway, SAPSPA is like other housing NGOs except that it caters to a specific group of people. It was formed out of the necessity of providing homes. What makes their location different from the others is that their houses are built on soft, marshy ground. Their land is reclaimed from the river that used to be in the area. As a result, the residents of San Pablo Apostol face the perennial problem of raising their houses constantly. Situations wherein the floor slab of the second floor is almost eyelevel with the person standing from the street are common in the neighborhood.

***
Going back to our trip earlier, we divided into 4 groups, and each group was assigned to a particular household. It was fulfilling to be there, talking to the residents that we would design the houses for. The lady we were to design for, Mrs. Abino, was a widow who had plans of continuing the existing structure beside her son's house. Her funds run short so she had to stop the construction, and it was only this time that she would be able to continue building their home through joining SAPSPA's program.

On a more personal level, it was even more fulfilling knowing that I could actually help them out, since more or less I've taken up all the subjects that are concerned with designing for a simple house - plumbing, mech elec, construction, design - and I have a clearer idea of how things work. (I was the only senior in the group.) It felt good because, unlike when I was in second year (the first time I went to the area) I had a better view of what to do with the project. Back then, all I had were some drafting skills and a lot of really good intention. At least now I actually make use of the things I learned in college to benefit someone who needs our help, and at the same time guide the people from the lower batches in our group.

I had a nice time in our immersion - the residents were really warm and hospitable, our group was lively (not to mention BIG) and like I said earlier - it was fulfilling to know that you can actually do something concrete to help them out.