4 Days as A Faci

by RG Juarez

Day -1

Perhaps this was the first day that everything seemed different. I felt the pressure already by doing a simple task called packing. But why should this be compelling you may ask? Of course, in order for a facilitator to look and perform at his or her best during the camp, necessary preparations should be made. Not to mention keeping in mind the items that are truly necessary for the use of camp events such as costumes, a pen, a notebook, some other school supplies, and most certainly, my water bottle. I even separated all my clothes according to which days the will be used. Call me too organized, but it would help in many ways later. Maybe this also got me excited. But what really made me excited was the fact that it was my first time to be an official facilitator in a national event. After that, we only had to wait for our plane to take us to Iloilo.

Day 0

Having arrived at Sarabia, everyone else became busy in a flash. We facis also practiced our oncoming production numbers from Faciklaban to Opening Night and of course, everybody’s favorite, Dalandan Shake. But the first task in my facilitating “career” started when the cargo arrived which officially marked the start of Day 0, as well as the start of the event’s “distribution” of challenging responsibilities and notifications of tiresome nights. We ate and kuya facis were temporarily assigned in different committees, me being sent to the Secretariat committee. Our duty, while in the committee, was to organize the items to be claimed from the Kits booth. We carefully placed every booklet and pen in every bag and even organized the shirts in order to have a smooth and systematic claiming process. We finished everything a bit late, but we still had enough time to recharge in preparation for a big happening tomorrow which was…

Day 1

…Registration. Even before 7 am, participants were already arriving so we have to man our posts even before that time. It was the first and a very important part of the event so I was very excited to do my job. At first, it was really easy since only few of the schools would claim their kits and shirts at the early part of the registration. But later on, priority numbers were higher, Boracay Hall was packed, more and more teachers kept on coming to our booth, and we were busier than ever. Pressure and tension filled the large (or perhaps not-so-large-enough) room. I suddenly found myself busy distributing the bags we organized yesterday. I even got surprised when I had to get, count, and tie together more than 50 bags. It seemed that I won’t be able to leave my post but somehow, I managed to greet “Kaika!” to some of the campers, which left some of them befuddled.

Fortunately, I was able to go through an intense exchange of “Kaika”s and “Maruka?”s by greeting participants going up to Kalantiao Hall for Opening Night. I am a shy person and I really don’t talk to strangers that much that’s why after doing crowd control, I was not able to believe myself that I was able to pull of something like that. The rest of the opening night went with pure fun and entertainment. And while the Oracle introduced himself and went through the details of the campers’, now called Villagers and Sages, purpose for Chemopolis, there was something bothering me at the back of my mind. Ever since I knew that I was going to be a facilitator, I instantly felt delighted and honored. But, it was not in my whole basket of experiences to handle more than 30 students. Many questions filled my head. “How will I introduce myself?” “Will they manage to become united?” “Will they have a great time with me as a faci?”. Before I knew it, we, now called the Guardians, were called forth to the stage, one by one, to end the Opening Night as well as begin the Satrape (Sub-camp) Congregation.

And that was it. With a folder in one hand and the Satrape number “2” in another, I knew I had to quell my bashfulness and start calling out for people I have never met before. Doing that felt kind of weird. I always had a hard time dealing with unfamiliar people. But I thought, “Hey, it doesn’t matter. I’m more of a stranger than they are to me so there’s nothing to worry about.” One by one, some villagers approached me claiming that they belong to Satrape 2. That was it. Though I expected some of them to say a little bit more like, “I’m really excited about this!” but no, I guess that wouldn’t ever happen. “So far, so good,” I thought as we all got settled in a nice spot in a corner of the room. For a moment, due to my shyness, I was hesitant to open my mouth. I even made a few excuses to delay the start of the conversation. In meeting other people, I don’t usually initiate an interaction but rather I just wait for them to talk to me. But there’s no escaping this one. The deeds had to be done, the villagers are waiting and looking at you, and it’s getting late. So I finally broke our silence and started introducing myself. Most certainly, I also let them introduce themselves to their co-satrape members. From then on, I observed the diverse backgrounds and personalities of the campers. And there were also first impressions like I thought many of them were quiet (and at that moment it was a little too quiet) but would soon turn out to be wrong. When I finally said everything I needed to say, and did everything I had to do, I bid them all “Good night!” and later that night, as I lay down my bed, I thought of how a tiresome day one was but so far I was enjoying it. And when I closed my eyes, I instantly fell into a deep slumber.

Day 2

I woke up, the room was cold, my blanket did not seem to provide enough insulation, and the irritating sounds of cellphone alarms tickled my eardrums. Honestly, I did not have enough sleep that’s why I was annoyed. But I should prime myself though, because for the next two mornings, every waking moment would be more or less like this. In addition, I should be early at this first morning as to not disappoint my villagers. First impressions last, right? And so, we met again, and many were still unfamiliar. “That’s okay. Maybe with the sessions, workshops and other group activities, we’ll be closer in no time,” I just thought. And you know what? I was right! I was even blessed with several brave young villagers who were determined to accomplish their tasks and consequently, helped in the satrape’s “bonding” process. While it was tempting to tell them what was the most right thing to do in the workshops, I was able to control my very generous nature and let the campers learn by themselves. Nostalgia hit me when I remembered back in high school how I used to do workshops with my subcamp and was the one constantly asking our faci what to do. But there I was now, looking from the other side, being the one relentlessly inquired. I was proud of them, and a bit relieved, that the “Noble Duties” were done without flaw. Good thing the sun’s heat at the “Vol Hardt” did not get into them. Socials Night was also great since it encouraged all the campers to get… well… social. And what better way to break the ice than with the classic, Limbo Rock? Though I neither got to play with them nor at least evaluate their game performance, I had the trust that they would become united through the games, win or lose.

Day 3

As expected, the day started pretty much the same as the last one. The only difference is that it’s even harder to wake up. I guess the need of sleep yesterday stacked with last night. Even though I’m that type of person who has the “passion” for sleeping, I kept reminding myself that these situations only come rarely in a year (hopefully) and I should be reaping the rewards later. Another thing that differentiated this morning from yesterday was that I was looking forward to meeting again my new friends. And for the first time, I felt sympathy for them and the other villagers. First was when everybody had growling tummies begging for lunch since the Subcamp Quiz Bee extended time and another was in the Over-all Workshop station that I was assigned. “Chemical bonding” was no easy station for the satrapes and many took a lot of time there. Manning the station was as challenging as the station itself as well.

As rockets flew high into the orange-laden sky (courtesy of the beautiful sunset), and light was struggling with the dark, I knew then that time was nearing. Dubbed as “Faciklaban”, the guardians would show off their talents (in show choir and dancing). Remember those celebrities who dance and sing in those Sunday noontime entertainment shows? Some of them, especially those who dance, would rehearse just hours before their performance and then I knew what it was like to be them.

In the backstage, I was really nervous since mastery was not that perfect. Soon, the crowd went wild, the lights were dimmed, we were on the stage, and the music started playing. I’m not the one who puts popularity on top of his list but I appreciate the way the audience cheered and screamed for our names. For me, it was a very thrilling experience and one of my most blissful performances in my lifetime. And in order not to fail my satrape, I indeed did my best especially in our group performance. And don’t even get me started with Dalandan Shake! I’d dance like it’s the last thing I would do. Hey, it never hurts to be perky.

Day 4

Sadly, April 10 was the last day of camp. (And I don’t need to tell how my awakening went.) But that didn’t stop me from enjoying what would soon turn out to be the best day in the entirety of Camp 2011. This was the day of exploring Iloilo, ultimate bonding and photo opportunities. Today also presented me another great challenge of being a guardian - to be able to lead, gather, take care, and sometimes, entertain 30 people at the same time. I never did something like that before, so I was just prudent following instructions given to me beforehand on how to handle my satrape. My leadership skills were also brushed up. During the field trip, I also felt like a bus conductor (No seats for us guardians.) or more like a steward on a plane with very “bumpy” turbulence with the risks of falling food from the overhead compartments and unlock-able doors as perks. In addition to lack of sleep, the field trip even drained me since I was standing for hours. However, I must press on. The day’s conclusion was not far off. Definitely, I could still do it.

I was really pleased with how our offering for the Pledge Night turned out. Who knew a simple white shirt with our names on it would powerfully remind us with all the memories and the good times we shared with my satrape? I’ll definitely look for it when I get back to Manila. Anyway, my duty as a guardian still wasn’t done but sadly Pledge Night was the last event to facilitate them outdoors. Don’t complain. I was just being sentimental. And then, in the Awarding and Closing program, I laughed at myself, since I was kind of expecting an award or two for my satrape. You know, so that we could have more things to reminisce (and brag). But award after award, they just sat there clapping, their energy started to wane, and still we weren’t called on stage, not even a single nomination. But that was for all the awards except for the last one. No, it’s not the “Best Satrape Award” but yes, we’re the last Satrape to be announced. That was very okay. At least, thankfully, my satrape got an award – the “Most Creative Satrape Picture”. (Credits to Satrape 2 for a job well done at conceptualizing!) And then, when it was time for Faci moment, things started to get a little gloomy. Since the thought of us parting ways still did not sink in and also due to time constraints, I didn’t get too emotional on stage, that’s why I had to meet up my subcamp for the last time to give my final message. I may have cried that night but it was because I was very thankful that in four days, I knew more than 30 people I am happy to call friends, siblings or even my own children.

There were many things that I had pondered upon being a guardian during the camp. First of all, since I am new to PSYSC, admittedly, I was a bit unprepared for this since I was still adjusting to the organization. But I guess you can’t actually practice being a faci other than actually doing it. But that’s the beauty of the job. Even though were given a set of facilitator guidelines, it is still in our hands how we interact, lead, instruct, influence, entertain, and befriend our campers. Ever since I applied to be a NECAT of PSYSC, being a faci was one of the opportunities I looked forward to. I always wondered how it felt like to be one, like you’re the one being looked up to by your sub-camp, being called for help, being cheered during “Faciklaban”, and many others. Being one of them made me see that this task was not about stopping to smell the flowers. Being a faci requires determination, hard work, affability and good health. And if you value sleep like me, you should be willing to sacrifice it, among other things. And then, here comes your new friends. Four four days you would guide them, teach them, eat meals with them, and take care of them. Perhaps this is the greatest reward of being a facilitator. Lastly, it feels very gratifying to be of service to the Filipino youth, to PSYSC and to its thrust, public understanding of science, technology, and the environment (and in a nationwide scale too!). I may not be the cutest, most bibbo or the best guardian around but what’s important is that I was happy doing my job. As long as the campers had smiles on their faces, I’m glad too. And who knows? Since I already had some faci know-how, I could use that to focus on improving the necessary skills. I could apply what I had learned to also have a better facilitating experience. I can’t wait to be a faci again.

RG Juarez

Facilitator, CAMP 2011