summah'ritan!!!

Summah’ritan!!!
Jennifer Rose D. Suralta

One sunny afternoon, I took a feverish walk from my place to a friend’s abode for some chitchat. On my way, I bumped into two young lasses bringing a single paper in hand with their backpacks full and having untidy feet and almost worn out slippers---which I assumed that they came from school.

The feeling was quite usual since I got to meet a lot of those kids around the town anyway. But what struck me most was their keenness to be in school rather than doing nothing at all. Importance to education was what I’ve learned from it. Taking a walk in a hot, hot weather rather than spending a peso for fare is definitely an act of sacrifice. Having a small school allowance is not a big issue on them, most probably. I got to wonder if there are any good Samaritans in the world to see these things in rampant and give possible solutions to work on it.

Have you heard WORLD VISION ever??? Hey, it’s not any music shop (Music Vision)--- since it’s usually associated with the name. LAUGH. This non-government organization which I’m having my On-the-Job Training (OJT) with, aims to help the less fortunate children in particular to have a proper comfort holistically. Each registered kid has sponsors abroad, who give them toys, school supplies, cards, and even pictures with letters. Isn’t it a practice of being a good Samaritan?

In a four-day fieldwork in Jasaan, exciting things happened---not
to mention with the fine resort we were into. Being assigned in that place comes a great responsibility and as well as a new venture for my co-intern, April, and me.



Lolong (sponsored kid) and I were gazing at the sunset at Jampason Resort in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental. (Photo taken by Aprille G. Domingo)

“ PDR na jud akong kinaon ani, girl”, I once told April with a proud feeling in making the routine from the very first day of work at a hotel. It made me more keen and even felt like an expert in doing so with the task. Exposure to some conferences and meetings were good enough to observe such proceedings and document it all through out.

Dinner chats with the staff enable us to fashion a good bond and even get to know them a lot better as well as with the org in itself. Jokes cracked and the laughter shared was indeed a memorable one. Though they poured themselves into those nose bleeding “log frame” that they muttered, pursuing it makes the team more closer than ever as well as with the goal to lend a hand---not to mention some petty quarrels and teases they break too.

Despite the crises the country is experiencing today and despite the rampant evil doings globally, still, there are good Samaritans coping up to fight against it. If we will just ignore the children’s right to live properly, what will happen to them? What will happen with the saying: “Children are our future”? It might be futile, right?

These behind the scenes made me realize that helping people takes huge effort before working it out. Sit down, analyze, chill and then act out what you have planned in order to get what you aimed for. Sounds cliché but true. Theories can be boring but hands-on would be a lot enjoyable than what you expected it though. Everybody starts with the very basic and ends up remarkable as they can be.

Being a Samaritan doesn’t need a donkey or a horse to ride literally nor it chooses exclusively for only summer works. However, what require the most are the passion and the spirit to help others and give them the SIGNIFICANT change they ever longed for. We will never know that they might be the one who’ll going to help us in the right time.

Indeed, it’s more like a summer break fad with a purpose. As of now, at least I could smugly say that I’ve been a good “summah’ritan” this very fabulous summer on-the-job training.


A momentous pose at the beach with the sponsored kids (from my left side to front: Lolong, Monique, Anna and Junjun) creates a picture perfect.
(Photo taken by Aprille G. Domingo)