Thursday, August 02, 2007

August 3, 2007

It's offically August 3rd in Manila, and I have been awake for over 19 hours already. Still, sleep has yet to dawn on me. I'm already having another bout of Allergic Rhinitis, still not even a hint of lethargy... Oh well, maybe in another half hour or so...

After weeks of postponement, our Community Duty finally pushed through today. Along with my groupmates, we took the LRT Line 2 to Marikina City (which, by the way, left me misty eyed) where we commissioned a Vehicle for Hire to bring us to our Site. It was another 10 or 20 minutes before we finally got to our destination: Brgy. Bagong Sibol, Marikina City.

It was a depressed area right along the banks of the Tumana River, behind the Fairlane Subdivision. Since we had to meet quite early, some of us barely had breakfast, and so, the task of finding safe & suitable food came into play. Good thing, in one of the very few concrete houses, they sold freshly cooked Purefoods Hotdogs for a very reasonable price of only PhP7.00 per stick. 1 Stick was quite enough for me, since I already took my breakfast at home.

When we finally convened at the Baranggay "Hut" (it was barely a "Hall"), we were tasked to interview families who reside in the Blocks assigned to us regarding their various Health Concerns & what improvements they would like to have done, in terms of Health Care Services. I paired up with one of my friends, Jamie, so that we could do the interview together. Jamie and I were able to speak with 4 Families who shared their concerns & needs.

In our interview with the families, I was left in awe of the efforts being done by the City Government of Marikina, under the leadership of Mayor Marides Fernando. Although they do not have regular check-ups or a nearby Health Center, their Emergency protocols can be relied on in times of need. I also noticed that they all seem to be very content & happy about the measures being done by their Mayor for the benefit of their Community's Health & well-being. How many Municipalities, Cities & Provinces can boast of such services?!?

Although I was a bit apprehensive at first, I felt at ease, after the first few questions were thrown. It also leaves a good feeling that you may also be able to help these families once you have gotten to know their needs better.

After Community, I had to run back to school to take my Prelims in Chemistry, which was surprisingly easy compared to my Microbiology & Community Health Nursing Exams. We were able to check it after the exam & I got 93%!!! Woohoo! All worth it!

Another great news was the Cancellation of Classes today, August 3, for the Last Day of Registration of the Baranggay Elections. Although it was supposedly only for students between 15-17 years old or High School & College Level Students, our school decided to call off the classes since there are also a lot of students in our school within that age bracket.

So now, I have 2 days off, and I am planning to spend it sleeping or in the Mall. Hah!

That's it for today... I'll update again later...

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