Camping out with Buddhist monks

I joined the Buddha’s Light International Association Youth Summer Camp, last April 8 to 10. The organization has been handling summer camps for many years now.

The summer camp was held at Island Cove Resort in Cavite. It was a bit different this year because instead of holding the camp in a retreat house, the organizers decided to do it in a resort. This made the young campers more excited and enthusiastic. I made a three-day diary about the summer camp. We were about 100 campers this year.

Day 1 – April 8

Everybody was to be at the meeting place in Fo Guang Shan Temple in Vito Cruz by 7 a.m. and they were wearing the official T-shirt for the camp. It was really embarrassing because I arrived 30 minutes late. Everyone was grouped and had their van assignments already. I was like a lost kid in a mall and I didn’t know where to go. There were participants from Bacolod, Cebu and Iloilo.

When we arrived at the resort, everyone was instructed to go to the function room for briefing. I was happy to see that many volunteers came in to help in organizing the activities. The kind uncles and aunties and, of course, the Masters were also present. Upon entering the function room, my eyes were busy looking for my old friends whom I met at last year’s camp. There were a lot of new faces, so I looked forward to joining them for the rest of the camp days. I was placed in Group 3. Being the eldest in the group, I was tasked to be one of the facilitators.

To break the ice for the new comers, our first game was the "Baboy, Bahay, Bagyo." The instruction was for us to group into three, and then two persons would be the bahay while the other person would be the baboy. Then as the host shouts "Baboy, bahay, bagyo," we change places, thus changing partners. This gave us the opportunity to meet with other participants of the camp. We were given another topic in relation to Master Hsing Yun’s teachings (the founder of Fo Guang Shan Temple in Taiwan), then we are to express it either by singing, dancing or acting. Everyone was amazed at the talents that were discovered. After this, sumptuous lunch was served at the resort’s restaurant. We were taught to chant the Buddhist’s prayer before eating. It was new for many, because the meals were entirely vegetarian.

After lunch I had time to talk to my old friends and catch up with them. For relaxation, just after eating, we were introduced to a singing session which they called as "Sounds of the Human World." The songs were beautiful. Again, we were asked to perform, either dance or sing. My group won for this one because we got a dance instructor as a member of the group (Thanks to MJ).

After dinner, we were allowed to go to our room and unpack. I hurriedly went to my room. We were given roommates whom we didn’t know. At first, I was anxious, but I realized that this is a chance for me to meet new friends.

When we returned to the meeting room I was surprised to see that the room was completely dark; everyone was seated on the floor, as someone was talking. This was personal reflection time – everyone had the freedom to cry or share if they wanted to. To end the day the VIPs, organizers, facilitators and leaders of the groups were introduced. Then, we called it a night; everyone was encouraged to sleep early.

Day 2 – April 9

The activity started early, I was late for the stretching and meditation. I asked those who woke up early about the morning session. I got good and funny feedback; some said that they felt relaxed and healthy, others said that they perspired a lot during the stretching, there are also some who felt more sleepy after the meditation. After that, another Master Chueh Yi told us Buddhist stories. Youth BLIA president Gerome gave us one Buddhist story (from the Hundred Parables book). Then each group had to act it out.

After lunch it was debating time! I remembered that last year my group won the debate. The topics for the debate were family business vs. establishing own career, career vs. family (what should come first), working mom vs. housewife, and your love vs. your family. The topics were really challenging to debate on. As a facilitator, I was tasked to guide the group. My group lost the debate, but I know they did their best and fought for what they believed in.

The second to the last activity for the day was the "Amazing Race," not as complicated as the reality TV show, but it made everyone sweat and enjoy. The campers were grouped into five, again it was a different group so that everyone gets to meet each other. This was a sort of training for working with a group. As I looked at different teams, I saw different attitudes of the groups. There were teams who really worked as a group; they helped out each other especially when one of their members failed to pass a station, they thought as one and did things as a group. While there were others who played at their own pace. The activity was really exhausting and tiring, so for dinner, the food was extra delicious.

This was our last night, this meant it was bonfire time. That’s what we also did last year. We were allowed to wear civilian clothes, so everyone tried to look their best. We sang songs and played games. After the bonfire activities some went night swimming, while the others just chatted with each other.

Day 3 – April 10 Last Day

I enjoyed the night’s chatting session, we made a lot of discoveries that brought us friends more closer. For the morning session, we had a special guest speaker, Alvina Sy. She talked about life, on how to survive it and make it meaningful. What I liked about what she said was, "just like a beautiful lotus flower that grows in muddy water, when our life is in trouble, something beautiful comes out of it." This encouraging statement made us feel stronger and helped me to think in a positive manner life’s challenges. There was also a question-and-answer portion which gave the campers an opportunity to ask about their problems about life. After the talk, we had lunch, our very last lunch together as a group. The rest of the afternoon was declared as free time.

We arrived at the temple at around 5 p.m. After dinner, the closing ceremony started. The VIPs were also there, the Head Master of the temple, Master Yung Jao and the officers and past officers of the organization. Four campers were given the opportunity to talk about their experiences and insights about the camp. Last was the awarding of the groups and some individual awards. Then for the finale, we had the candle light offering.

Time flies so fast, another summer camp had ended, another set of memories were made. Until now, I still can’t help but relive the things we did at the camp. The activities we did, the singing and dancing we performed, and of course the chatting at nights that bonded us together.