Yesterday was my second office outing in my two years and eight months of employment in Ateneo, and I must say my decision to stay overnight at Yo and Mo Farm Resort was a good one. Days before, I debated with myself whether I should stay for one night (group A) or just go for the daytrip (group B), since I had to finish my requirements for graduate school admission. But because I finished the draft of my essay anyway, and all I had to do was tweak it, I opted for a day and a night spent with my officemates (well some of them anyway, as the others had to go home and attend to personal affairs).
We assembled at the Xavier Hall lobby at 7:00 a.m. The trip from Ateneo to Tanay took one and a half hours by coaster. Upon getting there, we were treated to a light snack of half a sandwich and a serving of potato salad. Then we walked a bit and spotted a Goldilocks-like house, took some pictures and went inside. The house, it turns out, was where the owners stayed. It was also the spot where guests can play billiards, so it was totally okay with the owners that we went there late in the afternoon to play. But I am getting ahead of myself.
So after admiring Goldilocks’ home, we went on a 1km hike around the farm. We passed a lot of trees and plants and two hanging bridges. We burned a lot of calories. Some of my officemates took advantage of the fruit-picking opportunity and went back with guyabano and calamansi.
The hike left us famished, so we gobbled chips. Of course my officemates had to point out my penchant for sanitation in jest (no eating of chips on a communal bowl/bag for fear of germs on other people’s hands; a slight feeling of disgust when people dip pieces of chips their mouths have already touched on the communal bowl of salsa). But it was alright. That’s the real me, anyway.
Lunch was a feast of seafood chowder (I think...), fish fillet, Korean beef, and buttered vegetables. Dessert was maja blanca with a lot of corn. Yum.
After lunch, A. and I felt sleepy so we slept a little. But before that, I tried reading a book my cousin gave me, but I guess I was too tired to absorb the thoughts in it, so I gave in to sleep. We slept for about two hours.
When we woke up, it was “merienda” (snack) time. We ate noodles, bread, and chips. A. and I discovered that while we were asleep, our officemates went fishing. L. caught a big one. It was fried to a crisp in the evening. Yum.
A., Ly., and I decided to play billiards, even if we weren’t good players. Wala lang, just for fun. Ms. H. and Ms. S. saw us, and Ms. H. was kind enough to teach us some tricks. Well, the basics, actually. As I told you, we can hit the ball, but we’re no good at geometry and strategy. Then they left with the group of day-trippers (group B) at around 5:00 p.m.
Then L. came along and played with us for a while. Since we were talking about stuff when she came, we decided to ask her advice on some things—things which concern the lives of 20-something unmarried girls.
Mang L. and E. unwittingly provided the comic relief some time after. Of course they didn’t know what we were talking about before they came, and we intended to keep it that way. Then it was time for dinner. We watched “27 Dresses” while eating.
A., Ly., and I went to our room after to talk some more. There, more thoughts were shared and secrets spilled. It was one of the rare times I saw my officemates in a different light.
Then I decided to take a shower. When I came out, M. was there, so by then, we were four unmarried girls talking about...stuff. Then L. (married), Ms. J. (married), and T. came. The conversation, of course, got more interesting.
The two boys were sound asleep while all these things took place. They had a lot of beer in their bodies, anyway, which they needed to sleep off.
Our convo ended at around 1:30 in the morning.
The next day (today), we had a quick breakfast, got ourselves ready, and took the van back home.
Tomorrow, we’re going to see each other again, and I bet the way we see each other won’t be the same anymore.
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