Finding Peace in the Workcamp

The big rocks stood still while the green trees fashion it like gallant tattoos. On its feet were the unblemished waters of the sea begging for attention. I was in Gibitngil Island somewhere in Medellin, Cebu, Philippines. The sun was salient with a golden color, and the breeze embraced me with a precise kind of cordiality. All I heard were the tranquil voices of the marine, the skies, and the terrain.

For starters, I thought the minute details of this place wouldn’t complement each other; the trees were far too shambolic to live on those gigantic strident rocks resting on the ear-splitting sea, but what I saw and what I felt was different. I looked at it as a whole, and I saw art.

Art...

I wish that we could all be paintbrushes. We could paint our country, and our world, with all the colors that we have. I hope we can all be beautiful artists and see each other as parts of a masterpiece; the same way I see the sea and the rocks and the trees part of that island’s masterpiece.

These were the special memories I remember during my 2017 Work Camp in Medellin. We had an excursion to Gibitngil Island on the Sunday of our 10-day work camp, and I vividly remember how crystal clear the water was and how beautiful the rocks were.

In the work camp, we built a fence in the local school, taught kids football, and tutored basic English and math skills. Every day was an exhausting day, but we always felt fulfilled right before we slept.

Everything I experienced in that work camp contributed to the development of my inner peace. I detached myself from social media, from any forms of virtual communication and entertainment. The trees beside the lane, the stars in the night sky, and the music during the evening accompanied me. There was a right kind of silence and constant prayer that allowed me to introspect and see the whole world. That’s the thing about solitude; paradoxically, you get to be connected to the world by being disconnected from it.

As we did our work, the kids in the school showed us happiness for even the most minor reasons. The dripping sweats as our skin slowly darken allowed us to experience the fruitful experience of hard labor. The conversations and laughter we shared forged camaraderie. If there’s one thing this work camp taught me, peace can be found in the simplest acts of charity and friendship; and a little inspiration from nature.

When I went back to the city, I took it along with me. I expected there would be a wreckage of catching up, but when I crossed the threshold of the city life, the peaceful feeling remained inside my heart. The world seems to be much more colorful in this once gray urban perspective. Amid all the terrorist attacks, the bombing, the shooting, the killing, the sad stories in the news at that time, this is definitely what 15 guys from different parts of the country needed; finding peace amid the work camp.