Tuesday, May 28, 2002
Hail to thee our Alma Mater. Hail! Hail! Hail!
A Personal Report of the DLSU-D Orientation Program for the College of Liberal Arts
I had arrived 10 minutes late even if it hadn't started yet. I was all by myself throughout the Orientation. I didn't see a single Athenean, and from the people who asked me what school I came from- no one has ever heard of Atheneum. Weird, when I would recall Atheneans giving DLSU-D the nickname of "Atheneum II". Part relief that I was one like the others who were going solo, an individual from an individual school.
The sight was good too. Lots of pretty girls everywhere. However, when you back away and look at it even more. About 80% of the population of the CLA are pretty girls. Then the 20% would be the guys... divided into 10% straight and 10% queer. It was frightening, amusing, a different feeling. But later on I found out that DLSU-D naturally has more girls then boys.
There wearn't any super mature looking people. My height in the crowd was perfectly average. I didn't want to be too short, or too tall. The common talk around was "Where are you from?" and "Hi, what's your course?". I wanted to meet a person who was also alone. I mean, I didn't want to suddenly barge into a group of friends.
And this didn't happen for a while. The girls in front of me, and the girls behind me, and just guys salted around.... all had someone to talk to already, and the by appearance of it, it feels like these people all have some kind of natural partner to take the college with. Like: "I'm taking AB Psychology, and my friend who I made an agreement with is across the hall in AB Development Studies". Haha. Crazyness. Crazyness. Crazyness.
The Auditorium was on the third floor of the Severino De Las Alas Auditorium. A nice new building that had no road in front of it. The road was being constructed and mud was all over the side. But the mud, humid weather, cloudy skies, appearance like it was going to rain... was all part of the scenery. It felt like a field trip even, but only with strangers.
The start of the program was very active. We have to shake hands with the person directly in front of us, then we'd shift. Not like the one I heard in TAFT from Enrico... where you will meet your blockmates automatically and together with your blockmates you guys will experience the orientation.
It was scrambled at DLSU-D, the relation you would have with everyone in the room would be "Collegemate" if there was such a thing. I need to brush up on College Slang or whatever. Anyways, everyone there today and inside that auditorium were members of the College of Liberal Arts. And throughout my whole experience here, I did not meet a single BROADCAST JOURNALISM person. The people I met were from AB Development Studies and AB Psychology.
So anyways the program went on. The start was all exciting, even tiresome. Then the middle was extremely boring. Yes, they were informing us of this and that... what to do here, what to do there. All during this time I already knew some stranger in this Auditorium. Her name is Nourilee, an incoming 4th Year Student here... who I met at the charmed-ph forum. She said we could meet here because she is one of the tour guides. And when the Emcee called out the Tour Guides... and after my speculation of about a team of 8 became an appearance of 50. I gave up right there, and was more worried about meeting the people in my row as we would instantly form a team.
Carla, and the one to my left could have gone for an Anne
We went downstairs and booths were there handing out flyers and trying to convince people to join their causes. I ignored these for now, although interested, I was caught in the moment of finding my own row from upstairs. We all stuck together and instantly we were a nice small group. The tour guides made us have partners, and our group had 6 girls and 4 guys. two guys became partners just to hang and chill in the back, the other guy was with his female friend up ahead of us, and i was partnered up with a girl named Carla. (The irony of it.)
We went around campus, and this Carla person and I shared the same fact that it will be forever known that she is the first person I actually met first at DLSU-D. And I also hold that position for her. We are both lonely people in this scenic campus, she had no one to talk to, and neither did I.
Now the details. Her name is Carla Mae Detante, and the last name I might have to re-check sometime in the future. She is taking up AB Development Studies. She loves to draw and listen to sentimental music. She is from Cabuyao, Laguna. Her school is also "individual" as I've picked up from her clues, she told me the name of her school shyly like it's a little place. And the typical Gputz question happens to sneak it's way in... (in reply to her asking how old I was and my reply was "16 now, 17 in july") ... I asked her "When's your birthday?" (*LOL*). She's from March 28th 1985, just turned 17, and most interesting of all... an Aries. I have never met an Aries in my recent life. Well maybe it would be a little little girl like one of my cousin's daughters or something, or some person far in the Campus of Atheneum like Norman (?) ...but just a person my age, etc... she's an Aries. I'm going all horoscopy again... haha.
She hates sports and loves MTV. Her classes are scrambled in different halls and rooms. Unlike my schedule where all my classes are basically within the same building, just one or two rooms apart each other. So she had to really understand the tour to know how to get around.
Be PROUD! (...to take this wonderful SHORTCUT!)
The weather was cloudy. It added to the effect of it all. The tour guides hit my funny bone when we were in the "Municipal Square" area. They were saying "Be proud to be a Lasallian! Even if people say stuff [there ya go, they mentioned it right there] ... you are on the most beautiful DLSU Campus in the Philippines." Then they go on talking about how the Municipal Square area is like. It's awesome in fact. It beats UST for me. The Emilio Aguinaldo shrine from Kawit is duplicated here. Inside the left side with the famous balcony (as seen in the peso bills, and in the freedom park in Kawit) is some former library. Inside, there was a display of the entire campus in those glass containers. It had places DLSU was going to expand to... neat. This building had two theaters in it, and they mentioned something about a discount. I had questions in my head but couldn't really ask them... questions like "What kind of movies are shown here?" and "How many seats are inside?". It starves me to know one day.
On the upper level they mention something like it was the place were the library used to be. Then they mentioned the key words that surprised me... [FREE INTERNET]. That caught my attention and brought me away from Carla for a moment. They had so many computers in there, and then they went on about how to pay for the internet. Which was weird... i thought it was free. I think it's FREE but they mentioned something else that I couldn't really understand.
So we went downstairs and they showed us the grand library on the side. The streets were fancy stones, and it really felt like we were in some kind of historic place. A huge chapel was in the center, and a large museum on another block. So basicaly, this place was really a square. They said concerts are held in the square lawn in the center. And they also said they are planning on establishing a "Municipal Hall" structure to complete this little town setting.
That's where they slammed us with "Be proud to be La Sallian!", and I overheard one of the other tour guides say that it's fresh and windy here... whilst in TAFT, the "trees are artificial". Ok, that got me. I thought we were all LaSallians, so why are we banging our counterparts over there.
It so happens that are group was basically in the center of the chain of other groups all around. Wait, there was no chain. The other groups were going in all sorts of directions. Our group was like Madeline in Paris... you know, walking in pairs quietly around.
We made a huge shortcut of the general tour and I didn't know it until my dad told me. When our group was within range of my father's eyesight at GMH, he said our group was the only one that made a sharp turn "back to base" whilst all the others went all the way around the campus. Well, the campus is shaped like a stretched "U", a boomerang campus... so basically we covered 80% of it before returning abruptly.
What if this was fate?! Haha, crazyness again. I mean, to think of it now, this sharp turn brought me face to face with the door to the Office of the DLSU-D Production Crew, which I had just learned about during the boring program. The tour guide even slowed the whole Madeline Club in that portion of the hall to point out that office, and all the other offices around.
And it was this turn that I think made our little group of 10 reach the Orientation Area ahead of all the others. I mean, when we arrived the place wasn't loaded with CLA peeps, it was only filled up with those Booths and the people trying to grab you and advertise to you about their cause. As I had arrived, Carla and I had exchanged enough information about each other that resulted in a Cellphone Number exchange. She's the first person I have a number of in LaSalle Freshmen Year (of course it excludes Nourilee, who I never met during this whole trip).
The Early Bird accidentally gets the...
Suddenly as I arrived, i thought I was going to leave already but suddenly some other girl jumps in front of me and starts saying "Are you interested in Production?" and she started giving me examples of their work. I was caught in the stir of the moment that I nodded and my expression was very positive. She took my arm and dragged me to a little both for [The Visual and Performing Arts Production Unit] or for short, the [VPAPU]. Quickly the three people there started trying to convince me to try it out. I said to myself "They're kind like this because they really want someone to try out for their cause.". After some talk, and introduction about myself, I couldn't resist. We were the first tour group that had arrived, we passed by the office of the [VPAPU]... i just don't know. "It's too good to be true."
I was the first person to sign up and try. I knew this was exactly what I was looking for. They handle all the stagework, preparations, production, lighting, cameras, you name it. It shocked me to find out they were only a few... 12 members. But then they showed me pictures of their works in the past... and pictures of them as a happy group of friends as well. A guy who looked like an "Eric" to me introduced himself "Eric", freaky. Some girl that could have gone for Rissa's Mass Com DASMA Sister was there too, and I just had to mention "Janiola" to see if they knew this person. They didn't.... another step away from Atheneum.
I didn't want to hurt myself with all this burst of hope... "oh man, this is it george", "they really have this george!, go for it!!", and "too good to be true" crap was all over me. I asked questions to make sure I wasn't stepping into a puddle of mud. I asked about the limit of members in this crew... they said there's no limit, even if there are thousands of students and a team of only 12? Unbelievable. I asked about the interview... it's based on "get to know" rather then "you must know". It's all good. At least I leave the orientation with something positive on the interaction side.
I have an appointment with them on June 11... the 2nd day of my classes at La Salle. I don't know if i could update my blog from LaSalle... maybe not since there are so many internet cafes outside campus that probably means everything inside campus is strictly "for learning".
I finished my sign up... the first one to sign up for the VPAPU. Then as I left I had to make paalam to Carla. When I found her, she was with her two friends. What the? They are all from Cabuyao and the other two friends have the same name, Jesebel (something like that). Then we both parted ways.
I walked alone back to my cousin's car. And that ended the orientation for me.
My feelings afterwards
I was expecting to meet my sectionmates, blockmates, or whatever like what happened to Enrico, Erica, and perhaps Dada at DLSU-Manila (Taft). But it didn't happen. The people I met were in the same college as I'm going to. I seem to have the impression to others as a foreigner already, Japanese to be exact. And If I speak English too loud and have people around me that don't quite understand who I am, I turn into a Visaya for a few seconds. But I know it's my own fault since I don't explain myself that well and confuse others.
I left the place pretty much well kept together. I did meet someone. I even got her number. I already signed up for something I believe I truly would love to do, more exact then Broadcast Journalism... it's actual Backstage Production, and in Freshmen Year. (In my course, Production stuff begins in 3rd Year).
I'm not going to keep all my damn hopes up for this, but it makes me feel better that I did try and that even by some oddly ending tour which brought me in front of the Office of the [VPAPU] and straight to the booth of the [VPAPU] to sign up first... it's weird. The whole thing was fun. I didn't see any familiar faces whatsoever.
So this is what's next. On Friday, June 7th... I move my stuff into my on-campus Dormitory and get my ID. I return to start school Monday morning on June 10th to start my first and only class of that day, "Intro to DLSU-D". And then the following day I begin my first whole day of classes and attend an interview for applying to the [VPAPU].
A Personal Report of the DLSU-D Orientation Program for the College of Liberal Arts
I had arrived 10 minutes late even if it hadn't started yet. I was all by myself throughout the Orientation. I didn't see a single Athenean, and from the people who asked me what school I came from- no one has ever heard of Atheneum. Weird, when I would recall Atheneans giving DLSU-D the nickname of "Atheneum II". Part relief that I was one like the others who were going solo, an individual from an individual school.
The sight was good too. Lots of pretty girls everywhere. However, when you back away and look at it even more. About 80% of the population of the CLA are pretty girls. Then the 20% would be the guys... divided into 10% straight and 10% queer. It was frightening, amusing, a different feeling. But later on I found out that DLSU-D naturally has more girls then boys.
There wearn't any super mature looking people. My height in the crowd was perfectly average. I didn't want to be too short, or too tall. The common talk around was "Where are you from?" and "Hi, what's your course?". I wanted to meet a person who was also alone. I mean, I didn't want to suddenly barge into a group of friends.
And this didn't happen for a while. The girls in front of me, and the girls behind me, and just guys salted around.... all had someone to talk to already, and the by appearance of it, it feels like these people all have some kind of natural partner to take the college with. Like: "I'm taking AB Psychology, and my friend who I made an agreement with is across the hall in AB Development Studies". Haha. Crazyness. Crazyness. Crazyness.
The Auditorium was on the third floor of the Severino De Las Alas Auditorium. A nice new building that had no road in front of it. The road was being constructed and mud was all over the side. But the mud, humid weather, cloudy skies, appearance like it was going to rain... was all part of the scenery. It felt like a field trip even, but only with strangers.
The start of the program was very active. We have to shake hands with the person directly in front of us, then we'd shift. Not like the one I heard in TAFT from Enrico... where you will meet your blockmates automatically and together with your blockmates you guys will experience the orientation.
It was scrambled at DLSU-D, the relation you would have with everyone in the room would be "Collegemate" if there was such a thing. I need to brush up on College Slang or whatever. Anyways, everyone there today and inside that auditorium were members of the College of Liberal Arts. And throughout my whole experience here, I did not meet a single BROADCAST JOURNALISM person. The people I met were from AB Development Studies and AB Psychology.
So anyways the program went on. The start was all exciting, even tiresome. Then the middle was extremely boring. Yes, they were informing us of this and that... what to do here, what to do there. All during this time I already knew some stranger in this Auditorium. Her name is Nourilee, an incoming 4th Year Student here... who I met at the charmed-ph forum. She said we could meet here because she is one of the tour guides. And when the Emcee called out the Tour Guides... and after my speculation of about a team of 8 became an appearance of 50. I gave up right there, and was more worried about meeting the people in my row as we would instantly form a team.
Carla, and the one to my left could have gone for an Anne
We went downstairs and booths were there handing out flyers and trying to convince people to join their causes. I ignored these for now, although interested, I was caught in the moment of finding my own row from upstairs. We all stuck together and instantly we were a nice small group. The tour guides made us have partners, and our group had 6 girls and 4 guys. two guys became partners just to hang and chill in the back, the other guy was with his female friend up ahead of us, and i was partnered up with a girl named Carla. (The irony of it.)
We went around campus, and this Carla person and I shared the same fact that it will be forever known that she is the first person I actually met first at DLSU-D. And I also hold that position for her. We are both lonely people in this scenic campus, she had no one to talk to, and neither did I.
Now the details. Her name is Carla Mae Detante, and the last name I might have to re-check sometime in the future. She is taking up AB Development Studies. She loves to draw and listen to sentimental music. She is from Cabuyao, Laguna. Her school is also "individual" as I've picked up from her clues, she told me the name of her school shyly like it's a little place. And the typical Gputz question happens to sneak it's way in... (in reply to her asking how old I was and my reply was "16 now, 17 in july") ... I asked her "When's your birthday?" (*LOL*). She's from March 28th 1985, just turned 17, and most interesting of all... an Aries. I have never met an Aries in my recent life. Well maybe it would be a little little girl like one of my cousin's daughters or something, or some person far in the Campus of Atheneum like Norman (?) ...but just a person my age, etc... she's an Aries. I'm going all horoscopy again... haha.
She hates sports and loves MTV. Her classes are scrambled in different halls and rooms. Unlike my schedule where all my classes are basically within the same building, just one or two rooms apart each other. So she had to really understand the tour to know how to get around.
Be PROUD! (...to take this wonderful SHORTCUT!)
The weather was cloudy. It added to the effect of it all. The tour guides hit my funny bone when we were in the "Municipal Square" area. They were saying "Be proud to be a Lasallian! Even if people say stuff [there ya go, they mentioned it right there] ... you are on the most beautiful DLSU Campus in the Philippines." Then they go on talking about how the Municipal Square area is like. It's awesome in fact. It beats UST for me. The Emilio Aguinaldo shrine from Kawit is duplicated here. Inside the left side with the famous balcony (as seen in the peso bills, and in the freedom park in Kawit) is some former library. Inside, there was a display of the entire campus in those glass containers. It had places DLSU was going to expand to... neat. This building had two theaters in it, and they mentioned something about a discount. I had questions in my head but couldn't really ask them... questions like "What kind of movies are shown here?" and "How many seats are inside?". It starves me to know one day.
On the upper level they mention something like it was the place were the library used to be. Then they mentioned the key words that surprised me... [FREE INTERNET]. That caught my attention and brought me away from Carla for a moment. They had so many computers in there, and then they went on about how to pay for the internet. Which was weird... i thought it was free. I think it's FREE but they mentioned something else that I couldn't really understand.
So we went downstairs and they showed us the grand library on the side. The streets were fancy stones, and it really felt like we were in some kind of historic place. A huge chapel was in the center, and a large museum on another block. So basicaly, this place was really a square. They said concerts are held in the square lawn in the center. And they also said they are planning on establishing a "Municipal Hall" structure to complete this little town setting.
That's where they slammed us with "Be proud to be La Sallian!", and I overheard one of the other tour guides say that it's fresh and windy here... whilst in TAFT, the "trees are artificial". Ok, that got me. I thought we were all LaSallians, so why are we banging our counterparts over there.
It so happens that are group was basically in the center of the chain of other groups all around. Wait, there was no chain. The other groups were going in all sorts of directions. Our group was like Madeline in Paris... you know, walking in pairs quietly around.
We made a huge shortcut of the general tour and I didn't know it until my dad told me. When our group was within range of my father's eyesight at GMH, he said our group was the only one that made a sharp turn "back to base" whilst all the others went all the way around the campus. Well, the campus is shaped like a stretched "U", a boomerang campus... so basically we covered 80% of it before returning abruptly.
What if this was fate?! Haha, crazyness again. I mean, to think of it now, this sharp turn brought me face to face with the door to the Office of the DLSU-D Production Crew, which I had just learned about during the boring program. The tour guide even slowed the whole Madeline Club in that portion of the hall to point out that office, and all the other offices around.
And it was this turn that I think made our little group of 10 reach the Orientation Area ahead of all the others. I mean, when we arrived the place wasn't loaded with CLA peeps, it was only filled up with those Booths and the people trying to grab you and advertise to you about their cause. As I had arrived, Carla and I had exchanged enough information about each other that resulted in a Cellphone Number exchange. She's the first person I have a number of in LaSalle Freshmen Year (of course it excludes Nourilee, who I never met during this whole trip).
The Early Bird accidentally gets the...
Suddenly as I arrived, i thought I was going to leave already but suddenly some other girl jumps in front of me and starts saying "Are you interested in Production?" and she started giving me examples of their work. I was caught in the stir of the moment that I nodded and my expression was very positive. She took my arm and dragged me to a little both for [The Visual and Performing Arts Production Unit] or for short, the [VPAPU]. Quickly the three people there started trying to convince me to try it out. I said to myself "They're kind like this because they really want someone to try out for their cause.". After some talk, and introduction about myself, I couldn't resist. We were the first tour group that had arrived, we passed by the office of the [VPAPU]... i just don't know. "It's too good to be true."
I was the first person to sign up and try. I knew this was exactly what I was looking for. They handle all the stagework, preparations, production, lighting, cameras, you name it. It shocked me to find out they were only a few... 12 members. But then they showed me pictures of their works in the past... and pictures of them as a happy group of friends as well. A guy who looked like an "Eric" to me introduced himself "Eric", freaky. Some girl that could have gone for Rissa's Mass Com DASMA Sister was there too, and I just had to mention "Janiola" to see if they knew this person. They didn't.... another step away from Atheneum.
I didn't want to hurt myself with all this burst of hope... "oh man, this is it george", "they really have this george!, go for it!!", and "too good to be true" crap was all over me. I asked questions to make sure I wasn't stepping into a puddle of mud. I asked about the limit of members in this crew... they said there's no limit, even if there are thousands of students and a team of only 12? Unbelievable. I asked about the interview... it's based on "get to know" rather then "you must know". It's all good. At least I leave the orientation with something positive on the interaction side.
I have an appointment with them on June 11... the 2nd day of my classes at La Salle. I don't know if i could update my blog from LaSalle... maybe not since there are so many internet cafes outside campus that probably means everything inside campus is strictly "for learning".
I finished my sign up... the first one to sign up for the VPAPU. Then as I left I had to make paalam to Carla. When I found her, she was with her two friends. What the? They are all from Cabuyao and the other two friends have the same name, Jesebel (something like that). Then we both parted ways.
I walked alone back to my cousin's car. And that ended the orientation for me.
My feelings afterwards
I was expecting to meet my sectionmates, blockmates, or whatever like what happened to Enrico, Erica, and perhaps Dada at DLSU-Manila (Taft). But it didn't happen. The people I met were in the same college as I'm going to. I seem to have the impression to others as a foreigner already, Japanese to be exact. And If I speak English too loud and have people around me that don't quite understand who I am, I turn into a Visaya for a few seconds. But I know it's my own fault since I don't explain myself that well and confuse others.
I left the place pretty much well kept together. I did meet someone. I even got her number. I already signed up for something I believe I truly would love to do, more exact then Broadcast Journalism... it's actual Backstage Production, and in Freshmen Year. (In my course, Production stuff begins in 3rd Year).
I'm not going to keep all my damn hopes up for this, but it makes me feel better that I did try and that even by some oddly ending tour which brought me in front of the Office of the [VPAPU] and straight to the booth of the [VPAPU] to sign up first... it's weird. The whole thing was fun. I didn't see any familiar faces whatsoever.
So this is what's next. On Friday, June 7th... I move my stuff into my on-campus Dormitory and get my ID. I return to start school Monday morning on June 10th to start my first and only class of that day, "Intro to DLSU-D". And then the following day I begin my first whole day of classes and attend an interview for applying to the [VPAPU].
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