Tanglaw University Center

I woke up and glanced at my huge wall clock—it’s 8:30 in the morning of 12.20.2011 and goodness gracious I’m LATE! I should be in Tanglaw in an hour. I fixed myself up for half an hour then, hailed a cab and at exactly 10 in the morning, I made it.

It’s good to see Tanglaw after several months – the same brick-walled center with pretty new faces (let’s say new friends). They were the ones who invited me along with another friend to join the Christmas Party of Tanglaw Catechism Club in Paltok, Quezon City. Basically, I knew what to expect since I’ve been to several Christmas parties for kids some years ago. Plus, I am a kid enthusiast so I wasn’t really worried.

With just finishing a bunch of exams the past week, I was initially feeling exhausted but after seeing more or less 50 adorable kids, my nerves were stimulated and I said to myself  “Oh my gosh, this is it!” and “I wanna do this!” That was when everything fell into place. It was like a wakeup call that I needed to bid farewell to my dentistry stuffs for awhile and Christmas is just around the corner.

As the kids were on the dance floor, I realized that the party was yet to start. The kids danced to the tune of 2012 with Ate Krish and Ate Daisy. Before that, there was Pinoy Henyo wherein the kids guessed things related to Christmas. Soon afterwards, Ate Sheena sang Price Tag for the kids. Before singing, she explained that during Christmas, it is not the gifts that are important but one who is celebrating his birthday, Jesus. From this I saw that although it was a party, God was still placed as the center which made the party exceptional and worth remembering. I think those kids are smart in a sense that they know what Christmas is for – that  it is not just about having material things.

During the presentations, the kids were given prizes and school supplies which they can use for the Catechism classes. The kids received a Noche Buena package for their families and a plastic envelope with school supplies for their Catechism classes every 2^nd and 4thSaturday. My heart started to pound after seeing their beautiful smiles engraved on their fresh faces after winning and receiving their prizes and gifts. I was captivated by one kid whom I asked “bakit mo tinatago yung gift mo at Noche Buena package mo?” He was actually wrapping his gifts with his handkerchief for others not to see it. The kid replied: “baka kasi may mawala eh! Bibigay ko sa nanay ko”. At a very young age he knew  how to share to his family whatever he has received. As funny as it may seem, I never thought like that when I was his age. I was young and carefree so all I knew was to play, play and play. I never thought of having any responsibility but that kid taught me a good lesson.

Then, another kid, whom I won’t forget, told me that he will be using the plastic envelope he received as a present to keep his things from getting wet whenever it rains. It is lovely to know that they value whatever they have and that they are contented with the presents they received. Nowadays, contentment is hard to achieve but it is a key to happiness like what this kid showed me.

All in all, the party was exceptional since it highlighted faith, love, care, togetherness and affection shared by one another—all of which I think, are the main ingredients of having a Genuine Christmas. As the saying goes, “The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other”.  And with all these, I realized that Christmas is not about how extravagant your Noche Buena is or how chic your gifts are but Christmas is more about how you spend it with the people you love even without having the best of everything. Lending a hand even just for a day during the Christmas season was truly worth it.

Thank you to the children who were so kulit for making my day. Let us make Christmas felt all year round.  Thanks a bunch Tanglaw for a very wonderful experience. I enjoyed it!

Mina Fernandez is a Dentistry student from University of the East.

Ms. Mitzie Icasiano visited Tanglaw University Center last November 12 to give a talk entitled “Revisiting our Roots: The Museum Experience”. The talk centered on two points. The first focused on the seeking and finding of one’s roots with the goal of falling in love with one’s country.  She stressed the importance of knowing our past as a nation and explained that here lies a sure foundation of today’s nation-building.

Reading of our history was highlighted. This, according to her, is a necessary step to knowing our past in order to love and understand our people more and eventually love the Filipino nation.

But she said that reading is only step 1, and logically, the next would be “to walk it”. This is materialized by visiting museums in the country, for as the speaker put it, the museum experience validates and reinforces what we have gathered from reading. But the experience would be as good as one prepares for it; hence, the need for reading.

Among the museums that she recommended, the following are a must-see:

Ayala Museum for its Gold Collection

The National Museum for the Manunggul jar and Spolarium

Lopez Museum for its Hidalgo-Luna Collection

Intramuros to have a feel of the Spanish era

Bahay Tsinoy and Yuchengco Museum for the Chinese in the Philippines

She ended by saying that love of country is performative and visiting our museums is a concrete way of doing it. And she also suggested that important shrines and heritage sites be frequented because attached with these treasures are the memories of our past which serve as reminders of the greatness of this nation and its people, a sentiment that is almost wanting in many of us.

October 6, 2011 was the 46^th anniversary of the arrival of the women members of Opus Dei in the Philippines. Lali Sastre, one of the first three women graced ETC with her presence on that day.

She recounted her encounters with the founder particularly on the day when he gave them the blessing before leaving for the Philippines. She said that meeting a saint was really a one-of-a-kind experience.

With very little knowledge of the country and of the language, but with a lot of faith, she and the two other set out for the Far East. Save for a few mishaps which she laughingly recalls, they survived and Tanglaw is witness to that. It is one of the Center they have put up to provide formation for young women.

Also in the get together was Annie Ranoa. She recalled meeting Opus Dei members for the first time while teaching at UP and was deeply impressed with their cheerfulness. Not long after, she joined Opus Dei, becoming one of the first few Filipina members.

Annie also stressed the role of the Administration in Opus Dei –referring to the staff who supervises the material upkeep of the Centers-.  Early on, she did not have any qualms giving up teaching to dedicate herself to work in the Administration. She explained that this work is like that of a good mother who looks after all the details in the home, making sure that the meals are served on time, clothes are laundered well, the house is kept tidy, and the children are well taken care of.

Forty six years after, it was clear to see that the sense of Divine Adventure is still very much present in these wonderful ladies.  An enticing adventure indeed.

Trisha Parungao and Karla Banayat, who are both European Languages (major in French) students from the University of the Philippines Diliman, visited Tanglaw University Center last September 24, to share their ten-day adventure in France.

Both had an opportunity to go to France as a prize for winning in Allons en France (Let’s Go to France), an annual contest supported by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. This event aims to gather French-speaking students and make them discover more the French culture through new relationships and personal experiences. This competition is open to all French students ages 16-20.

Trisha, together with Katrina Yap of British School Manila, submitted a video entry in 2010 featuring the country’s railway transits – Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) – in accordance to that year’s theme, “Tradition and Innovation: The Spectacle of Everyday Life”.

On the other hand, Karla was alone in representing the country last July of this year. Her video entry centered on the values that we learn through sports and how these are reflected in our daily lives, following this year’s theme, “France, Land of the Olympics”.

The ten-day visit of the two to the City of Lights consisted in touring some famous spots like Louvre Museum, Notre Dame and Eiffel Tower. Stopover at various galleries, museums, and other cultural and historical spots was also very much part of the tour. Both confessed that the most memorable part of the trip was witnessing the fireworks display behind Eiffel Tower during their last night.

It was truly an experience of a lifetime for the two students. And, for the girls of Tanglaw Center who attended this cultural gathering, they could only be grateful to the two young speakers and dream of waking up in Paris too one day.

Tanglaw was flocked by some eight high school students last September 10, 2011 to relay their impressions and insights on World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain. These girls showed photos and shared their unforgettable experiences as they braved the scorching heat of Madrid from August 16 to 21, 2011. They all described the event as life-changing and fun. In fact, when asked “What is WYD for you?” towards the end, here are some of their answers:

Camille : It is where you really see that the Church is very much alive.
Isabelle : A gathering of the youth to show the world what we believe in.
Sheena : WYD is essentially praying and socializing. The two are simply inseparable there. (Sheena was
the only university student in the get-together).
Lilay : I agree with Sheena. The best part of WYD is that prayer was very much part of it, and the
entire thing really facilitated it.
Ina : WYD showed me the miracle of time and space, particularly during the Vigil .With such
discomfort- very little space to lie on and time to eat (during that time), we were still fast
asleep not minding the difficulties at all. WYD is penitential, but it is worthwhile.
Andi : Indescribable, specially meeting the Pope. The sight of him could really move one to tears.

And all said “YES!” in unison when asked if they would encourage everyone to go to WYD Brazil in 2013. “Take it from our experience!” they added.