A Letter to a Friend

Hello, MLC!

Thank you for remembering me though you are spending your own vacation in the fine beaches of Boracay. You asked about my own out of town trip and I was in such a mood that I answered not in my usual flippant style. That must have really gotten your attention because you asked why I said, “busog sa puso”.

I think the best explanation I can give is to get you to see things through my eyes.

I found a family.

I know it’s weird to say that about people you have worked with for just over a month. But it’s the case.

The moment I arrived at my new office, I was welcomed and accepted into the fold. Sure, they were curious about me, but I think it’s mostly because I’m the new person and definitely so different from anyone they’ve met. Yeah, yeah, I know I take some getting used to.

Just like in any group, there is always a set of people who is like the core. In this case, I think the group was formed naturally because they work closely together every day. And it is also this group which almost functions as the heart of the office since all activities emanate from them.

My job naturally bonded me to this group for the same reason. And boy, did they welcome me or what! On my first week on the job, they were already inviting me to a swim trip. And I guess my age and position put me in a senior role, so I naturally assumed and was assigned a leadership position, at the side (slightly lower in rank) of the other senior officer in the group.

And here I am, a little under 2 months and already feeling like this group is like family. I am protective of my “kids” and “their father”.

The trip to Laguna came about because the office doesn’t have any budget for a summer outing and the people, even from other departments, are all looking for one before summer ran out. So I led the organizing of one. Originally, we’re supposed to go to Galera. But with the typhoon, we revised the plan and went to Laguna.

It was important to me to ensure that the trip will push through. Morale of my kids is low because they aren’t getting paid much. So what they lack for money, I try to make up with affection. They wanted a trip, we went. They want to learn, I teach. They flounder, I organize. They lack funds, Superman (that’s the “father”) and I provide part of it. And we made sure that the trip was pure pleasure. Almost. We hardly talked about work (only Superman and I were constantly talking about work between ourselves).

We played with them, kidded around. It became some kind of a teambuilding activity because we now have a common experience and lived in close quarters for 2 days. And it was good. It did my heart good to see them feeling good.

Also, Superman and I are enjoying a really close friendship. Nope. No romance there. He’s married and I already made too many mistakes on that end. I must tell you that it is refreshing to have a healthy friendly relationship with a man, with no malice.

And that’s what I mean by “busog sa puso”.

So tell me more about Boracay.

Dementia