by Javi Genato, student of SJI International Singapore
My name is Javi Genato and I am a student from St. Joseph’s Institution International (SJII) in Singapore. Earlier this year, I, along with a group of 9 other Lasallian students, had the pleasure of traveling to the Philippines to visit various Lasallian communities and meet like-minded Lasallians. In this reflection, I will detail the highlights of my trip as well as share significant takeaways from the trip that I will take with me throughout my life. I will start by saying that this trip was one of the most memorable, enjoyable, and rewarding trips that I have ever gone on. There was no dull moment on the trip, as each day was packed with service opportunities, encounters with the loving local community, and time to insightfully reflect on our journey, all of which allowed us students to feel a sense of fulfilment and gratitude for signing up to be a part of the trip.
SERVICE
From the moment we arrived in the Philippines, we were exposed to the sense of service that courses through the Lasallian mission, as upon arriving to our accommodation next to the Saint Jaime Hilario School in Bagac, we were greeted with warm, open arms by the loving staff who were delighted to serve us our meals. Across our three day stay at this accommodation, we were blessed with their generous hospitality and warm smiles that greeted us before every meal. Their example of hospitality taught me that service is best served with a smile, as true service is never forced or obligatory, but rather voluntary and genuine. As our journey continued, we consistently encountered service men and women who devoted their lives to serving their communities. Whether it was the Lasallian Brothers, the staff at La Salle Greenhills’ Alternative Learning System (ALS), or the members of the Upskills Foundation organisation in Tondo, I speak on behalf of all who went on the trip when I say that I was deeply touched and inspired by their hearts of service. Like the staff at our accommodation, they were always joyful in all of our experiences with them, constantly wearing a wide smile and laughing heartily, showing us that they enjoyed what they did and were genuinely passionate about their vocations. However, what truly struck me was when I realized that the conditions that we struggled with across a span of a few days were what they experienced on a daily basis. Not only did this allow me to feel much more grateful for the privileged life that I got to live in Singapore, but it elicited a deeper respect and appreciation within me for those people, as they truly showed me that service, while it involves sacrifice, is worthwhile.
What I really appreciated about this trip was that we were not only able to have a glimpse at what service looks like at a professional level, but we were also able to engage in acts of service, allowing us to cultivate Lasallian leadership in ourselves to carry on the Lasallian mission in the generation to come. For example, one of the most memorable opportunities that I had on this trip was visiting the marginalised community of Tondo and offering our time and service to their local community. Our visit to Tondo started with a tour around the place, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in their culture and understand the state of their living conditions. Following this, we were able to interact with the kids by playing games with them and serving them food, and after this, we were toured around Tondo again, but this time with a fresh set of eyes as we had been able to meet with members of the community, and thus were able to feel for their lives on a much more personal level. Our experience in Tondo ended with sharings from members of the Upskill+ Foundation Inc. who helped us understand the situation further and shared with us their inspiration behind serving. Out of all experiences, I was the most touched by this one, as I truly learned that one of the greatest acts of service one can perform is being present and being joyful, as your joy and presence can spark life and inspiration in all the people around you. To me, this experience epitomised what service learning means, as like any other type of learning, you can’t fully learn what it means to serve without experiencing it and drawing lessons and takeaways from those experiences.
COMMUNITY
Community, another one of our core Lasallian values, was also a key component of our trip which was incorporated into each of our experiences. No matter where we went, we were able to bond with and relate to the people that we encountered, primarily because of our shared identity as members of the Lasallian community. Our first encounter with a Lasallian community was at the Saint Jaime Hillario school in Bagac. During our tour of the school, we encountered students from every year group, but what was common in every single classroom was their shared exuberance to see us, which showed me how fulfilling it is to be a Lasallian, as your identity and the way you carry out life as a Lasallian inspires joy and hope in others. Perhaps my favorite encounter with a Lasallian community was at La Salle Greenhills where we met the first ever batch of IB students from that school. From the moment we stepped foot on their campus, we were charmed by their kindness and hospitality, and we instantly got along with them. While sharing the experience of doing IB may have played a role in helping us bond so quickly, I believe what was even more significant was our shared membership as Lasallians, as through that, our values were aligned, and a few things, like singing the “We are Lasallian” song, were a common tradition that both sides practiced.
It was through these experiences that I was able to appreciate being a Lasallian much more, as I realised that being a Lasallian unites me with Lasallians all across the world, as we all share the common mission of carrying out La Salle’s life today. To me, this is encouraging, as it’s not only an assurance that our school is not alone in trying to carry out this mission, but it also acts as motivation and inspiration, as as we see our Lasallian brothers and sisters living out Lasallian lives, we are inspired to do the same in our community and beyond.
FAITH
Finally, faith completes the triad of our core Lasallian values, and I believe that like the other two, it was very present throughout this trip. The main way in which our faith was cultivated throughout this trip was through our nightly reflections, which allowed us to reflect on our experiences from the day and draw takeaways from them. While our reflection sessions were very simple, they were indisputably a highlight of my trip, as they encouraged me to share my deep insights with people that I never would’ve thought that I would share them with, which not only helped me get closer to them, but it also showed me how freeing and fulfilling it is to share your faith with others. All throughout the Bible, it talks about the importance of community in strengthening your faith (i.e in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12), and while these designated reflection times didn’t necessarily allow us to openly share our full faith journeys with everyone, they opened the door to separate conversations with a few people in which our faith would be more openly shared, which helped me to grow in my faith and in my relationship with these people.
Besides our reflection times, my faith was strengthened through our service and community experiences, as I saw God’s spirit of sacrifice, love, and humility through the service of the staff and teachers and His spirit of kindness, joy, and peace through our encounters with all of the communities, all of which allowed me to appreciate and admire God even more.
