It’s less than a month before the annual Bataan field trip. Me and andrea are still to get in shape for the grueling trip that I refuse to call an excursion.

You see, wisdom and more than 3 years of experience with the said tradition have taught me to prepare and to be in top physical form for the said activity. With beach patrolling (or 4-6 hour of walk on the beach from around 10 pm to 4 in the morning) and coastal cleanups, relaxing is the last word to come to mind when describing this particular immersion experience.

Unfortunately, unlike us teachers who have seen the worst of it, freshmen (the largest batch of which I’m handling this year) are immune to the fear of the horrors of Bataan. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate all the work, research and effort that goes to the whole conservation program. I’m a fan and a firm believer of it. But the whole thing is no walk in the park. And to think that is is, is sheer foolishness. The freshmen (and not just this batch I’m currently handling), unfortunately, always come with such foolishness in their heads until retrospect dawns on them.  That’s the horror I’m talking about.

Beach activities are not always leisure-filled. It’s a hard lesson to learn.