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I had only 2 social formation activities, both from my FYDP class. The first one was in Marilog District. We went to Gawad Kalinga village then on my second Social Love Sunday, we went to Matina Pangi to be with people who earn a living by making a souvenir made out of seashells. In Gawad Kalinga, I met a woman who is a mother. She had no job and only tried to live day by day. We had so much fun with our time together, we ate, we sang songs in karaoke, and played with her child. At the end of our time together, she gave us durian. The other encounter I had was with a teenage mother who was selling souvenirs. She also had no job and depended on her husband while she makes souvenir gifts out of seashells as her sideline. Also, at the end of our time together, she also gave us the token we made.

I would give a rate of 5 for both. The whole experience taught me that being generous knows no status. This reminded me of a story in the Bible about The Faith-Filled Giver, the widow, and her offering (Luke 21:2). This poor widow gave two small copper coins. Her gift just keeps getting smaller and smaller the more words the author uses. However, her result, as stated by Jesus, was that she gave more than everyone else because she gave all she had to live on.

What might be a small thing for others, can be a big thing to some already. Similar to those two women, their kind gestures really made a huge impact on me. They have only a little yet they still choose to give. It taught me to be humble, to be compassionate, and to be generous all the more.

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What is Formation for you? Have you been formed in Ateneo?

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What is Formation for you? Have you been formed in Ateneo?

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Formation for me is allowing the person to discover themself while helping them to become the best version of themselves. It's like becoming a new leaf.

I would say I have been formed in Ateneo but I did not allow myself to be totally formed. It was only partial. My goal when entering the university was different. Being delayed for 4 years, my only objective was to graduate. I did not care about any extracurricular activities that would help me to be formed. But I would say that there are things that I'm glad that there are some things that I only got from Ateneo. I am now politically aware, culturally sensitive and compassion for others.

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The most important gift I have nurtured is my full surrender to God. As a believer, I think that when our lives are fully submitted to the Lord, we excel in so many things, we gain more wisdom and knowledge, we are able to show kindness and compassion for others because we become humble, and we are able to survive any storms in life. Truly, the past 4 years have been a faith-stretching journey, but I would never have had it in any other way other than God's way.

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Failure. No future. Drop-out. These are just some of the things I could think of who I was before I came to Ateneo.  It wasn't easy having to fail almost all subjects in my previous course. Much worse, I was already in my fourth year in college. It was hard to accept that I have to let go of that course because of the time, money spent on my tuition, and the struggle I had to go through.

When I came to Ateneo, I had a new life. More to that, my anxieties were doubled up. I had a hard time figuring out my new course, new environment, new curriculum, and dealing with new people. It was not easy to accept that I had to go back to the first year and be delayed for another 4 years. I pressured myself to really excel but at the same time, I was the person who did not care about anything as long as I finish the course and graduate.

The beginning of my journey in Ateneo was a walk in a bed of roses. It was refreshing but at the same time, I struggled with its thorns because of the fear of the unknown. Will I make it? Will I fail it again?

But I always remember the very reason why I fell in love with my new course. Not because I thought it was easier than the previous one, but because I know in my heart, this is where God called me to serve Him. It says in Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."  We may not understand the reasons and the wisdom of the Lord for allowing us to walk on the broken pieces of ourselves, but one thing is for sure, this is just part of His amazing and wonderful future waiting for us. And we can only go there when we faithfully obey His calling.

I consider myself like a butterfly. Similar to the process of becoming one, I had to go through that painful, painstaking, and agonizing 9 years to get me to where I am now. What seemed to be a setback was my biggest breakthrough. From being a failure to becoming a victor and everything in between, I praise the Lord for how He has carried me out during the course of my journey here in Ateneo. ♡