Weeks before going to Odiongan, we were told that we are going to stay in a school in Odiongan and we had to bring our own beddings. We didn't bother to bring our own beddings because my teammate's parents offered a place for us which we can afford. Unfortunately for us, there had been a misunderstanding. We were told that we should stay with the other UPLB teams in the headquarters provided for us. That moment, we knew we were doomed because we didn't bring anything that we can sleep on. 

 

"Kapag gusto, may paraan." We managed to find bed sheets and curtains that we can sleep on and we borrowed pillows from the hostel that we were supposed to stay in. It was uncomfortable to sleep on bed sheets alone because the floor is cold and hard but we thought that it's better than sleeping on nothing at all. 

 

Another problem came when we found out that there was no water in the school. We thought that we can take a nice bath after 7 hours of travel, but we were wrong. Some of us have to use the restroom, but there's no water. We decided that we should eat first then figure out where to find water later on. 

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Waking up in the morning with back ache and morning breath, we found a solution to our problems. We decided that we can take a bath in the hostel that we were supposed to stay in. At last, we were nice and clean again. 

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As I lay on the bed sheets the second night, I realized that when we got there the classroom was clean and the chairs were arranged on the sides. That means the students and teachers there prepared the rooms for the UPLB delagates. I also thought, "Wala ba silang klase for a whole week?" I felt guilty thinking that they have to suspend the classes of the elementary students just to accommodate us. I realized that I shouldn't complain about the cold hard floor because they sacrificed a whole week of classes for us. 

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That night, I slept happily on the cold hard floor thinking about the days to come in Odiongan. Maybe we were meant to sleep like this so that we can empathize with the people who don't even have comfortable beds or houses. After all, less is better than nothing at all. In the end, I was happy because I slept on the floor with the best team ever.

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