I received a message from my boss to prepare my things because we are going to La Union. I was surprised! We haven’t discussed anything about that trip in our previous meetings so I was wondering what is about.
I packed my bags, discussed matters with my wife who would be left home alone, and prepared the office documents we needed for the trip.
Deep inside, I did not want to join the trip, especially after I found out that it would be a 3-day meeting for an upcoming event. I muttered, “We could have done this at the office. It will be less costly, and there would be no need to go out of town.” But my opinion doesn’t matter since I am just a paid staff. I have no choice but to oblige.
We stayed somewhere in a rented villa via Airbnb. It was a nice place, by the way. The weather is a different story. It has been raining continuously without any chance of sun. Gloomy weather.
As soon as we arrived at the villa, we divided our stuff into two. We rented two units, each unit with two rooms, to accommodate the 11 of us. After unloading our things, we rested. We left Manila at 3 am and we arrived before lunch time so all of us were eager to take a nap.
I will not bore you with the details of what we discussed but I realized the wisdom in bringing the meeting somewhere isolated and far from our homes. That way, we could focus on the topics at hand and we can finish more. Somehow, this is also a rest from our usual routine. Plus, we get to visit a nearby church from our denomination!
Good thing, I was able to bring a book with me. I seldom leave home without a book for two reasons: to maximize unproductive hours and to avoid awkward conversations. I brought with me my copy of “Break” which talks about the importance of the Sabbath. I read the book during my free time, and whenever my bosses have other things to do. I was able to finish the book during that 3-day duration!
On one occasion, while my bosses were busy, Kuya Ryan, Ptr. Jhun and I went to a nearby beach. We don’t want to miss the opportunity for a fresh ocean breeze while we are at La Union! Unfortunately, since it was raining and the weather was not that good, the beach was a mess.
On the way home, we stopped at several stores to buy Sukang Iloko. We wanted to see the best bargain. I bought at the first stop and they tease me because they bought theirs at a slightly lower price.
But for me, the highlight of our three-day trip happened at NLEX within the San Simon, Pampanga area. We were on the way home, and we were stuck in traffic for almost 5hrs! It was too difficult to sit for that long, and our bladders were all full! On top of this, we have two ladies on board. It was a difficult scenario. When we could no longer hold our bladders, we mustered all our guts, set aside embarrassment, and peed on the side of the road. Yes, even the ladies!
Only to find out that the reason for that terrible traffic was a few meters wide flood. Imagine paying for a toll only to be inconvenienced like that. We left La Union before lunch and made it home at midnight.
Oh, how I missed my wife patiently waiting for me!