Focus Study

     There are now cars with very fast speeds. There are now computers that can serve us the largest library of the world. Technology speeds up what has once been slow. Everything is fast these days that people had no more time to see what’s ideal and what is real.

     But nine students and a mentor had a once in a life time opportunity to have the world slow down for them as they take a trip to see the bloom of an adventure.

     1:00 P.M. on October 22, 2011. One by one, the team members arrived with their luggage and their overflowing excitement. They were ready to see a different and unique environment that not everyone could see. Every second they waited, anticipation got higher. By 1:45 P.M., they were ready to go.

     While on their way, they saw the sky looking dark. They thought that everything would fall into place. When they arrived to Sports Complex, the rain was already very heavy. But despite the situation, the team’s trip pushed through, and the rain slowly turned to drizzle.

     After almost an hour, they arrived to Delta Discovery Park, complimented by nature’s greetings.Going out of the red jeepney the team had rode, they felt the warm radiation of the sun on their cold fingers. Slowly, all the negative elements evaporated in thin air, leaving each member with only their luggages, unspoiled excitement and first-hand opportunities. So, instead of searching for the lost elements of their life before, they faced the new world, a better world, and were ready to explore, conquer and experience adventure at its finest.

     The team stopped at the dormitory, and was already amazed of its beauty. The beds were comfortable and the bed sheets were clean. The locks were secured, the cabinets were strong, the lavatory was clean and it was spacious enough, and the staff were very hospitable and considerate.

     After dropping their hefty luggages, they changed their clothes and brought with them only their live excitement. Together, they jumped to the swimming pool and jumped into the beauty that has now been discovered.  

     Floating in cool, crystal water seemed like a dream. Every moment spent in the pool was worthwhile and an everlasting joy in the members' hearts. The pool seemed to have a family magnet that pulls everyone together, promoting a bond, and tying everyone in the elastic bond of life to keep them together wherever they go.

     They thought it was endless happiness, but then the team's stay at the pool area was only until 6:00 P.M. Time, which was very selfish to the group, gave the team a time to only taste 1/4 of what the pool could offer. However, as they stepped out of the pool, took showers and wiped their bodies, their experience didn't get washed away. It got glued in their hearts forever, and would be noted as a moment they would forever treasure.

     The team arrived back to their dorm in a blur, and spent the rest of their night listening to the echoes of what had happened. They all concluded that the day they have just spent wasn't ordinary. It was going to be an experience no one would forget.

     Everything was too good to be true and too precious to handle and the team couldn't ask for more on that night. But then Delta kept on offering them more. It was late 10:00 P.M., when one of the members introduced the rest of the team to a place near the dormitory where you could see Butuan City at night.

     It was late, but there were fireflies that led the team the way. Everyone was amazed of how Butuan looked like. Everyday, they see only a little world of the things they have never longed to see. But then, on the top of this mountain, they see a world not everyone else could see, feel an emotion not everyone else could feel. Again and again, when the team learns and realizes something new, they feel like children again, being spoonfed by the knowledge nature has offered.

     Again and again, the team began to see what is ideal and what is real.

     When they woke up, it was already their second and last day  in Delta Discovery Park.  Looking at the view on the balcony, there was still a lot of places to explore, and a lot of experiences to gain, but only a short period of time. It was early in the morning and it was time to work.

     After a satisfying breakfast and a refreshing bath, each member prepared their cameras, their notepads, and themselves for they are about to witness discovery at its best.

   

     The team, still with 110% energy and excitement, went first to Delta Discovery Park's 400 Meter zipline. They were welcomed by looking at the staff riding the zipline fearlessly. It may have looked like they should fear not at all, but suddenly their excitement had a mix of their nervousness with the fear that they might fall.

     The team was fidgeting, and the staff tried to open a conversation with them to calm them down. Not long, the team was called to a hut and weighed themselves. After weighing themselves, they were given consents which were signed by the team's mentor. After getting their consents signed, they were given number codes. They were told that they will be called by fours. The first four were fidgeting the most as they waited for the operator's mouth to say "1 to 4." After a moment, the first four heard it.

     The remaining four waited for the first four's feedback. Fortunately, they were less nervous since they were told it was an experience they shouldn't miss. So, when the first batch of zip riders were done, they climbed to the take-off station and bravely wore the harness, and in the end, received satisfaction.

      After everyone has experienced the 400 Meter zipline, the team thought

 they were brave enough, until they knew they have to pass another test of adventure before they could be called brave. Two challengers, Mr. Jason G. Tiu, and Mrs. Josephine Chonie M. Obsenares, dared to keep away from playing safe to ride the longest zipline in Asia: 1.3 kilometers of adventure at its finest.

     Fear was transparent in the eyes of the riders but in the end, they realized how blessed they are to ride the longest zipline in Asia.

     A few moments ago, it was 8:00 A.M. When they found out, it was already 12:00 A.M. After giving Mrs. Obsenares and Mr. Tiu the moral support they needed, they went back to the dormitory, with again, satisfied faces and fed experiences.

     They might have their satisfaction, but they have not fed their stomachs yet. In the dormitory, all of them merrily enjoyed their last meal in Delta Discovery Park before going back again to the world they have lived in. 

     

It was 1:00 P.M. when they decided to get out of bed to now hold the steering wheel. They began to pick up their things, checked out and stood by the main building to ride the ATV and the Buggy. For others, riding a vehicle seems like a piece of pie, while for others, it was a difficult thing to do. In the end, when they all went back from the 45 minute experience, they said that holding the steering wheel and riding their way uphill was an adventure conquered.                        

Having conquered the ATV and Buggy, the team went on to a more ecological way of adventuring

by horse. They got on the 5-foot tall mammal, and started to maneuver the animal as if it was an extension of their legs.  After, they followed the guide and then 1 hour later, they came back, having explored the area like in Spanish times.

When they got off,  they reacted as if they used prosthetic legs, but in a good way. But their time in the reception area was limited, so they started packing.

     Before they went home, they realized they still need to visit the lovely and feathery pets of Delta in Aviary Park. There, the team saw different kinds of birds that made a noise pleasant to the ears and birds who had always felt free living with the beauty of discovery they see when they wake up everyday.

     Before they knew it, time has called their attention. It was time to go back to what's ideal. They, together, with faces that wanted more, went back to the main building and picked their things up. 

     It was a first-hand experience. Two long and unforgettable days. Days that not everyone would be able to have. Days that would mean the whole life to you. They kept on saying again and again that "Butuan is a place of adventure ait its finest." They also kept on hoping for the day they would come to Delta Discovery Park again and discover different hues. But, again, time reminded them it was time to go. So, they waited for the jeepney to pick them up, and they slowly stepped away (hesitantly) from the ground of Delta Discovery Park.

     And brought with them the sweet treat of adventure at its finest.

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