Just Jest

Our I/O Psychology class went out for a trip last Dec 9, 2013, and our professor chose Jest Camp (Jungle Environmental Survival Training Camp), Subic to be our venue. The place is good for class/employees/family/etc team-building activities. 'Twas a short trip, but it was fun.

The place was a 1-2 hour ride from Clark, Pampanga, and the view on the way there is really good. The mountains, the trees, oh well, you'll just hate to get back to your studies and to the city.

First, Kuya Nomer, a tour guide/survival trainer in Jest taught us how to survive in the wild (he said that what he taught us was just 10% of what we'll need to survive, other survival techniques will be taught if we spend the whole day and a night to three in the camp). He showed us how to make tableware out of some kind of trees. He also taught us how to make fire and how to cook using these tools from the environment.

Then the adventure began:

Aerial Adventure Walk

just set for the aerial adventure

scaredy cat forevs

Me having fun yeah

               

Soleily enjoying the "wrecking ball"-ish swing

sweet ladies

Jessica getting through one of the obstacles-- aerial barrels

Go Gela! Haha. That plank walk made my knees shake so badly it was embarrassing

During my aerial walk, I was screaming for help, I was even saying that I don't wanna continue anymore. It was just so thrilling for me, I was screaming my heart out. To console myself, I even did self-talks, asking myself to continue and stuff! Haha. After I finished the whole thing, my classmates applauded me (nakakahiya!), and said "Ate Shai, may natapos ka nang course!". Oh, these kids! If I just don't love them.

class shot after everyone's got their aerial walk turns

Then, off we went to Goliath's city for the Goliath's Swing 

This tall thing will swing you 30 feet above the ground. I wasn't able to experience this, because our entrance fee covers only one adventure. If we wanna do another, there'll be an additional fee

Yipeeeeeeee!!!!!

The skies so blue, the trees so green. I think when you're up there, you'll think that it's a good day to die

                   

not scripted! mouths are really hanging and the girls are screaming as soon as a person will start swinging, it was as if we were watching a horror/suspense picture

beautiful landscape!

the class seemed like they were watching a film ongoing while a person is being swung haha cute

class shot after the last person was swung

LOOFANG!

So, we ate dishes that were cooked in the native way or "Niluto sa Kawayan" as they call it.

Stroll before the trip back home

The place has its own wildlife park:

                     

And then, there's this awesome Maze of Misfortune, where we spent hours looking for colors to dip our fingers into. After each of the fingers in a hand of ours already got colored, we can go and consult the fortune chart on what's up with our fortunes:

 

The verdict: "It's witching night", I don't know what that means though. Others have more  exact fortunes like they'll fall in love on this certain day or something

It was really fun and there are a lot of other packages and adventures in the camp. Check it out here: http://www.jestcamp.com/. Another thing I loved there is the homey atmosphere among the workers, like: our tour guides were also the ones who were serving food, and cooking the dishes. :)

Photo Credits: Soleil Acu, MJ Fajardo, & Jessica Bonus
(huhu, forgot to bring my camera to the field trip)

A View From Above

Last 11th of March, our Abnormal Psychology class went to Bataan for a field trip. This is my first field trip with my Psych batchmates and here is how it went...

First, we went to Mt. Samat, because it was along the way, and I thought that if one must go Bataan, they shouldn't miss this mountain. Not just because of its natural and scenic experience, but also its vintage and historical feels. It is a not-so-high mountain that has an altar at some point of it, and then a cross at the most top. Here are some documents!

The class prepping to go up! :)

Mt. Samat was already constructed, so it has been a little touched away from its natural appearance, but still, you can feel your on top when you're climbing it.

The view of the cross from the lower part of the mountain

We're already at the altar! The history and I think that smaller frame somewhere in the middle is a map. I didn't read it though.

Posing with a friend, Wyngard. :) I don't know what that thing behind is. But it feels we're somewhere in the Great Wall. Haha

A mosaic glass art. This one is huge. Actually, three walls of the altar are composed of these glass arts.  It is visible on the latter pictures

Defying the heat with our smiles! We're about to go to the mini museum beside the altar, but it wasn't allowed to take pictures there. Sayang! The vintage pieces in the museum are really cool: rifles, soldier uniforms, US presidents' letters to some Filipino gov't officials, canons, old shoes, etc (stuffs during the Japanese occupation)

Way up!

That's the altar! :D View from halfway to the top

The view of the altar when we're almost at the top

The elevator within that giant cross is stuffed!

Scenic view. Romantiiiiic.

The sculptures are scaredovvvme. The weight of my appeal. Okay, I'm already haggard there from climbing all the way up. The wall behind me is a part of the giant cross.

We're inside the giant cross and we're going up to its arms! Cooool. 

We're in the arms of the giant cross! ITWASSSOOOCOOL UP THERE.

Scenic view from above

This round window (which was so in demand  to us for pictorials) is the other end of the cross' arms.

I'm enjoying the view and the really cool breeze! Mehe. The feels is like your in Eiffel Tower. I don't know tho, because never been to Paris. But the major effect of the giant cross is to be a place to view Bataan :)

Altar view from the cross' arm. This is how far we are from the a fourth from the top of the mountain

A monkey! I was surprised we'd find one, then I remembered we're on a mountain. I almost forgot because the place was already constructed in some way.

It's as if the leaves and branches are kissing the clouds and the skies. Wheeeew.

Beeeautiful. I wish that the regular roads I am walking onto are like this!

Hehe

We're on our way down. We took a different route from the ones we took to go up. That was a narrow zigzaggy staircase. This is a turny downward road

This is us! Abnormal Psychology class.

Trees. Lovely really. I was trying to suck the ambiance.

The cool road. I can imagine myself on a bike here, but that's impossible I don't know how to ride one. Ugggh. Romantiiiiic.

After the Mt. Samat stroll, we went to our real goal, to a mental hospital that accommodates patients from Central Luzon, the Mariveles Mental Hospital...

By the entrance.

It wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, so this is just one of the very few pictures we had there. It was cool there, not in the way, I'd want to be admitted there, but in a way that I've learned some things. I am a Psych major for some time now, but I'm still afraid of the possible violence from the mentally ill, but we found out that it wasn't like that. We had the opportunity to talk to some patients there, and it was pretty cool. :)

Yehey, another travel. Another place went to. Wow.