BEEP! BEEP! Rotaractors alighted the jeepney of Inter-RAC Wave 2 that happened last July 30, 2022 with a lot of pasalubong during the event in the form of friendships, memories, virtual tours, and anticipation of what awaits in the next wave.
This year’s Inter-RAC with the theme: Friendships Beyond Borders was organized by Rotaract Club of Cebu Fuente – University of San Carlos’ very own International Club Director Anika Jolie King, Socio-Cultural Director Marco Paolo Lim, and Intellectual Director Emmanuelle Glyde Suycano who have given their all to make this event successful.
FUN FACT: The event was arranged to coincide with World Friendship Day in the Philippines which is a perfect day for connecting with other people and forging friendships outside of your comfort zone — or your timezone. It is indeed friendship beyond borders with Rotaractors coming from all over the country and of course all over the world.
Rotaractors were able to hop in the Wave 2 jeepney and leave on time indicating the start of the event, especially when having a lot of stops along the way which included sightseeing and fellowship! I can’t forget to mention the energy-boosting hosts, Rtr. Alphie Corpuz Daro, and Rtr. Trisha Dormitorio hosting Inter-RAC for the second time. With their help and encouragement, they were able to make everything engaging and connected, especially when they motivated the participants into joining the community dance in the form of a famous Tiktok dance, “Left and Right” by Charlie Puth ft. Jungkook.
Speaking of the world, all the way from Singapore, guest speaker Ms. Rytha “Chilli” Lew, the chairperson of Asia Pacific Rotaract MDIO talked about “Building Equitable and Inclusive Friendships Amidst International Diversity: Rotaractors Role for and in World Peace”. Ms. Chilli, as she is fondly called by her friends, was able to break down the topic thoroughly and effectively. She mentioned that “it’s important to build a community through friendship and fellowship, and when we’re down and tired from all the service we can go back to this community that reminds us why we do what we do.”
Among the inspiring phrases she gave was: “The world may not mean much to you, but you may mean the world to someone”. These are words that a Rotaractor can go back to when everything gets overwhelming.
She expressed that there is no such thing as world peace. The world is filled with diverse leaders, cultures, and politics but as Rotaractors our job is to tip the balance of the scale towards the good. Having said that, everyone should not give up hope that the world will become a better place. And through every act of kindness done levels the playing field for the less fortunate. As everyone is part of this organization, they are given the opportunity to serve and contribute goodness to the world. It is an addicting feeling of fulfillment when one helps another. Start small, it makes a difference to someone else.
On the next stop, the participants were able to experience some sightseeing through the Pilipinas Virtual Tour, prepared and made by the aspirants of RACCF-USC. They were able to tour the San Juanico Bridge in Leyte, got to see some animals of Cebu Safari up North of Cebu, got excited with some water adventure at Aguinid Falls down South of Cebu, see but not taste the famous Cebu Lechon, and last but not least, get to see how squash pancit canton is made in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte. A full-packed itinerary, despite it all being online.
Taking a break from all that exploring and sightseeing, the event was graced with the presence and amazing performance of USC’s very own University of San Carlos Dance Troupe who performed a Filipino folk dance.
Onto the last stop! The very core of the event is the Friendship Rooms. Going into each room they had no idea what awaited them until they met each other there. After some introductions, the main event started.
Guess what it is? An Escape Room. It was created especially for the event and has the very theme of Inter-RAC Wave 2 and the officers of RACCF-USC as the characters. Impressive, right? Kudos to the creators Rtr. Anika, Rtr. Marco, and Rtr. Bryan Ignatius Sanchez.
The participants were given an hour to finish the game. They went through mini stops in-game, finding lost people, and solving jigsaw puzzles as they had to work together to finish it on time. It was exhilarating!
Shout out to Breakout Room 2 aka “Inter-RACuties” who finished the game first and won the special prize: a Spotify Premium subscription.
Congratulations to everyone who finished!
As the jeepney arrived at its last stop, everyone must have been exhausted at that point but the smiles and laughter could still be seen on their faces. As the event comes to a close, Intellectual Director Emmannuelle Glyde Suycano gave his closing remarks, leaving them with words to ponder: “Registering is one thing, showing up is another, staying until the event ends is commitment, and having fun and making friends is fellowship”. Those words were a great takeaway of everything that has transpired as it reminded Rotaractors why and how they ended up there.
And with the bell chime of Pres. Reiko Maria Diaz called the adjournment; thus, the event ended. Hoping that everyone was able to hold on to their pasalubongs.
See you in the next wave!
