Fieldtrips, Anyone?

Fieldtrips are my happiest memories of gradeschool. I was such a happy grade-schooler whenever there were fieldtrips. I would always have my own countdown before the big day and the very night before it was one sleepless night. I was too excited picturing the places we would see. And I was scared that I wouldn’t wake up and the bus would leave me.

I never skipped one, I remember. And I hated going with chaperons. Good thing, my parents were too busy then to make a living. I would buy a bunch of baon but soon go home with almost half of it untouched. During the first part of my grade school, I wanted to occupy any seat in front. But later on, when I was inseparable with my friends, we would have a sit at the back of the bus. Also, I bought my own camera just so I could use it on a field trip when I was in Grade 5.

My favourite places to see were recreation parks and resorts. We had a trip to Enchanted Kingdom twice, to Splash Island, and to Crystal Spring (which I think is deserted now). I didn’t like watching plays then; it was hard to ponder on them when you see a lot of things you were not used to seeing. And I hated museums. I didn’t like looking at artifacts, and I found it stupid whenever we were supposed to fall in line to see them. Nonetheless, I particularly liked the Wax Museum, which was really cool.

In high school, on the other hand, we didn’t have a lot of them. Fieldtrips were once in a blue moon and they were rather called educational trips. The school didn’t really entertain stuffs that are non-academic. Whatever. But even if our hardly-any trips were foolish and the least amusing, I would kill just to join in.

Now in college, fieldtrips, for me, no longer spell f-u-n. They are such a total waste of time and money. I missed on that Ilocos trip, and I won’t care to join the Banahaw trip, and still, I wouldn’t feel defeated at all. And I wouldn’t envy my classmates even if they would say how fun it was. God, would it be fun to have a long drive without even having someone to talk to? Well, someone you like, for that matter. Would it be fun to stroll around museums alone while keeping all your stupid thoughts all by yourself? And now, it isn’t that easy to find friends in people you see three hours a week, that is, if you always show up in your classes. So I guess, more than time and cash, fieldtrips are all about the company.