To be baffled with long-list concerns seemed to be irresistible. Thoughts like “Is there water?” “How about electricity?” It was a mixture of feelings though...excitement coupled with fear of the unknown. When we arrived to the very first stay that we had, Nay Moning, the wife of our barangay captain, apologized to us because they were not able to find other place except for the day care center. We entered and settled at the place with mouths devoid of words and hearts as heavy as our baggage. Perhaps, we could not help but compare the degree of comfort of our stay with the other groups. If they had showers in their comfort room, we had cobwebs. If they had tiled floor, ours was the cold cemented floor. If they had adequate light, both our kitchen and comfort room were pitch black. If they had running water at the faucet, we had to stretch our arms and fetch pail by pail of water from outside. Our thoughts and emotions were as real as the struggle to be outside of our comfort. However, looking back, it was a humbling one for each of us.

It was on our first house to house survey that we heard striking stories about their view on health, which was influenced by their current financial status. Be it in health or other factors, the need to cultivate the land for survival was at paramount level, whether by young or old. Everyone seemed oblige to incessantly work. The question as to what kind of help should we ought to give was way difficult and unnerving. Indeed, to come up with a community solution is never an easy task. It is both time and energy consuming. More than a physical battle, it is a battle of character. One cannot do it without the heart for it. We often found ourselves asking if this was really the kind of medical education that we wanted. We would not deny that whenever the struggle permeates to our core, we question yet again. Yes, to be called as a doctor is one thing but to have an identity of a good doctor, a doctor with a heart, is but another thing. And the latter is what community-based medical education of ADZU-SOM is all about. The heart of it is service above self. Having that as a motivation, we hope to make the load a bit lighter…together with the community people.

Blessings come in different packages. It may be in wrappings with colorful ribbons or not. What we received in the community was simple yet genuine one. Days passed by, our little concerns were being solved by the community people. Yes, with the little that they had, the very people whose needs we ought to serve, served ours. Few necessary things that could make us comfortable were provided by them. From electric fan to light bulb, from table cloth to plastic chairs, from electric stove to heater, it was beyond our expectation. Not only that, a faucet was connected and a motorcycle was lent to us and not to mention the different foods they brought in to our place. Our complaints were silence with their kindness. Verily, it was their kindness that led us to feel a certain degree of uneasiness and made us reflect and recheck our hearts.

Amidst our survey, I met a child whose name and charm happened to silence my clamoring mind. His name was Joshua. He had a cleft lip surgically repaired. He was like the assistant of his grandmother in farming and in chores.

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Walking kilometers into the woods under the parching heat, having to work and study from dusk to dawn, somewhere along the outskirts, quiting is a sweet allure. But just when every step becomes senseless at all, something real rises above. And you know you are just where your soul finds an abode.