How AMCI Changed My Life
I first learned about AMCI through my friend, Maida. The Holy Week vacation of 2006 was fast approaching when Maida invited me and Pow to join them in their Boracay trip together with other AMCI peeps. And since I didn't have anything planned for Holy Week, I said yes. There, I met other AMCI members: Mardel, Kuya Mar, Xenon, Don, Eira and Alman. It was a blast hanging out with them. It was a very memorable Boracay experience. I particularly noticed that the trip was well-organized. Also, I never imagined that I could go to Boracay and do lots of stuff with a minimal budget.
That same year, they were able to convince me to join AMCI's Basic Mountaineering Course. I must admit that I was scared at first because I didn't have any experience with any outdoor sports at all. I don't exercise regularly. The only sport I knew at that time was badminton and I suck at it. The only way I knew how to spend my weekend was to drink and dance my night away at bars in Malate. However, I was inspired by the stories of other AMCI members during the orientation night. I was amazed at how someone who's so kikay or someone who's already over 50 years old can still complete the BMC. I said to myself, "If these people can do it, so can I." And besides, if I feel like I can't do it anymore, I can just quit, right? Well, I guess I was wrong. Quitting the BMC never became an option. The only thing I was able to quit was smoking.
There are a lot of things I learned when I joined the AMCI's BMC. I learned about the Leave No Trace Principle and how to practice low impact mountaineering. I learned about the importance of safety, camaraderie and environment in mountaineering. I also learned that canned goods, noodles and itlog na maalat are just options and not the staple food when climbing. AMCI also taught me that waking up early in the morning is mandatory no matter how hard it's raining outside or how much alcohol you have imbibed the previous night. The course lasted for almost 5 months. And despite my struggles of balancing work and BMC, I was finally able to finish the course and to become inducted as an AMCI member. Aside from the knowledge I gained from the course, I also gained a lot of friends who all share the same passion for the great outdoors. One have become more than a friend.
Three years after the BMC, I am still active with the club. I try to help during BMC whenever I can. It's my way of paying it back to the people who have taught me everything I know about the sport. I also became involved in a lot of other activities aside from mountaineering. After the BMC, I took up swimming. For a while, I was playing ultimate (frisbee) with a few AMCI friends (I still play every now and then). In 2008, I ran my first marathon(42K). Aside from that, I have also tried other activities such as wakeboarding, wall climbing, and poi. Now, I am currently addicted to surfing and skimboarding. The next sport I want to try would be underwater hockey or rowing.
But my first love would always be mountaineering and AMCI. AMCI has opened me up to a whole new world of experience and I can't wait for my next great adventure with the club.
That same year, they were able to convince me to join AMCI's Basic Mountaineering Course. I must admit that I was scared at first because I didn't have any experience with any outdoor sports at all. I don't exercise regularly. The only sport I knew at that time was badminton and I suck at it. The only way I knew how to spend my weekend was to drink and dance my night away at bars in Malate. However, I was inspired by the stories of other AMCI members during the orientation night. I was amazed at how someone who's so kikay or someone who's already over 50 years old can still complete the BMC. I said to myself, "If these people can do it, so can I." And besides, if I feel like I can't do it anymore, I can just quit, right? Well, I guess I was wrong. Quitting the BMC never became an option. The only thing I was able to quit was smoking.
There are a lot of things I learned when I joined the AMCI's BMC. I learned about the Leave No Trace Principle and how to practice low impact mountaineering. I learned about the importance of safety, camaraderie and environment in mountaineering. I also learned that canned goods, noodles and itlog na maalat are just options and not the staple food when climbing. AMCI also taught me that waking up early in the morning is mandatory no matter how hard it's raining outside or how much alcohol you have imbibed the previous night. The course lasted for almost 5 months. And despite my struggles of balancing work and BMC, I was finally able to finish the course and to become inducted as an AMCI member. Aside from the knowledge I gained from the course, I also gained a lot of friends who all share the same passion for the great outdoors. One have become more than a friend.
Three years after the BMC, I am still active with the club. I try to help during BMC whenever I can. It's my way of paying it back to the people who have taught me everything I know about the sport. I also became involved in a lot of other activities aside from mountaineering. After the BMC, I took up swimming. For a while, I was playing ultimate (frisbee) with a few AMCI friends (I still play every now and then). In 2008, I ran my first marathon(42K). Aside from that, I have also tried other activities such as wakeboarding, wall climbing, and poi. Now, I am currently addicted to surfing and skimboarding. The next sport I want to try would be underwater hockey or rowing.
But my first love would always be mountaineering and AMCI. AMCI has opened me up to a whole new world of experience and I can't wait for my next great adventure with the club.