IYF World Camp 2011: We're Bound to Korea!

Last month, me and my husband attended our first orientation for IYF's 2011 World Camp with Leadership Training to be held at South Korea on June. I've been looking forward to joining this as soon as I saw the poster coming to the SC office at NCPAG. That was last year, when me and my classmate Nheo was staying late at the SC office. A student probably from the MA PA gave us a poster, telling us to post it in the bulletin board. At first glance, I thought I couldn't be able to participate, knowing my mother wouldn't let me and yeah it will be held in the beginning of the next semester. So my hopes faded for a while.

Not until IYF Philippines volunteers arrived at NCPAG to promote the World Camp personally. They created a booth at the atrium where I usually play PC games or surf the net during my 4-hour break. I then remembered that it was the same poster we saw a few months ago. The volunteers, composed of 2 people were dining in front of me. So when I had the chance, I asked them about the IYF World Camp. They gladly answered my questions and gave me more information about it. When lunch was over, I was able to talk more to one of the volunteers nicknamed Wilson. Our discussion was great, and he encouraged me to join the World Camp. So that night, I told my mom about it and she was as expected, hesitant.

The World Camp in South Korea is a good addition to my resume in the future. As told by my mother-in-law, trainings and seminars add up to the experience some companies are looking for. After I internalized what she had told me, I had decided I wanted to join this once in a lifetime experience. I told my husband about IYF World Camp but then he wasn't sure his parents would let him come. He wanted me to tell his parents about this and so that's what I did. We were glad his parents were so into it that they even volunteered giving us pocket money, travel insurance and plane tickets. Everything went so far so good, not until we realized it was difficult to apply for the visa.

My mother had undergone lots of troubles for me to get approved. She even sold some of our stocks in Meralco so that I would have a large sum in my show money. She had to deal with BIR for a certification, and bank certificate and finally she also gave me a copy of our land title. Good thing it was under my name. The final trouble was I am married and it shows in my permanent government records (BIR, Driver's License, Passport) but my school records show that I'm Ms. Blanco and that would be a greater conflict in some way according to IYF. But I was ready with other supporting documents like our NSO Copy of Marriage Contract so in the end, I got the visa I wanted.

Upon getting the visa, we secured our tickets from Korean Air. Our flight was scheduled on June 27 and our return to Philippines is on July 16. It would be the longest I would be in a foreign country and my third trip abroad. I hope my stay in South Korea would be as good and as fun as Hong Kong and Macau experience. I'm sure I would learn lots of things about Korean culture and hopefully the language :)

Again, thank you to my major sponsors: my mom and my parents-in-law: for all the help and support for me to achieve my dream to visit South Korea.