Daylight. It just simply means light during daytime, yet for me, this word is as meaningful as my life as an AMA Volunteer in Assumption Antipolo (AA). For almost seven months of my journey in my assigned area, I have seen and experienced many daylights that have reshaped my life.
Before joining the volunteer program of AMA, I was also a youth volunteer in Philippine Red Cross - Red Cross Youth Department for almost ten years. With that, volunteering has always been part of my life. Yet, volunteering to help humanity is far different from volunteering to help the community while being away from your loved ones, getting closer to God, and knowing oneself more. Though, I am not new to volunteering, this experience, at first, was still unfamiliar and hard, yet it was never a burden for I know in my heart that this volunteering opportunity is God's way for me to nurture my relationship with Him and see the "daylights" of life through AA and it truly did. During this journey, I’ve learned more about myself and seen how much I have grown from my previous self to who I am now. For more than twenty years, I have been living with self-loathing and resentment because I couldn't fathom my situations in life. In the past, I would have looked at everyone and everything worse in the light, but it's different now because the only thing that I see is daylight — the silver linings of life, the goodness of one's heart, solitude in loneliness, opportunities in challenges, gratitude in nothingness, faith in worries, hope in hopelessness, and priceless giving of love. These daylights that I have witnessed didn't happen all at once. It happened gradually, from not being afraid to share the stories of their life to appreciating the few things you did for them to greet you wherever you are even if they don't know your name to always expressing their gratitude even if your help seems so little and to always checking up on you even if you have no new news about yourself. Cliché may it be, but the simplest acts or little things in our community always impact our lives the most. Truth is, being an AMA Volunteer here in AA felt like God's biggest blessing to me. I have never felt this close to Him before, thus, in everything that I do, I want to do it to glorify Him. Moreover, I feel so happy and contented being here in AA. My heart is always overflowing with gratitude, all because of God's goodness and grace.
Nonetheless, I am halfway through my volunteering journey here in AA; hence, I still have many things to learn, relearn, and unlearn, yet I am already beyond grateful for this opportunity to discover more of my ikigai — a sense of purpose. Surely, the best of me is yet to come.
Nicole Madrilejos
AMA Batch 36 (2022-2023)
Graduate of Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Area of Assignment: Assumption Antipolo
Work Assignment: Preschool Assistant & Guidance Office
Group photo with the AA Guidance Counselors and Administrative Team during their Faculty and Staff Christmas Party 2022
* Cover Photos: AA Grade 1-4 mini-selfie during their departure time and nursery-A students during their PE class where I help as Learning Assistant