Best meets Best

The 13th AmCham Business Leadership Program (BLP) kicked in last April 10, 2015. Student delegates from different parts of the country started arriving at Asian Institute of Management Hotel & Conference Center, our board and lodging sponsor for the entire week. 

In the afternoon, almost everyone already arrived. They even posted in our Facebook group "Where are you's" and "Watching movies here at Room 913". 

I was still at the airport at that time, quite envious of their early acquaintance and very much irritated with my delayed flight.

I arrived at NAIA T3 later than what I told Sir Kent from AmCham who was tasked to fetch me. I thought I'm the last delegate to arrive, but tadhana worked its way, another delegate was also there. Jundey was the first friend I've met among the participants. He's from Caraga State University and a fellow, proud bisdak (bisayang dako).

After checking in, we rushed to AmCham Hall for dinner and formal acquaintance. We were the last to arrive (the last to check in, since Eric wasn't there at the dinner table yet) and was immediately asked for an informal introduction of ourselves.

Everybody was so quiet and seemed nervous at the same time. I think we were all feeling the same at that moment. Nobody yet dared to break the ice; maybe that's why dinner was immediately served to crack some bones and let conversations strike. 

During dinner, I gazed upon everyone and noticed the familiar faces I've already added as a friend in Facebook. While the others were new to my sight.

After dinner, we were oriented on the next day's events and strict schedules. We went back to our rooms in the hotel (just across the street) to freshen up.

I met my roommate Monica. She had me with the "all-you-could-want-in-a-girl" impression. She's very nice, beautiful, and of course smart. We chatted for a while while arranging our things. I told her that she looked like Gretchen Ho, then she added Mo's impression of her being more like Sandara Park. I don't usually get along very easily with my room mates  on conferences I've attended before, but this was different. I think we were meant to be room mates. We immediately 'clicked'.

After a while, we went to Room 913 where we initially agreed to hang out and let the latecomers (that's us) catch up with the acquaintance. We were the first to arrive there, the others, we speculated, were too tired and might be resting already. We posted updates on our Fb group and asked everyone where they were; then, people swarmed one by one.

So, that's how the best of the best met. Letting the anxiousness and tension of the first day ebb away with a (gruesome) movie and late night conversations.

(P.S. We watched Perfume that night. LJ and Monica couldn't take some explicit scenes.)

 

Continue reading my BLP Chronicles, here's my post for Day 1 ;)