it's world youth day again

This is the week of World Youth Day, which is being held in Madrid, Spain this year. If I only had the time and money, I would definitely have loved to be one of the youth (since pasok naman ako sa age limit of 35 years old) participating. I swear, if 2008 wasn’t the year hubby and I got married, both of us would have joined the others who went to Sydney, Australia for the WYD that year. This event is really something every (Catholic) person should experience at least once in his life. The weeklong activities are just fun, colorful and amazing. And then finally attending mass with the Pope as the concelebrant, along with the thousands of people from around the world who are gathered in one big field just because of one common faith is simply awesome and inspiring.

About this time 6 years ago, I was part of our church group who went to Germany for the World Youth Day in Koln. That time there was no age limit, so we were a mix of teenagers, young adults, parents, and even grandparents. Unlike the other groups from around the world, we were fortunate to have a trip to Gelsenkirchen for a few days prior to the WYD event. During that time, we had enjoyed all sorts of activities organized by our host families, and one of those was a morning at the Alpine Center Bottrop. Ski Dubai wasn’t open yet that time so for me (and the rest who have never skiied and played in snow), it was really a great experience. And to top it off, there were some media people there to cover our visit at the indoor skiing and skateboarding facility. Orielyn (my colleague from work) was interviewed by a local television station, and Leila (a friend from SFC) and I were interviewed by a local newspaper. Unfortunately, when it was printed the following day, it was in German so I couldn’t understand anything in the article. But that was ok because that was the very first time I got published in a newspaper, and in a foreign country at that!And a day after we arrived in Koln, we saw our group’s picture on the front of another newspaper.
Being published in a foreign newspaper was great, but that wasn’t the main reason why I enjoyed that trip so much. That’s when I gained a German family, when me and my friends toured Paris on our own (considering it was our first time there), and of course when Papa kept his promise. And finally attending the mass by the Pope with so many other Catholics of different nationalities was simply an overwhelming experience which made it even more memorable. So if I have the chance to take part in a World Youth Day event somewhere again, I’m sure that somehow, some way, I’ll definitely have an amazing time.