Farewell Fr. Guy

Things aren’t going to be the same. 

There is something missing that can’t be replaced. 

A prominent fixture gone and out of place. 

Not an adjective to describe his presence. 

I cannot recall the first time I met Fr. Guy but all I can remember was that he greeted me with that smile of his. A smile which conveyed genuine happiness and wit. If I remember correctly, that was the 7th grade and I asked myself, “Did he do that because he was being polite or was he just a happy person?”. 

I will never know the reason why Father approached me on that fateful day. The same goes for why I will never know the reason why he keeps calling me Manong Gian. 

A regular fixture in the Xavier canteen during lunch time, standing tall either in front of the shake stall or the rails of the canteen, Fr. Guy is always there to accommodate anyone one of his legion of followers. You can talk to him about everything from sports, to academics, and sometimes even about chicks! He’ll be happy to attend to every one of your pressing problems and seemingly find the solution to each and every one of them.

Your gym sessions aren’t going to be the same as well. Gone is the most BATAK priest who has ever lived; a regular fixture in the gym with his tight fit shirt, short shorts, and running shoes. His dedication towards his ministry is the same to that inside the weight room where you can see him lift weights with the greatest of ease. 

In intense championship matches, gone is the booming voice which echoes throughout the entire arena. A voice which can be heard and felt inside the court despite the roar of the crowd. A voice which challenges us to fight and lay everything on the court. 

Fr. Guy has been a big part of my life in Xavier. He was always someone who believed in me when I doubted myself. A friend who was always willing to lend a hand. Someone who was always there to bring me back up when I was down. 

I will never forget the time when I took up his elective Drafting for Beginners. At first, I thought it was an easy elective as the name of the class suggested but it was more than that. There, Father displayed his artistic side in drawing with perfectly drawn straight lines and three-dimensional objects. He had us do five plates; each with something new in store for us. Initially I was frustrated, I thought he would let this slide and accept the fact that I couldn’t draw as good as him but he didn’t. Fr. Guy is person who refused to make excuses. He believes that by continuously practicing and honing your craft, you will one day be good at it.

This is probably the reason why he’s where he is now. It is because he understood that making excuses will take him nowhere and that was something he wanted to instill in each and every one of us. He believes that each person has something to offer and that making excuses was just another way for us not to unleash our true potential. I had no choice but to redo all my five plates and with the grace of God, I was able to pass his class---barely. 

Xavier isn’t going to be the same without its superstar. We’ve lost more than a teacher, a priest, an athletics coordinator, a gym instructor, and cheerleader. We’ve lost a friend, a motivator, a storyteller, and a brother. He has, and continues to, change our lives in his own unique way. 

There isn’t a single adjective which can encapsulate with Fr. Guy has done for our school and to each and every one of us. Although he will be greatly missed, I know that he will continue to enrich the lives of others just like what he did for each and every one of us. It is my hope that I make this man proud at everything I do. 

Daghan Salamat Fr. Guy!  

As Father will always tell me, “Manong Gian, SMILE!”. 

XCE Testimonial

This speech was delivered during the closing ceremonies of the Xavier China Experience: Beijing on December 18, 2012 at the High School MPH. 

Fun is an understatement to the entire XCE experience. Words cannot fully describe the entirety of this experience. This was a time where friendships were made, bonds were strengthened, and where character was truly tested.

Going into the XCE, I was very excited. This was an event four years in the making. The last time they offered this was when I was in the 7th grade and me and my teammates skipped the Guangzhou edition because we were focused on our campaign for the Tiong Lian season. But when opportunity knocked on the door again, it was just hard to say no. 

The program wasn’t as hard as making the decision to actually go to Bejing for six weeks. Sacrifices had to be made. For six weeks, I would be leaving my family, friends, as well as the comforts of home and home cooked meals but the hardest thing to leave was the game of basketball. Basketball was a team sport and I didn’t want to abandon my teammates and coaches especially after our disappointing campaign last season. I wanted to leave Xavier with a championship but at the same time I wanted to be apart of this great experience. After much thinking, it finally got to me that there was something to life more than the game of basketball and it would be a good time to just get away from the sport I truly love. Looking back at everything, I made the right decision. 

The XCE had a lot of firsts: the first time that I was able to touch and play with snow, the first time was able to ride a scary ride inside a theme park, the first time that  I was given this much freedom to do what I wanted to do, among many others. The XCE had it all, fun team explorations, great talks from our resource speakers, and lessons which we can apply to our daily lives. 

This program has taught me many things. Things which I believe cannot be simply learned inside the classroom. First, this program taught me how to stay disciplined. Since I had no more basketball practice, I had to watch what I ate and to find a way to stay in shape. I couldn’t just eat what I wanted and sleep in my comfortable bed after. To make up for all the Yang Rou and Jian Ping I ate, I would walk to my room seven floors up. If I had a chance and weather permitting, I would play basketball outside with either my batch mates or with the other students from Huawen. Self-discipline also meant waking up early and reporting to class on time. My parents weren’t there to nag me to do this and that---I had to rely on myself do the things I needed to do. 

Second, it has taught me to try new things. Robin Sharma once said that the fears you don’t face become your limits. There were many instances in this trip where I’ve had to go out of my comfort zone. One of which was our trip to Happy Valley. To be honest, I am petrified by scary rides in amusement parks. But when I knew that there were people like me, we decided to form the Teacup group, the name after the famous Disney ride where all you had to do was spin teacups and saucers. We all faced our fears together and did our best to try all of the rides we were afraid of. We did that---together. 

Lastly, this trip has taught me to be open to as many things as possible. China opened my eyes to a lot of new things from the way they do business to their aggressive demeanor. I was also fortunate enough to get to hear our different resource speakers passionately talk about what they love doing. This trip enriched my knowledge on things in so many different levels and for that I am truly grateful. 

I miss everything about the XCE. To be honest, I want to go back now and relive the experience. I miss waking up my roommate who in the middle of the night, while sleeping, is looking for a hamburger. I miss mispronouncing the word San Juan as SAN HWAN. I miss going on team explorations and enjoying the company of my friends and teammates while playing an assortment of games. I miss the different classes and learning from the best teachers who did their best to impart their knowledge. I miss walking in the cold and buying food such as chicken, yang rou, and my favorite jian ping. To be honest, I miss the entire thing! 

I know there won’t be anything like this for years to come. I am very happy that I got to join this life changing experience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for making this the best six weeks of my life. 

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.