REFLECTIONS
SPRING BREAK
Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD
S
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pring was too early this year. By the
first week of March, the daffodils and
forsythias brought forth their brilliant
yellow flowers, the tulip magnolia trees burst
into pink splendor and the pear trees lining
the roads cloaked themselves in shimmering
white, only to be quickly ruined by the howl-
ing winds, the rain and the frost. Although
nature seems to be having episodic tantrums
in alternating cold and warm spells, the hope is that these waves
of destructive weather will pass and the seasons will resume their
rhythmic flow. means. Entrepreneurs have made sure there are enough beaches,
playgrounds and entertainment to meet their needs.
In the meantime, people do their best to cope. Tuning their
heaters, lining their doors and cracks where the cold seeps through,
they must be sure, in their eagerness, not to forget about carbon
monoxide poisoning and unattended open fires. The more fortunate
snowbirds migrate to homes in Florida, and others find respite in
long or short vacations or conventions in the south according to their The second was a young priest in his early thirties, eager to fulfill
the Maryknoll Order’s aim of continuing to take care of the spiritual
and material needs of the people in their foreign missions. Both
teacher and priest were imbued with purpose, energy and a great
resolve to do their best. This they did despite privations and living
under primitive conditions, unfamiliar food and exposure to health
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
Thus, several friends, having worked together more than half a
century ago in the Philippines, decided to meet to recap their past.
The first was a then 21-year-old peace corps volunteer. Idealistic and
inspired by President Kennedy’s 1961 plea of “Ask not what your
country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” she
went forth to share her talent as a teacher in a needier world. She
learned to adjust as she lived with the local people, taught local
teachers expectations and techniques, and taught students herself.
She also lost her roommate in an accident while there.