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Liceo de Cagayan University R.N. Pelaez Blvd., Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City

College of Medical Laboratory Science

Reflection/Term Paper on:

“LA CASTILLA MUSEUM TOUR”

In fulfillment for the Final Requirement in Social Orientation 1 Section D (Wednesday, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm)

Submitted to:

Prof. Cayetano W. Paderanga III, MPA/DTE (CAR) Instructor

Submitted by:

Hannisah S. Sadic BMLS – 1

October 9, 2013

Liceo de Cagayan University R.N. Pelaez Blvd., Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City

College of Medical Laboratory Science

Reflection/Term Paper on:

“LA CASTILLA MUSEUM TOUR” In fulfillment for the Final Requirement in Social Orientation 1 Section D (Wednesday, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm)

Submitted to:

Prof. Cayetano W. Paderanga III, MPA/DTE (CAR) Instructor

Submitted by:

Hannisah S. Sadic BMLS – 1

October 9, 2013

A Glimpse of the Past I have to say that the museum tour wasn’t what I expected it to be. I, honestly, thought that it would bore me but what happened was far from what I expected. You know what they say, expect the unexpected. Right from the moment when I entered the estate I was really awestruck. It was such a picturesque sight. I could almost imagine how aristocratic society was in our country back when the Spaniards where in reign. It was like time travelling. It’s really a beautiful establishment. The grass was so green and there was this huge fountain right at the middle of the lawn, just in front of the entrance door to the mansion. Oh, it’s a mansion alright. That’s what I thought as I was appreciating the view. Being born in the 90’s wherein technology and modernization is at its journey to victory, I really haven’t seen a traditional Filipino mansion in reality. I have seen it in books but it wasn’t that eye-catching. Living twelve years of my life in the Middle East didn’t really help for me to appreciate our culture but it contributed to my ignorance when it came to our country’s culture. The mansion didn’t look modern or something people in this modern era would like to live in but that doesn’t mean it’s not something to look at. In my opinion, it looks fragile like it would be blown away with just one strong wind. It looked surreal for me because it really is my first time to see an antique mansion. The mansion looked really warm, friendly and welcoming unlike mansions these days that don’t look very welcoming at all. Mansion these days shout we are rich and loaded, I mean look at our fortress. It really makes me feel better knowing that even though in the past there are social statuses the material of the house is still the same. It’s like a representation that they may be rich and the ones living in a simple nipa hut or bahay-kubo aren’t but having the same material from which their houses are made they are equals and no one is inferior or superior from one another. People nowadays care too much about appearances, reputations, wealth and power. They care more about material things. For short, the generation in this era, have become materialistic each ing day. Poverty is widespread and so is pollution and crimes. I’m not saying that poverty, pollution or crimes are nonexistent in the past but it was not that widespread but with such a peaceful and calming atmosphere in the estate gives you a sense of peace like there wasn’t a war before or that everything we’ll be alright. That’s how I felt the moment I entered the gates of that establishment. I almost didn’t want to leave. I wanted to just stay there and lay down on the grass and feel the breeze. A breath of fresh air. That’s how I see that mansion is and I guess that’s also the reason it still stands up to this very moment. Culture is a big part of the reason for preserving such a beautiful house but I guess the owners of the institution also wanted a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of the past. Who wouldn’t want that? If I say so myself, I also want to preserve something so precious and priceless; this is history. History means the story of a man, the story of one’s life. Now, that establishment is a part of history. Itself, alone can tell a thousand stories. That estate is where the founders of the university lived. It’s where they spent their life. It’s really wicked and unbelievable to think that the founders of the institution’s home are just beside the school. I mean, it’s really cool and awesome. Some might see it as just a simple, plain and boring house but it’s something much deeper for this institution. It is where the founders of the institution lived. I mean, come on, it’s ancient. It’s priceless. The items inside is so priceless that if I broke an item, if I work myself to death, I still won’t be able to pay it. That’s how priceless it is. It is the embodiment of the culture of Liceo de Cagayan University. This might be the place where the idea of putting up these education institutions was cultivated. Everything inside that estate is history, well except for the

renovations but just think that the paths that we just walked on is the same path that the founders walked on when they were still alive. I was so giddy when we were about to enter the mansion. I would have kept hopping like a bunny or a kangaroo but I had a lot of audience. Being inside the La Castilla Mansion gave me a small glimpse of the past. A small glimpse of how life was back then. It took me back to the time when we were being colonized by the Spaniards. Judging from what I saw, it’s safe to say that the culture back then was very rich, much more beautiful. I was a mind-blowing experience. The guide began talking about the history of the establishment and I couldn’t really listened to him because I was busy looking at my surroundings like it was my first time to get inside a house. Well, it wasn’t just a house. The mansion had a very warm and homey atmosphere. There were a lot of chairs; couches which made me conclude that the Pelaez family was a family who liked to take things slow. They are a family who likes to lounge around all day and just talk with each other. The tall walls surrounding the mansion gave me an impression that this family also likes to have their privacy. The china wares are a dead gave away that this isn’t just any family but a powerful, wealthy and well-known family. Those china wares have been existing since the reign of the dynasties in China which again led me to another conclusion that this family is really rich. I was expecting the office to be bigger but it wasn’t. I was disappointed because in movies they portray offices as huge rooms with a aded study inside and a lounge. Well, so much for expectations. I was also expecting more of the kitchen but it wasn’t that much. I was about to get disappointed because of my wild imagination on how a kitchen in the past should look like but then the guide told us that the family didn’t really put or gave much of a room for the kitchen because it was rarely used. When he mentioned this, I was confused. I was thinking so they don’t eat then? Oh so that means they eat outside. That should be really tiring. Breakfast, lunch and dinner outside your house but they have a car so not really hard for them. As I was going on with my rant inside my head, the tour guide said they just have their food delivered to them by food caterers. I was really surprised and amused. Of course, they don’t come to the food. The food comes to them. Now that is what you call life. The dining area was so-so. They also had this bar. It wasn’t that shocking. I mean, come on, all rich people have a bar in their house. That’s like a secret code or rule or something. They also had rocking chairs and those were some mighty fine rocking chairs. I’d sit on that all day if I could. I could just live on that chair alone. It was comfy and quirky. They also had this china cabinet that’s full of china wares. They had a lot of china pots, big ones. And what I like most about the house is they have a music room with chairs surrounding the room and there’s a piano by the corner. A very priceless artifact stood at the table at the middle of the room and it is said to be made of gold. The piano is really old and being inside that room made me want to play that piano and hear applauses from everyone. The tour guide also should as this record player, the one where you put the big black discs and it plays a song. I wanted to make it play a song, we all did but sadly like the piano it had a terrible fate, it’s broken. They also had an instrument where there’s a small piano by the handle then you kind of grab and push the two handles your holding and it makes a sound. I also loved the interior of that music room. It looked so classy and I love the round walls. We also entered the pink room; the late Elsa Pelaez’s pink room to be exact. It was named as the pink room because of its pink attributes, literally. There’s a lot of pink in that room which means that Elsa is really feminine. It would have been one of the rooms I liked in that mansion because I also am very fond of pink if it weren’t for the dolls. I hate dolls. Dolls creep the heck out of me. I mean, they just stare at you then suddenly one of their eyelids fall giving

you an impression like the doll was blinking. It might have been a whole better if it were stuff toys like teddy bears or fluffy bunnies but no it had to be human dolls. She also had two walking dolls. The museum also preserved a doll they named as “the ceramic baby.” It was named the ceramic baby obviously because it was made of ceramic. The room was flooded with dolls. I thought may be Elsa is a doll collector. She had this cute dolls seating on a chair. It was a geisha doll. Then there’s this button you turn and the chair starts stirring to a song. It wasn’t that cute after that. Anything nonliving that moves now creeps me out because of horrible horror movies. In the room also was a massager. I imagine that Elsa’s life was at par of that of a princess. She’s practically a princess. Beauty and Brains. That’s what she is. Inside her room were here pictures and education achievements. I’m really impressed at her educational background. It’s really good to know that in the past teenagers value their education even though they’re well off. Kids nowadays have all the money in the world but don’t really study. It’s sad for those who are really willing to go to school but haven’t got the money to do so. The next room we went to was the blue room. And yes, it was named the blue room because its wallpaper is blue. The room was small in my opinion. Only a few of us were able to go inside and have a peek. The room was Rodolfo’s. Inside that blue room was frames of his achievements and of course, his toys. His toys were mostly composed of toy aero planes and cars. That’s to be expected because he is a guy. Some of his toy cars were antiques and were bought by a loved one for him. On the walls were his educational background and some newspaper clips wherein he was special mentioned. Some of the articles were solely about him. I was also shocked to find out that he was considered a heartthrob in the past. He was really handsome if I say so myself. He almost became a celebrity but he didn’t pursue it because he went to pursue a doctorate degree and also went to study music in Julliard School of Arts. I’m so envious of him. I really wanted to study music in college but the fates aren’t in my favor. That dream will forever just be what it is, a dream. I also ire him because he won in recitals and musical contests. That is like a dream to me. I’ve always wanted to win in a musical contest but I’m too scared. I end up being too nervous and forget everything. Now, looking back to what we have learned so far most of us would say that they have a perfect family. They have everything at arm’s reach but you know about what they say everyone has a problem. He may be rich or poor. Black or white. Big or small. Fat or thin. Everyone has his share of problems. In this family’s case their problem was on the family itself. The parents to be exact; the male in particular always has a mistress. It really sucks because those men had everything and just because of temptation and lust they gave everything up. This family might not have a problem financially but I’m sure emotionally they do. But that is life, isn’t it? After all, what is life without problems? It would be bland, that’s for sure. No adventure, no happenings. In my opinion, I think that Elsa is really a strong woman. Financial problems may be hard because it could even break a family apart but what isn’t acceptable in the misfortune of their family is that they had everything and yet her father threw everything away. Cheating is something I don’t really understand in marriage. When you enter marriage, you know beforehand what you’re entering to; that’s why for me, cheating is unacceptable and the cheat doesn’t deserve another chance. But it quite crazy as to what they did to be disposed of this problem. They just decided to give a part of the money to the one who leaves and all is well. Reputation was really important back then. So bribery was widespread in the past, I assume. Money can buy everything. That’s what most people thought. But really that is not the case. Money can’t but everything. Money can make you a king but money can’t buy happiness. To be

able to save the family’s reputation, they just pay off people to shut up about it. They don’t let it reach the court. Bringing it to the court is a disgrace to the family and is unacceptable. So, I’m betting that discipline was very much implemented in the household and so is respect. Elsa being an only child must have a lot of pressure put upon her. I’m guessing that excellence was expected from her. Judging from what I’ve heard so far, this family really values their beliefs and everything. They have integrity. Maybe that’s where the core values of the school came from. But I’m not so sure about loyalty if it comes from the family. There were a bunch of betrayals in the family. Loyalty in my opinion came from the university. The university preserved that mansion and believed in the founders of the institution and that is what you call loyalty. As for the last core value, Community Service, it really is obvious that this institution is very active when it comes to NSTP seeing as most of the time; the students find themselves helping in building houses and cleaning the surroundings. I do believe that the mission of the university reflects the educational attainment of the founders. The University strives to deliver quality education to her constituents, cognizant of possible opportunities for global integration through instructions, research and community involvement. The founders have had their doctorate degrees so I’m right when I say that the founders also wanted their countrymen to have the same, to have a doctorate degree, to have an astounding educational background. This family knew the importance of education and that is the thing that I ired from them the most. They had money so they give back to the community by putting up an education institution. Another thing I realized is that this school is really cultural. First of all, they have a cultural dance troupe that dances cultural dances of the different tribes of our nation and second is that they really did preserve the mansion that is so full of history and culture. The second story of the mansion would prove my sentiments. At the second story of the house, there we saw the family tree of the Pelaez wherein we also found out that their ancestor was in fact a muslim who changed his last name into Neri and married to a Pelaez. Located in this floor were two rooms that held irreplaceable artifacts. Inside the first room were the favorite dresses of the late Elsa Pelaez. I must say she has good tastes when it comes to fashion. This room was the master bedroom to be exact. Only one dress caught my eye and it’s the long black dress with a huge pearl in the center of the abdomen part. It’s really elegant and simple. They also preserved the wedding dress and even the shoes. When we saw the shoes, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was really small which lead us to believe the Elsa was a small female, a petite one. Inside this room, we also saw the gadgets of the past. They had this huge radio that was able to get in touch with the CNN. This is what the couple use to listen to news seeing as there was no television in the mansion. They also had a bunch of antique and vintage cameras. I would so love to have them or even just touch them. The last room was Elsa’s and Rodolfo’s child’s room. It was smaller than the master bedroom for it only had a single bed, a wardrobe, a vanity table plus the jewelry and perfume collections. Inside the room was the antique Singer sewing machine which was said that it was cleaned always because it was a gift from a beloved one. There were a lot of jewelry to choose from and a lot of perfumes. Those were all taken care off and preserved. Even underwear was preserved. We saw some brassieres and panties by the wardrobe that were wrapped inside a plastic. It was really shocking and funny at the same time. Outside was the balcony. It had a beautiful view of the river. Lastly, when you look down from the balcony you would be able to see the coy fish in the pond. It was so pretty. I could just stare at those fishes all day and never get bored.

Indeed, this tour was relaxing and I learned a lot. It really amazes me that so much history was kept inside the four walls of that mansion. It was my first time in a museum and I have to say I love museums. It’s a bit surprising knowing that I still a lot from that tour. Some of the students didn’t really have fun because history isn’t just their thing. Lucky for me, I love history. I love stories. I love books. I love knowledge. And I feel as if I’d achieved something really great because from the tour I learned that the founders wanted people to love to learn and I love learning. It’s really fascinating to have been able to go inside someone’s house and learn a bunch of quirky stuff about them. At first, I was disappointed because I thought we would go to a museum like those in movies but it turns out we were going to a house. But now I must agree that that isn’t just a house but a museum. A house does speak a lot of stuff. A house is a representation of its inhabitants. And that mansion, La Castilla, is the representation and embodiment of the culture of Liceo de Cagayan University.