A visit to Dapitan
Media
Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People
- Title
- A visit to Dapitan
- Year
- 1940
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- December, 1940 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 475 CLUB~ A Visit to Dapitan Our Christmas Club By JOSEFINA F. ALVAREZ By BONIFACIO YULO Practising My Piano Lesson · (13 YEARS OLD) (16 YEARS OLD) By, NATY JOSE MY SISTER AND I planned FOR SEVERAL YEARS I have (14 YEARS OLD) to go to Dapitan for a short belonged to a Christmas I LIKE MUSIC, but I always visit. As you know, Dapi- Good Cheer Club, and each hated to practice my piano tan is only a barrio, but it Christmas it makes the lessons. I used to say, "If is interesting to all Filipi- eight or ten of us wh.o be- I could only learn to play nos because our great Fili- long to it very happy. We the piano without practicpino hero, Jose Rizal, lived are able to make many ing, I would like it." That there in exile. And so my others happy ·also.· was the way I felt until a sister and I were very hap- This is what our Christ- few months ago. I started py during our bus trip of mas club does: On Decem- piano lessons then with a one hour from our home to ber first of each year we new teacher who showed Dapitan. go to several people who me a new way of practicing. When we arrived at Da- know of some poor and This is the way I now pi tan, we went at once to needy families in our town. practice my piano lesson: Rizal Park. We enjoyed Then we ask ·our parents When my teacher gives me swimming in the pool which and friends for contribu- a new piece to learn or a had been made by Rizal. tions for baskets for these new study, she and I go over Then we went to the needy families. it together. With a red penplaza. Here is to be seen Christmas morning each cil she marks all the hard Rizal's interesting map of member of our club carries places. Then she shows me Mindanao. On it I tried to two or three of the baskets how to practice them. locate Z.amboanga. to the families for whom For quite a little time I In front of the plaza is they were prepared. practice only those places the Rizal Memorial Hos- Then our club disbands which my teacher has pita!. This is a large and until the next Christmas. marked. I play them for beautiful building, and is a my teacher at each lesson. splendid memorial to Dr. years, and to walk in the When I can play the hard Rizal, who, as everyone very streets in which he had places, my teacher tells me knows, was a skillful doc- walked. On my way home to begin practicing at the tor. my thoughts were about first of the piece or study It was very interesting Rizal and his life in Dapi- to be learned. None of it is to walk about the little town tan. I was glad that I had hard then, and I can soon where Rizal ~pent several visited the place. play it very well.