Ito ang aking lahok sa Litratong Pinoy na may temang “Sa gawing Kanluran”.
Ngayong tapos na ang World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08), itong souvenir na ito kung saan may larawan si Pope Benedict XVI ang laging magpapa-alala sa akin ng napakasayang experience ko ng WYD08. Hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan na nakita ko sya nang dahil sa sa okasyong ito.
Litratong kuha noong 17 July (Pope’s Motorcade in Sydney)
And now the New South Wales Government says “Thank you” to everyone who has contributed to the World Youth Day 08.
It was signed (with gratitude and congratulations) by Morris Iemma, Premier of New South Wales.
I admit that I felt really proud to be a part of the Australian Government when I read this on the newspaper today. Nakakabilib talaga, from start to finish kumpleto…kumbaga sa wedding may Thank you cards hehehe. Well done!!!
Reasons why WYD08 in Sydney turned out successful:
a. The Australian Government made their own WYD08 website in order to disseminate information on everything about WYD especially helpful updates on travel safety.
http://www.wyd2008.org/index.php/en
b. Welcome banners in certain key areas to make the pilgrims feel the warm welcome of Sydney and signages in every nook and cranny of the city so that pilgrims would always know where to go. 
Central Station (photo by Chris Sanchez)
c. Updated signages inside some of the trains and even added an Emergency Procedure sticker.
d. Opened WYD the Aussie way…photo below shows the greeting for Pilgrims at St Mary’s Cathedral.
e. The WYD kits were meticulously made and of quality.
WYD Kits for Volunteers (Photo from Elmer Medalla)
f. The Security Team for WYD08 were of reliable help and very respectable. I admire these people for being so accommodating to everyone that participated in WYD…other than doing there jobs well, I observed that they were also having fun in the festivities of WYD.
Plus Pogi Points: The Police gave out lollies while we waited for the Pope’s motorcade (not sure if all the Police did this but in Albert Street, we had very friendly Policemen).
g. In train stations and inside buses, you can find two types of Travel Information Brochures (1) for non-prilgims and (2) for pilgrims. These guides were also available online for download.
h. Schools moved their 2-week Winter Break to 2nd and 3rd week of July (instead of 1st and 2nd week) so schools can be used as accommodation for Pilgrims and as to ease traffic in Sydney Metropolitan.
i. Employees working in Sydney were encouraged to take time off work on the week of WYD08 in order to ease human traffic in the city and to lessen people using public transport.
j. For those who worked on WYD08 week, they were advised not to bring their private vehicles since there were alot of road closures in Sydney–these road closures were for the Pilgrims so they’d have more space for their activities.
k. Australia made a law for those who want to annoy pilgrims (yes, some wanted to annoy the pilgrims), if somebody is caught or reported to be annoying a Pilgrim, he/she will be made to pay a fine of AUD$5,500.
l. The cleaners in the city worked overtime. Every morning when I arrived in the city for work, Sydney is immaculately clean—as if no WYD08 festivities happened the night before.
I’m so proud with what Australia has done to make WYD08 a success. Very well-planned and organized. Hats off to Sydney for a job well done!
Although Australia is not considered a Christian country, they still have a good number of Catholics here. And even if some of them were a bit negative on having WYD08 pilgrims here, there were still a lot of people who were happy to see Sydney alive with so many people from different countries and of course, they were excited to see the Pope.
Offending as it may seem to Catholics like me, we have to understand that Australia has a small population of approximately 21 Million, that’s why Aussies were never used to big crowds…and I think they’re actually more scared (rather than being truly irritated) of being inconvenienced by events like WYD08. They hate traffic, they are appalled when their personal space is invaded and they don’t like delays when it comes to public transportation. That’s how they are, that’s their culture and we have to understand where they were coming from.
I would like to commend the Aussies for being good sports in all these. Given the things I wrote on my previous paragraph, I would still say that Australians are one of the friendliest people in the whole world. They were cordial and polite to WYD08 pilgrims. Saying “Welcome to Sydney” was a natural trait of any Australian and you can hear them greeting delegates even in the middle of street.
I don’t know if it was luck or it was really meant to be, but after lunch on Thursday (17 July 2008), we found ourselves a spot at Sydney Opera Bar, amongst half-Aussies (read: migrants turned Aussies) and some true blue Aussies.
The wait for the Pope’s Boat-a-cade was a memorable experience in itself as we became friends with people of our kind (technically, Chris and I were half-Aussies too since we are migrants). It’s like God’s way of saying “This morning, you were able to commune with fellow Filipinos, this afternoon, I would like you to be with people like you because you are also a part of this country.”
Our Little Group While Waiting for the Pope
It was a wonderful gift (as being with fellow Pinoys was) to be able to hear of stories where they came from, what brought them here and why they love Australia. The amazing part was, Chris and I were also telling them of our stories too–from where we came from, what brought us here and why we love living in Sydney. A good validation that we did belong here too.
With Maria (from Vietnam) and Sister Clare (a Nun from France)
Chris with Siggy and his Wife (they were from Germany)
Chris and I (of course from the Philippines!
The Australian faith is as strong as any other faith and they love the Pope very much that’s why they came flocking the streets of Sydney just to see His Holiness. Some of them even prayed the rosary while waiting for the Boat-a-cade and Motorcade. Other than Filipino Angels, we have been touched by Aussie Angels that one fateful day and it was one learning experience we will never forget.
This was how we celebrated our 18th monthsary today.
Had brunch in a food court in the City just to watch the Papal Mass on TV…
Hang out at Hyde Park for some WYD08 Souvenir Photos (this time of ourselves hehehe)…
Had an early afternoon tea of coffee and Caramel Cheesecake at Starbucks…
Was at the Capitol Theatre before 3:00pm…
and watched a “bloody brilliant” musical (more on Billy Elliot later)…
Ended our day by having dinner at a Korean Restaurant named “Milliore”…
where we had Kimchi Rice and Don Katsu (yum yum!)