The Ateneo campus is an old and big place. The campus here in Loyola Heights was built in 1952. That makes it more than 50 years old, about half a century. It is divided into 3 campuses: The grade school campus, the high school campus, and the college campus. With the size of the campus, there is a chance that there exists places thatdevelop without people noticing, places that have been neglected, or places that people are too busy to see. And with the new buildings and renovations added over time, there are some spots and passages that have probably been left and forgotten.
It makes one wonder, what hidden sites are there in these grounds that we call our second home? I’ve been exploring a bit and noted some places that not even my senior roommates have seen.
A pocket in the SOM smocket
In the forest-like woods of the SOM smocket, there is a spot enshrouded by small trees and large bushes. Viewing from the little road that goes through the smocket, it just looks like a mere plantation of little trees and shrubs. To get to this ring of plants, you have to take a short stroll over the grass to a small opening at the right side. Near the side of this enclosure is a block of concrete that you can sit on.
If ever you feel the need to isolate yourself with nature, you should try looking for this little pocket. It’s a charming spot: the light shining, butterflies flutt
ering, and a light breeze blowing. Of course, that’s when it’s sunny and the skies are clear. I don’t advise going here during or after it rains. But if you want to, then be my guest trekking through slippery, squishy mud. And a warning: bring Off lotion, there will be mosquitoes.
All the way on the other side of the campus, near the Jesuit residences, is what seems to be a very old, grassy bridge.
An old bridge
From the main road to the Jesuit residences, there is a fork in the road. To the left is the parking lot and the Residence building, and to the right is a road that will lead to some field that is closed to people. Beside the fork to the right, the terrain slopes up to some sort of hill. There are two blue-railed stairs that go up this hill. The first will bring you to an old mossy rock with a cross on it. It isn’t very high; you can see this from the bottom. The second one will lead further in the hill to a land bridge.
I would guess this bridge to be some years old, being completely covered with grass and moss. To the left and right of this bridge are lush vegetation that also indicates how long this place has been here. On the other side of the bridge is a gate, usually closed, that leads to what I would guess to be the John Pollock Renewal Center, which is, according to Ateneo’s site, an ideal place for retreats, recollections, prayer meetings, and Christian value formation seminars. I haven’t had the chance to confirm if it really is the Pollock Center though.
Again, if you want to isolate yourself with nature, or just want to take a stroll in a mountainous scenery, this would be a good spot. You could forget that you’re in the campus when you’re here. There are no traces of human structures but the stairs and the gate. It’s a fascinating place, especially when it’s a clear and sunny day. The light seems to make it glow. At other times it can be just downright creepy: a dim spot in the middle of a forest where things could be lurking, especially down those sides of the bridge, completely covered in vegetation. You really can’t see the floor.
The gate also seems a bit suspicious. There’s only one gate, but gates are meant to block things from getting in or out. What could possibly be this gate be blocking? Maybe it’s blocking things from the Pollock Center? Since retreat places are usually said to have... things; ghosts and spirits and such.
Beside the Jesuit Residences is a mini-forest. Beside this mini forest is the Gesu. Behind the Gesu are the Pollock Center and the Cervini Cafeteria. Behind the these, spanning from the Jesuit Residences to the dormitories, is a cliff.
A flight of stairs leading to a cliff
A cliff? In Ateneo? Really!?
Well, not exactly. There is some sort of cliff, appropriately walled and fenced so that no one falls off. It’s located behind the college campus. With all the walls around, it doesn’t look like a cliff anymore.
You can see a cliff view of Marikina from the back of the Pollock Center. It is sufficient there just at the back of Pollock but you can go down and see the cliff view at a different angle. There at the back of the Pollock Center, there is a very long stairway with blue railings, same as the one leading to the old bridge, that goes down. Down there, there is a walled short winding road. “How can you see the view if it’s walled?” you may ask. Well, the road isn’t completely walled; at the end it is fenced, so there you can see another cliff view of Marikina. As with all long flights of stairs, it may be tiring going back up.
I was initially told that a cliff view can be seen from behind the Jesuit residences, but I went through the Gesu and came across the Pollock Center first. At the end of the day, I didn’t get to that cliff view at the Residences. My camera’s battery had died too. Seeming that this cliff runs all the way behind the college campus, I think as long as you’re there at a suitable spot without trees obscuring your view, you can see Marikina. And besides, I don’t the Jesuit Residences have a long flight of stairs that can make you feel like you’re in a temple.
Alas, these are but a few places, and only in the college campus. There’s still the high school and grade school campus. Who knows what’s over there. A hidden lake? An abandoned shack perhaps? Or maybe some sort of treasure, being that our campus is at least half a century old?
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