(Toronto, ON, Canada)

Being out in the crowd, all drenched and shivering under a makeshift aluminum foil raincoat during the Papal mass at Downsview Park on Sunday.  God! I said to myself, I better make this story good so you guys could feel the amazing experience I juz had together with my husband Ernie. Unsure on what's gonna be the impact on me just by being there and seeing the Pontiff, I figured that that was gonna be an experience of a lifetime and for me it's one of the ways to reaffirm my faith to the Catholic church. Taking Cerniel, my daughter, with us was definitely a bad idea. Good enough, the babysitter was always willing to mind her even in the wee hours of the morning. Up at 3:00 am; so so excited, packed our brunch and stuff, woke up ernie at 3:30, sitter arrived at the same time, did a wake up call to a friend who's also coming with us. 4:30, we're on our way to the site, geared with porta-chairs, still and video cameras.  Tho' pilgrims had already camped out, i still anticipated a huge rush of crowd that morning. I was never wrong. As we get closer to the site, people merged until it became a one large mass. I took out my vcam to take some footage but ut of luck. . the moisture sensitive piece of crap conked out! Finally, after the 30-minute walk, we reached the park's gateway. I felt a cold trickle and right there I knew it's gonna be a long damp day. Ernie and I huddled under umbrellas and tarps in a steady drizzle.  Somehow, we were held up in line cuz of security checks. I asked ernie to see if there's a way to avoid it. He came back with a good news. Shortly, we're on our feet again weaving, squeezing ourselves in through the crowd in search of a best spot. at a nearby first aid centre, I managed to grab an aluminum sheet being distributed as raincoats.  along the way,  I saw youths busy hanging up their soggy sleeping bags on nearby bleachers. Others were still dreaming away while some groups started chanting, playing guitars - their wet and musty stuff abandoned on the ground. We eyed-out for Pinoy pilgrims and found some. Threw in some cheery greetings, but all we got were cold shoulders. Pinoy nga naman!!  The search for a space seemed endless, but we did! It was only a few meters away from the Pope's route to the stage. But believe me, claiming the space wasn't that easy. I realized that the youths there were not angels at all. Never mind how we got our spot, but finally, a space to rest! The downpour which started again around 8:00 turned the former air base into a spongy, muddy stew and sea of umbrellas. We weren't put off by more than an hour of heavy showers and tho' the wait seemed forever, that wasn't enough to drown our spirits. Others chose to stand bareheaded in the gusty wind which tore 2 helium-filled balloon lights from their moorings. When I heard it snapped out so loudly, I felt a bit scared and thought of getting out. But somehow I believe that soon we will be rejoicing in the sunshine. Of course not all were young, although most showed a genial coldness to the weather. Instead of using an umbrella, I covered my head and body with the aluminum foil sheet, cuz there wasn't any room anymore for one more umbrella. Several people had passed out cuz of fatigue and luckly I wasn't one of them.