Let me begin by saying how grateful I am that Pope Francis visited the Philippines and that, even for a few seconds, we got to see him in the flesh, from five feet away, as his Popemobile passed along Quirino Ave. cor. Osmena Highway, where we were waiting yesterday, January 18, 2015, at 12:02PM. Below is the closest shot I have of that brief encounter. What’s funny is, we never thought we would actually see him. Talk about God’s wonderful surprise–of which Pope Francis himself spoke.

That was the highlight of our quest to see Pope Francis, and I won’t blame you if you stop reading now, because I’m quite sure millions of other Filipinos have the same, or even better and longer encounter with him. I’m about to recount mine in detail, not much for your benefit, dear reader, as it is for mine (and perhaps for my parents’, who were with me, and who would love for this memory to be etched not just in our memories but on online media forever). Feel free to read on, if you wish, however, and share in our joy.

The plan was to leave our residence in San Juan at 630AM and hear mass at 7AM in Espiritu Santo in Tayuman, where we used to live. From there we will walk as close as we can to UST in the hopes of seeing the Pope before he enters the Sto. Tomas grounds–or maybe even getting a chance to enter. But, when we got to Ramon Magsaysay Ave., we realized this plan just might not fall through: Traffic was at a stand-still. Our cab driver turned right on Pureza St. when he got the chance, and he took us as far as Fajardo St., near Lacson Ave., but the closer we got to UST, more and more streets were blocked. We didn’t want to cause the cab driver further hassle getting stuck there, so we decided to just walk. The crowd became thicker closer to UST, so we decided to walk down Lacson, further away from UST and closer to the direction of Nagtahan Bridge, from which the Pope is expected to come.

After weaving through side streets, we found our spot. It was around 730AM, and we waited patiently. We watched the crowd thicken and assemble close to the police barricade, some bearing stools and tables on which to stand for a better view, regardless of the people behind them whose view they were blocking.

A little past 9AM, some people watching from their terrace in the homes behind us started saying that, according to reports, the Pope has left the Apostolic Nunciature along Taft Ave., but that he was in a black SUV instead of the Popemobile, as we had hoped. When the news spread, a buzz of worry erupted: “Paano natin makikita si Pope? (How will we see the Pope?)” The crowd inched even closer to the police barricade. My mom and I exchanged worried glances, too. But we were determined to catch even a millisecond glimpse of him. His window will be open, and he’ll be waving at the crowd, for sure, I thought–or hoped.

Alas, when his car finally passed at 9:22AM, we did not see him at all. I checked the video I took with my hand holding the smartphone high as I watched his motorcade pass, and all I saw was a speck of white that could have been the top of his head or his back from a barely opened window.

The crowd broke up and my parents and I decided that it was the intention that counted, that at least we were in his presence however briefly, and that we should go get breakfast and perhaps just watch Pope Francis on TV at home. So we walked toward and actually crossed Mabini Bridge, and from being a little crestfallen, my parents and I cheered up a little: We lived around this area for decades, and we’ve never crossed the Mabini Bridge and Nagtahan Bridge on foot before, much less walk down the middle of it, but now we were able to since it was closed to traffic.

Mabini Bridge

It was quite an experience, and we enjoyed watching the thick crowd on Lacson Ave. from the top of Mabini Bridge and taking selfies (or “groufies,” if you wish) with Ramon Magsaysay Blvd., the Pasig River, and other parts of Manila in the background, from the top of both bridges.

View of the crowd on Lacson Ave. from Mabini Bridge.

Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. and the LRT 3 in the background from the top of Mabini Bridge

A glimpse of Manila from the other side of Mabini Bridge

With the Pasig River in the background, taken from the top of Nagtahan Bridge

Feeling a bit nostalgic for Manila, my original home, before we moved to San Juan.

All dining places we passed were either closed or packed. It was already raining, and silly me, I only wore a cotton hooded sweater, for fear that it would be too hot in the midst of the crowd, even if my parents already warned me it was Signal No. 1 in Manila. So there I was, drenched to the bone and hungry, but my parents and I, troopers that we were, walked on until we finally arrived at the intersection of Quirino Ave. and Osmena Highway, where we found a Jollibee. Hallelujah! It was packed and the line to the counter was long, but we were just grateful we could finally eat–and I was just grateful to find shelter from the rain.

After eating our burgers on the counter (because there weren’t any vacant tables or chairs), we decided we might as well find a spot along Quirino Ave. where the Pope will pass when he returns to the Nunciature from UST. When we got to the very center of the intersection, the police began to form a barricade, and my parents and I found ourselves face-to-face with the policemen assigned to guard our side of Quirino Ave. We were at the very front of the crowd gathered there. It was raining hard and the crowd was thickening, but at this point, we were just feeling positive: Even if Pope Francis is in his SUV, we’ll get a better glimpse of him for sure because we were right in front.

But soon, word got around that the Pope decided to ride his Popemobile back to the Nunciature, and by then, we were just so excited: We’ll see him for sure! And true enough, at 12:02PM, his motorcade passed, and for a few seconds, we saw Pope Francis from five feet away and we basked in his holy presence and his wide, angelic smile. When his Popemobile passed, he even looked back and waved again to our side of the crowd. It was such an amazing experience!

The first thing in my head was, Oh my gosh, he’s so tall! Then I thought, Oh my gosh, he was that close to us! Oh look, he turned and waved at us! Hi, Pope Francis! Hiiiii! What a nice smile! He looks so cute in his yellow raincoat! All these thoughts ran through my head as I waved at him enthusiastically with my left hand while holding my smartphone on my right without looking at whether the video was recording properly. I didn’t really care–what’s important was I saw him in the flesh with my own eyes and not through a screen. (I did get a pretty decent video. You can watch it here.)

And by then I was just filled with so much happiness, I started screaming and laughing and jumping for joy. I was smiling so hard, I thought my face would break. My mom probably felt the same way, because she did exactly what I did, too. Everyone around us did, actually. When the euphoria subsided, we excitedly checked the videos we took with the same exultant smiles on our faces, and we kept replaying the moment, over and over. My dad had to laugh, saying my mom and I looked like kids who got the toys they wished for. No dad, we got something better! We got the Pope’s blessing!

And that, folks, concludes our Pope encounter. We went home with our hearts soaring, and the moment we got home, we turned the TV on to watch the replay of his Meeting with the Youth in UST, where he gave one of my favorite addresses he’s given on his entire visit to the Philippines.

Thank you, Pope Francis, for your visit, for your beautiful words, for your compassion. We will miss you and we’ll continue to pray for you!