India! Participating in the First India Mathematics International Competition (IEMIC 2004) last September 10 in the City Montessori School of Lucknow as a representative of Xavier School and the Philippines, was a wonderful feeling. India! The anticipation of finally seeing the Taj Mahal was overwhelming. India! My determination to win in the competition paralleled my desire to visit the fantastic Indian landmark known throughout the world.

     Our voyage started on September 7 with a ten-hour international flight from Manila to New Delhi. After a six-hour wait at the New Delhi International Airport we took an hour and a half domestic flight to Lucknow touching down the following day at 10 A.M. India time (12:30 P.M. Manila time). It was a long tiring trip for the entire delegation composed of 28 contestants, trainers and parents, among which was another proud Xavierian, Charles Lim of 7H. Everybody was relieved to finally settle down into our assigned accommodations at the school dormitory and get some much-deserved rest.

     There was a welcome presentation by the host school, with about 1500 students of City Montessori School participating in the event. The Indian students ranged from nursery to high school and they spoke very good English. They were well mannered and disciplined. The other delegations from Bulgaria, Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, South Africa and Vietnam also appreciated the hospitality of our hosts. It was really a warm welcome!

     We spent the next day sightseeing and shopping in the town center. The tour was very tiring because of the heat and it did not help that our bus had neither air-conditioning nor electric fans. We appreciated the places of interest as well as the souvenirs they had available, but we were still in a hurry to get back to our air-conditioned rooms. We also discovered that Indian food was too spicy for most of us, so we made do with cup noodle meals throughout the day.

     The competition started in the morning of September 10. After a hearty breakfast and catnaps, we all reported to our assigned seats and were given our individual test papers. I felt nervous at first amid all the 200 contestants but I soon calmed down and finished an hour and a half later. After lunch we reassembled for the team competition. I was part of Team A, along with Paul Hao of Chiang Kai Shek, Patrick Ong of St. Jude) and Ervin Dy of St. Stephen’s. The competition ended at 3 p.m. and we all returned to the dormitory exhausted. In the evening we presented the Igorot Dance together with the other cultural presentations of the other delegations.

     The awarding and closing ceremony was held the following day. I was both excited and apprehensive about the results and then the announcements came. I scored 12 out of 15 in the individual category for second place, one point away from first place. Our team won second in the team category. Charles got third place in the individual category and his team also placed second in the team category.

     With the competition over we were finally able to see the Taj Mahal the next day! The palace was a huge and splendid sight and its story touched me. The wife of the prince asked him to promise her two things before she died, namely to never marry again and to build her the most beautiful palace, which was to be the Taj Mahal. It took six years to finish the palace, which was made entirely of marble. The reflections of light make it appear to change color, gray at night and yellow at noontime. The sight of the Taj Mahal was the perfect ending to our Indian adventure!

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