On October 22nd, the Pilipino American Students Association of Stockton (P.A.S.A.S.) visited The College of New Jersey for the annual Adobowl with District 5. Filipino club spans the nation and are divided by sections called districts. District 5 is the collection of colleges, universities and vocational institutes within South Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The name Adobowl is derived from the filipino cuisine called adobo. This event is where filipino clubs participate in games and food with other students.
Although I arrived late to the event, I still came in time for the games. The teams were randomized after signing up (5 dollars per student, 2 dollars per alumni) and were not categorized by the school you were in. I missed a few team-oriented games like popping another teams’ balloon that are tied to their ankle, and egg tapping. Luckily, I made it just in time during the preparation of tug-of-war. Assigned to the black team, we had to coordinate with each other to pull on the rope at the same time. Our superior pulling skills made it the finals, but were ultimately taken down by the blue team in a very extended war. The last game was a board member trivia relay where one member from each team must race from one side of the recreational center and find the picture of the board member who was the answer to the question.
By the end of the day, all the teams experienced a “thanksgiving” dinner together. The food consisted of pizza, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, banana-chocolate cake, and drinks. We ate and exchanged contacts with each other and were able to experience the filipino community that we seek to preserve. The Adobowl was a fun-filled event that I wish for others to experience as well.