But in all honesty, I do know that going to Baguio and Sagada was a very eye-opening trip, not just in the tourist sense of knowing I saw the culture and experienced the sights, sounds and taste of the place. But that I also learnt something about myself. About how I adapt in different circumstances and how I’ll mostly see myself as the person who observes and hopefully try to remember what I’ve seen.
This blog is an accumulation of the many groups we visited, the personal experiences we had from the downright eye-popping ones to the more awe-inspiring occurrences of nature and even the gut-popping and heart wrenchingly funny and sad incidents we saw and heard. Of the many names and faces of people we met, we’ll surely have forgotten half their name but knowing the cause that they fight doesn’t end here but that it continues till a certain plateau is reached before they can afford to rest and then continue on.
One special mention I wanted to take note of is that the Sagada National High School is still lacking one computer for their technology class. Mindy, you still up for raising funds for them? Maybe we as a group could find some means to raise the money for them.
Here are some places that were not mentioned.
We visited Oh My Gulay, a gallery-restaurant (which literally means Oh My Vegetable, which brings to mind the phrase, vegetroubles), a hip and happening place with an artsy vibe and a basic menu of mostly pasta and salads. Kidlat Tahimik the world renowned film director and Baguio City local owns the place.
The Minstrel, an A Capella group worth mentioning was singing at Oh My Gulay the night we were there and also during the 2nd mini Christmas concert in UP Baguio on the 20th of December. I thought the group had a pretty good harmony worked out between them and the choice of songs worked to their voices too.
Quirino Hill near the CPA office really caught my attention, it literally looked like there were houses growing out of it as the houses were built at very close proximity to one another. And as Maya noted, the houses are growing at a rate of mushrooms in Baguio City.
It was also interesting to note that even God’s animals (dogs) were welcomed visitors at His house, in Sagada. I like to think that it’s because it’s a village and people weren’t too picky (as such, I’m sure the Malaysian churches would be horrified to allow dogs into the church sanctuary). I’m just glad I got to see how church is conducted away from home, as it gave me a different perspective on a similar faith I myself practice.
Five names must be mentioned and graciously thanked. Janice Bagawi (Maya), Macario Lacbawan (Mac), Rommel de Guzman (Rommel), Maureen Macaraeg (Mau) and Chinee Palatino (Chinee). Lastly also Mary Carling, the one who got things off the ground for us from the Philippines. Thank you very much all of you for the effort and time you took to help us all through the ins and out of a language that can sometimes sound vaguely familiar yet isn’t very much so.
Two quotes come to mind at the end of a post like this.
One:
Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts.
And we are never, ever the same.
Two:
Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you.
Until we meet again!
I actually have no idea who wrote the above lines but I thought the short poems very nicely explained how most of us would feel at the end of the trip, from both the Malaysian and the Filipino parties.
So I pray that as we all left Baguio and Sagada with our eyes and heart opened a little bigger and wider. To understand that our world isn't as small as it seems and how much can be achieved if we just put our heart and minds to it.
Editor-in-Chief
Shu Yi
1 comment:
Interesting thougghts
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