Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Kid in me

When I was a kid, my parents would always take us to different places around Negros Occidental (the province where I grew up). Then at the start of every school year everybody in class would share about how ones summer vacation go. And of course I would share which beach in Negros we went or which mountain resort we were. Once I'm home I would always ask my parents during dinner, "how come we don't go to Boracay or HongKong or Bohol or Palawan?" then my father would answer "We don't have enough money but after you finished school, you can go to those places as many time as you want" And so I would just quietly finish my dinner and wonder if how long would it take for me to finish school so mama and papa won't have to pay for our tuition so we can go to those places...kids... Now that I am done with school, earning on my own I realized, being in an average family was a blessing in disguise. The thrill of visiting places we've never been before is just like when I was a kid. No comparison about how this and that changed and that awe-feeling and surprise about how beautiful a place is very fresh. Also the idea of going to a certain place for the very first time in many many years is exciting. Like when I went to Pagudpud with my friends. My father is from Pangasinan and almost every two years we go and visit his province, then when I moved in Manila, I spent my summer in Pangasinan every year for four years. It seemed like a routine and not as thrilling as it was. Yet we never had the chance to visit the province of Ilocos Norte (which is 5 - 6 hrs away from Pangasinan) and so when my friends decided to check out the beaches there then the feeling was very nostalgic. I'm seeing a new place just like my childhood days. This is why I love to travel so much! Currently the whole gang is thinking of which place to visit next...and I'll be a kid again by then coz I'm visiting another place for the very first time!