This morning, I booked myself a flight to Kalibo by end of October. It's been a while since I visited mom's place of birth... 8 years to be exact. The last time I went there was when I was in high school.
That time, it was only me and mom who visited Lola Nancy, her siblings and my cousins. We used to go there on summer holidays. It's either Silay or Malinao for 2 months of going back to basics. Of course there's tv, electricity and running water.. but on summer days, kids play out on the street, swim in the nearby rivers, sleep early in the afternoon and pray the Angelus every 6pm.
Life in the barrio is very very different than in the city. Sometimes, I realize how much comfort I have at home, when most of my cousins still walk 5 kilometers just to get to school on their very thin slippers, braving the weather and the muddy roads.
I'm thinking that as I spend my week with my relatives, it's going to feel longer than an 'urban week'. I'm thinking of bringing some books to read or a journal. Among other things:
1. Talk to Lola Nancy and see how she's doing.
2. Bring an awful lot of insect repellent lotion. Gawd, mosquitos there are mutants.
3. Bring a plug-in insect repellent.. you'll never know when a cockroach strikes.
4. Sunblock... maybe a sudden roadtrip to Bora
5. Bikinis...refer to #4
6. Visit Sister Claire in Bulabod. Maybe I'll get to finish those stations of the cross...
7. Hiking boots.. refer to #6
8. Food trip in Malinao or Kalibo
9. Visit relatives in Kalibo.. make myself known after all these years
Come to think of it.. maybe my week won't be such a dud. I have a lot to catch up. After all, my mom's family is almost half the people in the town. =)
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