These are the places where I stayed for long over my lifetime. These are the places where I have written my stories, have left my footprints, and have created memories. This is Manila, Davao, Midsayap respectively.

 I am sentimental kind of person. I keep things important to me even those things that people think to be trashes. I feel attachments to places where I learned the most about life.

Right before I went to college, I decided to study in Manila, in University of Santo Tomas to take up Nursing with the ambition of becoming a Pediatrician in the nearest future. I processed my documents, got enrolled and ready to take a step to the most crowded places in the Philippines. I am telling myself that I should be ready to be strong and wise in everyday that I will be there. I accepted the consequence of the probability that I will not see my family for at least 5 months. You would not believe me, I was having a culture shock after a while of traveling alone. Traffic, smoke, people and worst, getting lost.

But what really forced me to move here in Davao City is the feeling of homesickness. I can’t afford to lose any single possible moment to be with my loving family for a long time. I know it will be very hard!

Yes, it is! Even if I am only 4 hours from my family right now.

And here I am studying in Ateneo de Davao University taking up Marketing. Yes, you might think I am on losing my track. At first, I thought of taking this course like eating an unpleasant food that I need to chew and drop into my stomach. Until this moment, I am still figuring out where my heart belongs. My life is in here is amusing though most of time I still feel lonely. There will be nothing in this world that could replace the happiness that you can feel when you are with persons you know truly love and care for you.

But I am fighting and I am left with a year to win this battle.

My little hometown, the place I considered to be the Land of Rare Beauties. Midsayap. This is where I was molded, grown and lived peacefully. It is a small town taken good care by fun, loving, simple and enthusiastic people. You don’t worry what to eat because it’s everywhere. You don’t know how to get there from here because you just need to walk. You don’t worry for a stranger because everybody is a friend. I used to live in a small scope area. I used to live with no worries about life. I used to live knowing that everyday will be fine because I am with my family.

But life always throws us with challenges of getting old and standing by our own selves. We cannot escape from it. It’s a surviving challenge and you need to survive for you to live more.

Right now, I am not yet fixed with my plans after graduation whether to study again, go to work immediately, start up my business or have a loooong vacation.

But somehow, I wanted to realized someday that I must gather all the courage to dare again and accept the challenge. Becoming more independent, becoming stronger, becoming firmer than ever.

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