My feet were hurting. Joe was right, we did not cross any rivers nor went for the tenth mountain. We just crossed rice fields and plains. It’s not that hard to walk at, unlike when we went to the cave at Tiana. But still, the two hours of walking made my feet hurt. A smile on my face appeared when I could finally see the small village where people were waiting for us. As soon as they saw us, the children jumped in joy and the elderly waved at us. Joe and the other old volunteers have been doing this for three years now. It’s a dedication for them which happened to start as a joke but his group of friends loved the idea so they made it all true. The villagers welcomed us warmly, the smile on their faces signifies how happy they are that we are here. It made me think that Joe’s group was really doing a great job. Most of the children already knew them, they hugged Joe and Fiona – two of the seven original volunteers. The women asked the children to go home because we had already a

I cannot remember when was the last time that I felt so proud of myself. No matter how many medals, certificates, and ribbons were given to me I felt like it was just an enough payment because I did a hard work to attain those. My parents were telling me that they are proud of me because of that, to the point that one day it got me thinking that, “what if one day I won’t receive any medals, certificates, or ribbons, anymore. Are they still going to be proud of me?” Because no matter how many awards were given to me, I was never proud of myself. I did not receive any direct answers from them since I did not ask them. I kept it to myself but their actions screamed the answer. Chris was just staring at me, giving me the odd feeling again that I cannot expound. Siya na ang naunang bumitaw ng tingin, “it’s late. You’ll be demonstrating how to do it tomorrow so you have to rest.” I nodded. He’s right. Although I cannot feel any weariness, my eyes are already heavy. Pakiramdam ko’y wala pa

It’s raining cats and dogs. As in almost zero visibility. Chris and I had to stay inside the van and decided not to go on the road because it would be really dangerous. We can hear the heavy pouring even though we are inside the van. The rain made me feel nostalgic, as usual. It sent me different emotions. I looked at my reflection on the van's window. My hair has successfully turned green. It suits me just like how good I look at my white blonde hair. Well the color does not look as green as the moses but lighter than the color of the bermuda grasses. Masyadong madami na ang naging tulog ko kanina kaya hindi na ako makatulog pa. The rain is another factor. I feel uneasy. Chris is cooking a sweet chocolate rice porridge to warm our stomachs. I just watched him as he cooked while I was sitting near the window paying more attention to the rain than his movements. The downpour was so sudden. Right after Chris rinsed my hair, the sky started to darkened, the wind became more cold. H

I never thought that one day I would be able to cut my hair, dye it, or have a tattoo. I never thought it would really happen because I know that I am not allowed to do it. My mom would be outrageous, she may lock me up in a room, hit me, or anything worse that I can’t imagine anymore. I did not show Chris how excited I am. But deep inside, I already know what tattoo I will put and where I will ask it to be put. I stayed quiet. From broad daylight to red orange sky, we watched it turn dark. We’re still on the road. It’s traffic, almost nighttime, I am bored, I even asked a lot of times how long will the ride really be. Madami naman tattoo parlor, pero ang layo ng nilalakbay namin. Maghapon nang nagdadrive si Chris, he looks tired but due to the traffic he is able to rest a little bit. He turned on the radio and a familiar song was playing. Elisi from a local band called Rivermaya, my favorite artists. I wanted to sleep but I can’t, masyadong naging masarap ang tulog ko kanina

The people did not bother us. It’s not hard to convince Chris to help me clean up the whole place. We started from one side, stacking the stuff on the other side and then started wiping off the dust and sweeping the floor. Since we have a broom, dust pan, and feather duster, in the camper van, it was easy. It was a surprise for most people that are coming inside, they are even asking if they should just go back later on if they would be an inconvenience for us but we said no of course. “Take it over there,” turo kay Chris. He’s lifting all the objects while I am sweeping the floor and dusting everything. We’ve found even more strange objects like an ancient compass, a bone of something, corkscrew, and even dentures. It’s kinda gross but it made me laugh at how weird people really are. Later on a child came near us, wanting to lend a hand. “My mom told me it would be easier for someone’s work to be done if there are many people helping.” She has a sweet voice, has cute chubby cheeks