home sweet ...

home is where the heart is.


i got to test the line's validity when for the first time, i spent Christmas eve and morn with my boyfriend. truly, i was at home.

now that i'm back in Davao, i have yet to see whether i could still call it my home. all i have is an empty apartment waiting for me and not to mention, tons of schoolwork which i have neglected to finish over the holidays.

well, the part where i neglected the schoolwork was all worth it because i got to see a lot of significant people and visit a lot of meaningful places. to start off, i spent the most part of my break at my boyfriend's hometown. what i treasure most about that visit is the idea of seeing for myself what my boyfriend does when he's just at home and what he used to do when he was younger, where he went to school, where he used to hang out; not to mention that i was able to go through fotos of him when he was younger. i also got to bond with his family. i got to know his relatives. i could only say how grateful i am that they welcomed me warmly into their homes.

next stop, i stayed with my sisters for Christmas and New Year's eve. we just had fun by telling stories of how Christmas was when we used to be young. what i would miss about my visit is that, they are family and i will always feel at home with them.

next stop, Baguio City. ah.. the place is a sanctuary for me. walking down the streets of session road made me feel nostalgic. i was transported back in time when my roommate and i used to walk the same streets every afternoon without a miss. i went to Baguio with my boyfriend so the places we first went to where of course, our schools. but i hesitated in visiting my alma mater knowing that i would be stared at (in my alma mater, the community is small and close-knit that it is so easy to detect who belongs and who doesn't). from what i have heard, a lot has changed. but i know for sure that, for as long as that man continues to stand amid the cold weather clad only in a katakataka leaf, my alma mater would still be the alma mater i know.

last stop, Metro Manila. the metro's hustle and bustle catapulted me into a time when i was seeking employment in the metro. i visited the malls which people gush about. i went to SM's mall of asia, and it is humungous. i never got around to seeing the whole place since my legs can only take me so far. i also visited bonifacio high street and serendra. the place was grand, especially the four-floored Fully Booked. i also went to see Trinoma. the place is cool. but it reminded me of SM Baguio's architecture, minus the plants. i also went to Tiendesitas for my sort of going home dinner.

the break was short for me to take a respite from schoolwork but it was long enough to allow me to reconnect with all the places and people who matter to me. until my next break, i will be reliving the break i spent in Luzon.