My family moved to Tandag from Davao way back in 1988. It was right after I graduated from high school in Maragusan. I went to college in Tandag, taking up BS in Business Administration majoring Banking and Finance. I have quite a bit of friends in Tandag- from college, church and youth organizations I was a part of back then. Life there wasn't very easy economically, especially when I was in college. However, after finishing my college, things got better that I even got to go to the graduate school without borrowing money.
What I like about Tandag the most is the abundance of seafood. I am a seafood (and veggies) person, so I love Tandag for that... and of course for the special people God has placed in my life.
I love where my parents live now. It's ways from the downtown, so it's quieter (except early in the morning when the roosters do their cock-a-doodle-doo's) and cleaner. Oh, it was nice to see papa's little farm. He has lots of plants, including bananas and rice! Their place has a countryside atmosphere in it. I love it.
Showing posts with label Places and Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Places and Memories. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Philippine Trip- Davao City
We had a lot of fun vacationing in Davao City last January. We stayed there for 5 days. It was great to be with the whole family, catching up with everyone's life. Here are the photos we took...
Friday, February 20, 2009
Maragusan Valley
I spent the first 15 years of my life in Maragusan Valley, Davao del Norte. It was in this town that my growing up memories were formed. I literally learned how to walk, run and climb mountains here. I went to grade school and high school here. My love for people and the beauty of their different cultures was shaped here. I discovered the the importance of having an inner circle of friends in this place. I fought the battle of peer pressure as a teenage girl here. The circumstances around me here had pushed me to be close to my Creator and God.
As far as my memory serves me well, I cried more than I laughed in Maragusan. I was not happy that I had to bathe in cold water before I walk to school every morning. It didn't please me that we had to eat lots of sweet potatoes or casava with salt when we ran out of rice and fish. The place seemed very remote from the bigger city. I got frustrated that we didn't get to watch TV because electricity didn't come to town until later in my high school time. I was stuck with my little radio listening to some silly journal broadcasters and audio plays aired from Davao City. I also had to share my radio with my siblings, which made it very complicated because each one had his/her own favorite station. We ended up fighting over the little radio. I didn't like the low temps in Maragusan. It felt like I would freeze to death. Yes, it's cooler down there because it is highly elevated. Growing up, I thought it was the coldest place in the world. No kidding. I dreaded our high school parades around the town. The heat from the sun at 12 noon could easily cause me a stroke. The hardest time in my life was when my mom would ask me to do food shopping where I had to walk from our house to the market for about 15 minutes each way. There was no public vehicle to use for commuting and the roads were not paved... dusty on dry season and muddy on rainy season. I walked like crazy in this town. I hiked to school every morning and ran back home late afternoon. I climbed mountains with friends to pick coffee beans and guavas. I was always skinny growing up... no wonder!
Maragusan was a melting pot of different ethnic groups. Here, I was first exposed to different languages and cultures. Quite a few tribes settled in this town. Thanks to that, I have learned that communication does not depend solely on someone's fluency and eloquence of words. I have also learned not to be ethnocentric but appreciate the uniqueness of each people group. In fact, being ethnocentric is being ignorant of the reality and beauty of life. Maragusan was a home of the Mansaka, Waray, Boholano, Mandaya, Moslem and Ilonggo groups of people. Very interesting! It sure did prepare me for my trips to several countries.
My family left Maragusan 20 years ago, just right after I graduated from high school. I was kind of happy because I didn't have to deal with its "cold" weather. We moved to a city by the pacific ocean... plenty warm and humid... lots of fish and coconut. However, after a while, I started complaining about the typhoons and floods. We never had such things in Maragusan being that it is in a valley- surrounded by high mountains that were covered by virgin forests. I also started getting sick of fish. I so longed for the fresh brewed coffee and the huge variety of fruit we could get in Maragusan. I began to miss bonding with different ethnic groups. Tandag was very ethnically homogeneous. I became homesick. We only got to visit is once in a few years.The last time I visited the place was 9 years ago.
On our trip to the Philippines recently, we got to squeeze in a day to drive to Maragusan on the way to Davao City from Tandag. The drive was terrible. It was raining and the roads were in pretty bad shape. But I would say, they were a hundred times better than 20 years ago. Dan, who was driving, had to be the best driver in the world to deal with the rough roads with deep puddles and soil erosion on both sides. Arriving in Maragusan brought back quite a bit of memories despite the many changes in the town. One important change I noticed was the presence of banana plantation. It used to be all coffee trees. It was also nice to see the closest mountain to the town developed into a mountain resort, now called, Haven's Peak. We stayed at one of the beautiful cabins there for one night. The temps were so perfect. It's maybe about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. It was great to see 4 of my closest friends in high school, my close friend when I was 2-10 years old and the people who were very close to me growing up including my nanny and her sister who was the closest person to me growing up. One of my high school classmate who also was a good friend until college prepared a big lechon (roasted pig) for us. It was really great to be specially treated that way.
I would like to bring my family again to Maragusan in two years. This time, I want to be the one giving all those who are very close to me a special treat.
To all of you who I got to meet in Maragusan the other week, thank you very much from my heart of heart!
Ate Kims (close/best friend, big sister, nanny, partner in everything growing up)
Ate Abet (my nanny)
Jingjing (my close friend from age 2 to 10)
4 of my closest friends in grade school and high school: Ferdinand (Enan), Bembem, and Mar Ulysses
Aerial view of Maragusan Valley
As far as my memory serves me well, I cried more than I laughed in Maragusan. I was not happy that I had to bathe in cold water before I walk to school every morning. It didn't please me that we had to eat lots of sweet potatoes or casava with salt when we ran out of rice and fish. The place seemed very remote from the bigger city. I got frustrated that we didn't get to watch TV because electricity didn't come to town until later in my high school time. I was stuck with my little radio listening to some silly journal broadcasters and audio plays aired from Davao City. I also had to share my radio with my siblings, which made it very complicated because each one had his/her own favorite station. We ended up fighting over the little radio. I didn't like the low temps in Maragusan. It felt like I would freeze to death. Yes, it's cooler down there because it is highly elevated. Growing up, I thought it was the coldest place in the world. No kidding. I dreaded our high school parades around the town. The heat from the sun at 12 noon could easily cause me a stroke. The hardest time in my life was when my mom would ask me to do food shopping where I had to walk from our house to the market for about 15 minutes each way. There was no public vehicle to use for commuting and the roads were not paved... dusty on dry season and muddy on rainy season. I walked like crazy in this town. I hiked to school every morning and ran back home late afternoon. I climbed mountains with friends to pick coffee beans and guavas. I was always skinny growing up... no wonder!
Maragusan was a melting pot of different ethnic groups. Here, I was first exposed to different languages and cultures. Quite a few tribes settled in this town. Thanks to that, I have learned that communication does not depend solely on someone's fluency and eloquence of words. I have also learned not to be ethnocentric but appreciate the uniqueness of each people group. In fact, being ethnocentric is being ignorant of the reality and beauty of life. Maragusan was a home of the Mansaka, Waray, Boholano, Mandaya, Moslem and Ilonggo groups of people. Very interesting! It sure did prepare me for my trips to several countries.
My family left Maragusan 20 years ago, just right after I graduated from high school. I was kind of happy because I didn't have to deal with its "cold" weather. We moved to a city by the pacific ocean... plenty warm and humid... lots of fish and coconut. However, after a while, I started complaining about the typhoons and floods. We never had such things in Maragusan being that it is in a valley- surrounded by high mountains that were covered by virgin forests. I also started getting sick of fish. I so longed for the fresh brewed coffee and the huge variety of fruit we could get in Maragusan. I began to miss bonding with different ethnic groups. Tandag was very ethnically homogeneous. I became homesick. We only got to visit is once in a few years.The last time I visited the place was 9 years ago.
On our trip to the Philippines recently, we got to squeeze in a day to drive to Maragusan on the way to Davao City from Tandag. The drive was terrible. It was raining and the roads were in pretty bad shape. But I would say, they were a hundred times better than 20 years ago. Dan, who was driving, had to be the best driver in the world to deal with the rough roads with deep puddles and soil erosion on both sides. Arriving in Maragusan brought back quite a bit of memories despite the many changes in the town. One important change I noticed was the presence of banana plantation. It used to be all coffee trees. It was also nice to see the closest mountain to the town developed into a mountain resort, now called, Haven's Peak. We stayed at one of the beautiful cabins there for one night. The temps were so perfect. It's maybe about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. It was great to see 4 of my closest friends in high school, my close friend when I was 2-10 years old and the people who were very close to me growing up including my nanny and her sister who was the closest person to me growing up. One of my high school classmate who also was a good friend until college prepared a big lechon (roasted pig) for us. It was really great to be specially treated that way.
I would like to bring my family again to Maragusan in two years. This time, I want to be the one giving all those who are very close to me a special treat.
To all of you who I got to meet in Maragusan the other week, thank you very much from my heart of heart!
Ate Kims (close/best friend, big sister, nanny, partner in everything growing up)
Ate Abet (my nanny)
Jingjing (my close friend from age 2 to 10)
4 of my closest friends in grade school and high school: Ferdinand (Enan), Bembem, and Mar Ulysses
Aerial view of Maragusan Valley
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Winona, MN
My husband grew up in Winona, MN. It is about 2 hours worth of driving from where we are in the cities. Winona is a home of some 27,000 people. It is known by it's landmark up on a bluff, they call Sugar Loaf (Click on it to know why they call it a Sugar Loaf). It is also known for its pretty drive along the Mississippi River. The bluffs are dramatically beautiful as they change their colors through the seasons. I love driving to Winona, especially in the Fall, when the leaves are showing colors.
More photos of Winona (Click on the play button)
When I was taking BHW (Behind the wheel) course with my father-in-law, I got to see the old mansions in the downtown of Winona. My FIL would tell me fascinating stories about the people who own them. Here are a few of them... My favorite is the one on the third picture.
Last Saturday, Paul and I went a for a very short date before the Thanksgiving meal at his parents' house was served. We went driving around Winona and took some photos. Here are the photos...
In High School, Paul was kind of famous for his pitching skills in Baseball. Visiting his school last Saturday made me think that my husband is really not just an ordinary man. Inside his school, I spotted a plaque on a wall where a board displaying the Hall of Fame in that school is also hanged. The plaque says... "Paul B. Martens College Scholarship Award" And it's got all the names of the recipients of the said scholarship. This scholarship award was created by his coach back in High School in honor of Paul. His coach was convinced that all baseball pitchers in high school must aspire to pitch like Paul.
This is the house where Paul spent the first 2 decades in his life.
More photos of Winona (Click on the play button)
When I was taking BHW (Behind the wheel) course with my father-in-law, I got to see the old mansions in the downtown of Winona. My FIL would tell me fascinating stories about the people who own them. Here are a few of them... My favorite is the one on the third picture.
Last Saturday, Paul and I went a for a very short date before the Thanksgiving meal at his parents' house was served. We went driving around Winona and took some photos. Here are the photos...
In High School, Paul was kind of famous for his pitching skills in Baseball. Visiting his school last Saturday made me think that my husband is really not just an ordinary man. Inside his school, I spotted a plaque on a wall where a board displaying the Hall of Fame in that school is also hanged. The plaque says... "Paul B. Martens College Scholarship Award" And it's got all the names of the recipients of the said scholarship. This scholarship award was created by his coach back in High School in honor of Paul. His coach was convinced that all baseball pitchers in high school must aspire to pitch like Paul.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
My Hometown- Tandag, SdS, Philippines
Cagwait White Beach, about 30 minutes drive from my parents' home in Tandag, Surigao del Sur, Philippines. My husband proposed to marry me when we were in this beach celebrating his birthday in April 2005.
The Restaurant where we had lunch on my husband's first day in Tandag. We go to this one every time we eat out, especially with my whole family.
The provincial capitol. Paul jogs with my brother and friends around this building.
Sunset in Tandag Beach, a mile drive from our house.
Tandag City Park- I like to bring my nieces here for our afternoon play and ice cream.
More photos of our place...
The Restaurant where we had lunch on my husband's first day in Tandag. We go to this one every time we eat out, especially with my whole family.
The provincial capitol. Paul jogs with my brother and friends around this building.
Sunset in Tandag Beach, a mile drive from our house.
Tandag City Park- I like to bring my nieces here for our afternoon play and ice cream.
More photos of our place...
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