LP 87: makapal (thick)

May salamangka ang Praha. Misteryoso. Tila may tinatagong lihim.
Sa kalagitnaan ng tag-lagas, kung kelan nagsisimulang maghari ang gabi sa araw... makapal na hamog ang bumabalot sa buong lugar. Hamog na lalong nagdadagdag sa kahiwagaan ng Praha.

There is magic in Prague. It is mysterious. Like it is keeping a secret.
In the middle of autumn, when night starts to reign over day... thick fog wraps itself around the whole place. Fog that adds to the mystery of Prague.

2009 in review: travel

2009 spent mostly with my ISS family has been quite amazing.

it was opening the eyes and mind, widening horizons and expanding visions. it was about my personal globalization. whereas, prior to ISS, my world was limited to my beloved philippines, my 15 months in the ISS has expanded it to at least 52.

it has taught me to understand and accept what is different from what i have come to believe in my lifetime. yet it also taught me to strengthen what i truly believe and value without having to compromise my ability to be in solidarity with those who are unlike me. this, i can say, is truly one of the best things i have learned for the year. but there is so much more. extracting lessons from 365 days would be quite a task when what one day can already be very educational.

2009 was also about living a dream. back in my youth, i remember reading about europe. and every time i saw the pictures or read something about it, i wished that i could see it for myself. 2009 was about that.

i do not know if the miles i covered for 2009 would ever happen again so i know a blessing when i see one. allow me this moment to relish the journeys i took, not to brag but to rejoice knowing that dreams come true.

many of the pinoy ISS students greeted the new year in paris through the generous hospitality of crevette. wine, cheese, sausage, balloons and friendship are definitely wonderful things to have at the beginning of the year.

february. maricar, marwell and i hied off to maastricht to celebrate the carnavale celebrated every palm sunday as preparation for the solemnity of lent. it was a 'holy' day indeed. ;p

march was a date with risa in beautiful barcelona. casa battlo, sagrada familia, parc guell... gaudi architectural pieces that made me a fan! (i also had a study trip to geneva... not as exciting as barcelona, definitely)

april was time for tulips. i was able to visit keukonhof twice. within three weeks, the flowers a-bloom were different from each other. being in the midst of a sea of colorful flowers will not fail to lift your spirits. what's more, they make good photos! ;p


may. it was my first trip to by myself with out the pinoys. nadya of sri lanka and sanjukta of india were my companions for this trip. we had a marvelous time with the red tours who had young, vibrant guides (and quite cute) to take us around berlin. definitely one of my favorite cities with its rich history.

june finally brought some good news. jan finally got his visa after being rejected once. most of the month was spent working on papers and exams. but there were study breaks which gave me the chance to bring jan around netherlands. it was the perfect time because it was summer and we can bike for as long as we like. and who would have thought we would spend our first anniversary abroad?!


july. after we have fulfilled all our requirements, off we went to greece and paris. i remember watching 'the sisterhood of the traveling pants' with jan. and i told him to take me to greece. it was such a blessing to have that declaration fulfilled sooner that i expected. though it was me who did take him there. :p

august. i was able to go home for a while for research. i was looking forward to celebrate my birthday only to be met with the news that our dear president cory aquino passed away. yet, while it was a great loss, i feel somehow that people may have regained a little something from that event.


september. i think i spent most of my time in the netherlands trying to cram for my first draft and RP presentation.

october. what i missed for that month in travel, i made up by being in four different countries in one month. austria (vienna). germany (munich). hungary (budapest). slovakia (bratislava). quite a brave but dumb thing to do, a month before our RP deadline.

oktoberfest was definitely the highlight of october having celebrated the occasion with an international contingent of 9 countries!

november. one of the motivations to keep on writing the RP even after wanting to give up is morocco. it was another international contingency with 5 countries represented. we finally got out of europe without needing a visa. the experience was totally different and arguably more exciting. definitely one of the most memorable trips ever! especially since i finally got to see and ride a camel.

december. last trip using my scholarship money is rome. it's one of the top of my list of places to see before i die, thus i had to go while i had the visa, the funds and the chance. michaelangelo just happened to be my favaorite ninja turtle, so all the more i should go and visit. heehee. ncient rome. medieval rome. catholic rome. every place we visited in rome was just spectacular and breath taking. a must-visit!

and of course, december meant graduation! i am a master of the universe now. wheeee. here's hoping it will convert to a job soon. ;p


i can not deny how much of a blessing 2009 was for me (though if jan and i were together physically, it would have been perfect!). it would be hard to replicate what the sugar and spice that happened to me last year. though i pray that happens again sooner than later.

here's hoping that 2010 brings more journeys and adventures. :)

LP 73: Lakad

Maliit pa lang ako, pangarap ko nang mapuntahan ang lungsod ng Athens kung saan diumano ay naglakad ang mga diyos at diyosa ng mitolohiyang Griyego.

Natupad na rin aking pangarap nuong nakaraang Hulyo.

Ang di ko akalain ay mayroon din palang "changing of the guards" katulad ng nagaganap sa tirahan ng reyna ng Britanya sa Athens. Bawat oras ay may palitan ng mga guwardya sa harap ng National Parliament nila.

Naaliw ako dahil kakaiba ang kanilang paglalakad. Para silang nag-e-ehersisyo. O di naman sumasayaw ng mabagal sa musika ni Michael Jackson na "They Don't Really Care About Us." At sino ba naman ang di matutuwa sa pompom sa sapatos ng mga gwardiya o tassle sa likod ng kanilang mga tuhod. At napapaisip ako, "ang init ng suot nila. buti buhay pa sila!"

litratong pinoy: gusali

dahil sa pagkalakwatsera ko, may ilan-ilan na rin akong nakitang mga kilalang gusali sa europa. nuon, di ako bilib sa eiffel tower. feeling ko, building lang siya na nakalimutang damitan ang bakal. pero nuong nakita ko na sa personal... di ko mapigilang matuwa. kakaiba ang pakiramdam na makita mo ang isang bagay na palagi mo lang nababasa o napapanuod. di ko alam kung nagandahan ako sa kanya, pero sigurado akong ako ay namangha.

happy easter!

may the hope of the season be with you. :)

this holy week turned out to be a pleasant surprise. :)

Good Friday was spent in Brugges, Belgium. A somewhat imposed presence to Marwell and Maricar's road trip, thanks to Jo and Alma backing out last minute. Brugges is what I had always imagined Europe to be, back in those days when I did not know any better. Old Europe. Chocolates, beer, lace, fries and belgian waffles. Shocked the other passers-by with our fish-rice-tomato-shrimp paste lunch complete with utensils. But definitely a good Pinoy meal in Europe. Really goooood. Thanks, Marwell, for the free ride.

Black Saturday was spent to meet with my 'adopted' Dutch family. I joined the 'Meet the Dutch' program in school which allowed the ISS students to spend time with the Dutch (given we barely see Dutch people in school as we are quite multicultural in set-up). Peter and Anky were such wonderful hosts! My first time to ride a high Dutch bike. And didn't expect to do 34 kms of it in one go! We went around the towns of Bodegraven, Reeuweg and Gouda. A nice mix of small town, big countryside tour. Reeuweg was particularly exciting, with its lakes and sailing areas. The sun was absolutely perfect except with a few minutes of rain. The guided bike tour taught me about dikes and ditches and peat and sea level and such. Peter did a good job of letting me know a bit more about the Dutch way of life. Brought home pictures and instructions to send them to my mom and Jan. Plus a recipe to try out too! Yummmm...

Easter Sunday started with a surprise breakfast for Risa, which I hope made her happy, despite the fact we woke her up from sleep. Tee-hee! Breakfast with most of the gang then off to mass. Mass was also good wherein we witnessed how a European baptism goes, with babies exposed in their full glory to the audience. Haha! Plus beautiful Nigerian songs to welcome Christ's Resurrection. Afterwards, I spent the afternoon with the bday girl and Iain in Amsterdam looking at Van Gogh paintings.

Not bad at all. Especially for someone who had no specific plans for the week whatsoever.

Happy Easter again!

litratong pinoy: sapatos

ito ay sa Palavas sa Montpellier, France. araw ng Pasko.

matapos masiraan ng bait at naisipan ng tropa na maglakad papuntang beach sa halip na maghintay sa bus ng isa at kalahating oras.

tatlong oras, nangangalahati pa lang kami ng lakad. salamat na lang at may dumating na bus!

bakit namin naisipan na maglakad? para makita ang isang beach na nasa Mediterranean. at dahil excited akong sa Mediterranean, deadma na na ang lamig ng tubig ay halos freezing point na. kelangan mailagay ko ang aking mga paa sa tubig.

lekat! ang lamig! halos 20 minuto bago ko bumalik ang pakiramdam sa aking mga paa.

di bale, masasabi ko naman na nakatungtong na ang aking mga paa sa mediterranean. hehe.

litratong pinoy: polo/blusa

huwag kayong mag-alala... hindi kumanta ang mamang ito ng 'my way' sa videoke kaya duguan ang polo.

ito ang kanyang costume para sa carnaval sa maastricht, netherlands. ang carnaval ay dinidiwang ng ilang bansa ng europa sa panahon bago mag-ash wednesday. nagsasaya ang mga tao bago dumating ang panahon ng lent. ang mas masaya dito, lahat ng tao ay ganadong mag-costume. isang malaking party ang mga kalsada. walang tigil na inom ng beer ang mga taong hindi sila sa araw na iyon.

at patatalo ba ang pinoy? aba ako rin! bihis-madre naman kami ng kasama ko. at bongga, nakikipicture ang mga tao sa amin, tulad ng pakikipicture namin sa ibang taong aliw ang mga costume. :)

litratong pinoy: bag

matagal-tagal na rin mula nung aking huling lahok sa litratong pinoy. mabigat na rin kasi ang mga gawain para sa paaralan...

bag. isang bagay na malapit sa aking puso dahil hindi ako maaring mawalan ng bag kung ako ay lalabas. marahil kaya ako nahikayat na mag-post muli.

*****
ang mga tropa ng pinoy na nag-aaral sa paaralan namin ay naisipang magbakasyon sa italy. sa laki ng grupo namin, nagkahiwa-hiwalay ayon sa nais mapuntahan. may nag-venice, nag-roma at kami naman ay napadpad sa lucca. masyado kasing mabigat sa bulsa ang venice o roma.

wala sa plano ang pagpunta sa lucca. at huling araw na namin ito sa italy. pabalik na kami sa pisa kung saan ang airport. dahil madadaanan namin ang lucca, naisipan namin na dito pumunta. ngunit dahil wala sa plano, bitbit namin ang aming mga kagamitan. dahil linggo nung araw na iyo, sarado ang tourist office. napilitan kaming mag-ikot ng maliit na siyudad ng lucca bitbit ang mga bag na ito.

hindi maikakaila na turista! bukod sa halatang hindi kami taga-europa, height pa lang. haha! bagamat mabigat at nakakapagod magbitbit, sa ganda ng lugar, hindi namin maiwasang lumisan ng lucca na maligaya. kahit pa sarado ang karamihan ng mga mapupuntahan. bukod pa sa walang-tigil ang ulan.

ngunit kelan ba napigilan ng mga bagay na iyan ang taong may nunal sa paa? ;p

snow again!

the snowflakes are dancing, whirling in the air. as if minute angels uncertain where to go. this way, that way, any way the wind takes it. its beauty overpowers the cold.

lovely, lovely snow. it feels like magic at work! i hope this keeps up enough to cover the ground and have a snowball fight! and make a snowman and snow angels!

(and i may be saying this as i have not experienced flurries yet. haha)

a hundred days in europe

I just realized that December 8 is my 100th day here in Netherlands.

Well... I know a hundred days isn't really a year, but it's almost as much of a milestone.

A hundred days! It feels so ironic that it is also the day when I finally felt the pangs of loneliness. Enough to make the tears come. i let it flow then shake it away, no use in denying emotions. yes, it has been a hundred days away from home, a hundred days away from jan, a hundred days of listless sleep, a hundred days of uncertainty... that is looking at it from the half-empty glass perspective.

But it is also a hundred days of many beautiful, wonderful things:

* of my first autumn -- the experience of the nature's dying, like the phoenix that explodes in mesmerizing fire before it turns to dust. yet knowing that there is a rebirth.















* of my first snow and hail -- snowball fights with bare hands. as the ice hits you or another, it is punctuated with child(-ish, -like) laughter. while autumn is the vibrance of color, the somberness of white is transfixing.

* experiencing europe -- a dream come true! i thought that europe will just forever be a vision from books and movies and now i am here! and there is still so much more of it to see.

* of beautiful friendships forged -- my pinoy mafia keeps me sane. will definitely miss the old batch who have always been so accommodating of our barging in the headquarters. to my new friends from all continents who have taught me so much about the world much bigger than what i have known. my first american thanksgiving to happy halloweens, from standing up against poverty to transformations. i never in my life dreamed education can be this interesting!


and so much more in those hundred days! from cooking and finally finding out for myself that there is a vortex in the laundry machine that sucks out half of a pair of socks and gloves leaving my closet with three unpaired socks and gloves... nights of singing and dancing and watching other people get wasted... to pining and wishing for those comfortable warm hands... to just realizing every day of my life that i am alive and tingling with all sorts of emotions, be it sadness or happiness.




the first hundred days and triple more ahead here in europe. looking forward to the joys and pains of what is to come! well, not so much the pain, but i have to be realistic here. 2008 is almost gone and 2009 is coming. i may not be raring to go at the moment, but i'm ready. ;p

howard was right

when studying, don't have pictures on your table.

there weren't any pictures on my table, but there are photos on facebook. i reviewed some photos from the philippines... and boy, was that a bad idea. apart from taking time from studying (which has been terribly neglected since the beginning of term 1b), it made me miss people at home, especially jan.

i really don't want to go to the path of longing for home. i am still constantly excited by the thought of being in europe, of fulfilling this lifelong dream. this morning, i took an hour going home from church because i decided to take a detour by the lake and boy, was autumn beautiful! the shower of leaves was absolutely magical and charming. i would never had experienced such a moment in the peens... but it would have been more magical to have my husband with me at that moment...

i've been experiencing so much and doing so much here in europe. and so much of it can not be captured by words or pictures, no matter how i try. i feel like a grown-up and a child at the same time. so it makes it difficult to share with jan and i don't want him missing out on my pruning and growing... neither do i want to miss out on his.

the weekly revelries at the ISS are always enjoyable, but like all parties... it leaves me feeling empty when i go back to my room on my own. i should have had jan with me... and seeing and hearing about the exciting things happening makes me miss him more, wishing for him more and more.

sigh.

i do not feel lonely. not at all. i am glad that the pinoy mafia enjoy each other's company, enough for us to keep (in)sane from all the emotional stimulus we are all experiencing.

it could be the weather really... because the thoughts of home come more frequent now. while i enjoy winter dressing, i have always been a tropics lady who enjoys the sun kissing her skin. and every day has been getting colder and colder that my skin sometimes gets numb. and maybe that's why the emotions are stirred more. it calls for warmth that the body does not get. and i mean that warm fuzzy feeling... lol.

sigh.

sleepless in den haag

the sandman may have forgetten to pass by the ISS for the last few days. many of the students have been suffereing from the lack of sleep lately for various reasons. the cause of my sleeplessness has been a reuniting with dorm room internet. i'm starting to think this may not be a good idea after all. i've been indulging in my guilty pleasure of brainless reality tv for the past week.

however, tonight is a different reason for me. my mind is so alive right now. it often happens when the moon is full, because i am the moon's fool. she's toying with my thoughts, whispering sweet nothings.

tonight luna tells me, "i let you taste some of your dreams. relish it. be free."

and i do feel as free as the bird from that photo i took on a nine o'clock setting sun during my first weeks in the netherlands. and i do feel that i am having a taste of my silly little girl dreams now that i am here.

silly little girl dreams like wearing coats and boots and sweaters which would have been crazy to do back at home (but i do miss wearing flip-flops to anywhere). silly little girl dreams like seeing europe and discovering if it is as pretty as i see in the pictures and read in the books (it is but it has made me appreciate home more). silly little girl dreams like seeing what autumn is all about, and walkin on a pile of fallen yellow and orange leaves and seeing trees die a little each day knowing they are just asleep and are waking up in a few months (but i miss the regularity of sun up and sun down).

dreams can come true not necessarily in ways you imagine it to be.

there are the realities that pinch once in a while. cleaning the room, doing laundry, cooking meals. things that aren't going to happen by themselves. there are days i hate it terribly, and there are the days when i just grin to myself and realize... "dang... independence, you taste a bit funny sometimes!"

there are the realities that actually bite you hard. readings, papers, exams. and i would go, "oh yeah... that's what i came here for. better do those things too."

then there are life's little surprises. if you are just open enough, it can be quite beautiful.

maybe it is premature to say it only two and a half months into the program, but i have been constantly amazed by the people in the school. the multicultural set-up makes ISS doubly exciting. there is so much to learn and discover just by talking to people! that's not even talking about classes yet. i am always genuinely excited to engage with people everyday.

i love the mix of the pinoys i am with. we are as surprised as everybody else at how well our sisterhood (sorry boys, we outnumber you!) is.

i love the other friends i already have made and wish to get to know them better. this is the kind of globalization the rest of the world needs! to remain steadfastly faithful and in-love with who we are, yet embracing the Otherness of the others.

i can not ask for a better way to discover the world.

i feel so blessed right now. :)

(but then it would be absolutely perfect to have my husband here too. my quiet, stoic jan to offset all the restless energy i have right now. LOL.)

i used to only read you in books...

mr. organ grinder.

you just made my trip to prague all the more memorable. tee-hee! too bad you did not have a real monkey with you. but nonetheless, it was great to see you out of the story books i used to read as a child and into reality.