"I will inspire my future children. I will let them know that passion should not be sacrificed."

This post is more of a reflection from childhood. As a child who studied in a public school with free books from the government having contents printed in black and white, I used to be discontented to see that the beauty of the places on my textbook was a face of injustice - no colors.

[VIGAN] My cousins, I used to be like them, a child: I was born in Vigan

One of my fave subjects is HEKASI. My teacher has always been telling us about the hagdan-hagdang palayan (rice terraces). Although I have always dreamed of seeing such place, it remained as wish. As a child, I felt like I was deprived to see such place highlighted in our lesson that day.

RICE TERRACES AND MY CHILDHOOD

I am a child who grew up in a beautiful country under series of defective political leaderships. Should the government has done sincere and effective measures to uplift the life of every Filipino child through education, I should have read a book in full color to appreciate the beauty of my land.

I should have read a book in full color to appreciate the beauty of my land.

[VIGAN] My neighbor gave this book to me. It ignited my fire to wander (1998).

Sadly, my childhood has witnessed that the economy is not really in good shape. Because if it was well, my parents should have bought me an Encyclopedia Britannica I have always requested them to buy. My thirst for knowledge was severe. But I breathed the air of reality instead. If the Philippines is a rich country, my parents should have landed to lucrative jobs and I should have requested them to bring me to those rice terraces.

But as a child, I have already known that the latter request is not emanating from innocence. I was exposed to the reality of life. You know, the burning desire to travel was there but I was aware that visiting such lovely place is close to impossibility those times.

As I grew up, I learned to suppress the desire because the present circumstances are telling me that I need to do it. It is part of growing, and of childhood. That way, I learned to swallow gradually the feeling of being deprived to travel due to the economic status of my family. My parents had priorities. Leisure travel was never an option in the list of priorities. Our basic needs are always the priority.

OF GROWING UP

My love of seeing rice terraces was rekindled last 2012 when I saw rice terraces for the first time in the province of . Although it was not exactly the rice terraces mentioned on that textbook, I realized that the magic of my early love life is coming back. All I know then was, rice terraces are only found in IFUGAO - that is because my HEKASI books are not telling there are many rice terraces in the .

...the burning desire to travel was there but I was aware that visiting such lovely place is close to impossibility those times.

[VIGAN] My manyayagit neighbor picked this book from a trash but I still read it.

You know, my childhood love affair revolves around newspaper and magazine clippings of beautiful places. I remember, the largest clipping I ever cut from a broadsheet was a photo of Catanduanes. The author of the article tagged the destination as the 'Land of the Howling Wind.' I kept those clippings and I made myself contended just seeing those images without personally seeing the place.

Aside from that, I sleep with an Atlas I borrowed from the school library (although that shouldn't be taken home). I put the book below my pillow before I sleep. When I was in Grade 3, the first world map I ever had was sold in our school for 100 pesos. That map was actually attached in a notebook. That time, I (almost) memorized all the countries in the Asia with their capitals and I had basic geography knowledge for the Western hemisphere based on those books and map I have studied.

I sleep with an Atlas I borrowed from the school library

[VIGAN] Atlas I borrowed from school, uh, I forgot to return

I remember I also had my first Philippine map. It was actually a calendar from my father's office. I waited for that year to be finished so that I can get that map. My effort wasn't in vain. I got that map. From there, I memorized all the provinces in the Philippines with their capitals. That was when I am about to turn 10 years old.

I also learned that Cebu has 6 cities (that time) and Negros island has more cities than any other island in the Philippines (that was 1998) and the only cities I saw in Northern Luzon were Laoag, Baguio and Dagupan. But when my cousin saw that map, she cut it into pieces. I cried so hard. My cousin didn't know the value of that map to me. She used it for play. I considered it as my best friend. That was an extremely hurtful day losing a best friend. I knew I was just a child. I don't have my own income. So losing such map is grievous. I don't know how can I provide another one. And to think, I study that map everyday for several months.

Until I passed the stage of childhood and I had the chance to travel to a remote place. The first array of rice terraces I saw was a surprise. I wasn't aware that such wonder is existing in that remote town called Tubo.

[TUBO] Kawayan Rice Terraces, the first I have ever seen

That feeling when you think what you are seeing is fiction was insane. It was like seeing Superman in person. You know that. As a child, seeing rice terraces was more of a fantasy than reality (due to the circumstances I mentioned above). Now that I have the chance to see these places, I am now capturing them in full color. It is the simple way I can do to show to the children now and of tomorrow the beauty of the Land of their birth.

As a grown-up kid, that reminded me of my childhood dreams. From that day, I knew I am going back to my first love and I don't want to let that magic go away again. The suppressed desire is resurrected from the permafrost. I will travel. I will aim high. I will hit the mark.I will inspire my future children.I will let them know that passion should not be sacrificed. /end