It’s somewhat a relief knowing that my late father’s hometown is a COVID-free municipality. However, this was not a reason for us to be complacent so we still abide by the usual health and safety protocols. I may not be wearing my face mask in the photos but those were just for a few seconds, and as soon as we’re done, I still wore my mask back on. The last time I was here was almost three years ago. I must admit that visiting relatives here was somewhat bittersweet as this reminded me of the last trip I had with Papa. However, I thought that joining relatives on this trip after a stressful year of dealing with the lockdowns and quarantine would somehow be helpful. And probably, it indeed was.

Another thing that made me appreciate this trip is because it gave me a chance to redeem myself from all those “health mistakes” that I have been committing against my own body. Life in the province made me realize how “sinful” I have been for the past year of being in quarantine. And I loved how, even for just four days, I was able to redeem myself given the kind of life I had while I was on vacation. Being in a place far from access to junk food and soda allowed me to commit to healthy eating habits. The absence of the usual modes of transportation got me to move more (as in unlimited walkathon!). My usual morning allergies went on break too because I get to breathe fresh, unpolluted air which is very much different from how it is back home. And because I didn’t bring my laptop and hard drive to this trip, I got to take a break from those late-night Kdrama marathons which meant crawling beneath the sheets early! And by early, it meant lights are already out by 8:30 pm. A thing that is very much different from my 2 am sleeping habit when I am home.