Wazzup Pilipinas!
Ten months of hard work, waking up early, doing assignments and reviewing for tests but only two months of rest. This unfair division of the year has been the culture not only to us, Filipinos, but to most of the countries in the world. But somehow, we have been used to it despite the unfairly-made situation made by the government. By the phrase 'used to it' doesn't mean there were no complains voiced out from us, instead we use this short piece of time to make up for the active ten years we've spent. This is where my story comes in, the days from April 18 to April 21 have become part of the highlights of my life. These days were filled with laughter, complains and adventure—and also don't forget the scratches and wounds.
The start of my summer vacation was idle until my father was invited in a mountain-hiking trip to Mt. Pulag, Benguet. This said mountain is known to be the third highest mountain in the Philippines but officially the second highest. I haven't yet experienced climbing a mountain before so I took the rare opportunity and insisted my dad to take the whole family–except for my younger sister and baby brother–to Benguet with him.
Fortunately, my dad loved the idea and got us there the next day. But by the time we got to Baguio, the meeting place, we found out that most of the other hikers cancelled their plan with my father's group and it turned out that the only people left were our family, my dad's friend and his wife. The plans were altered but the trip went on. The fifth highest mountain, Mt. Tabayoc, in Kabayan, Benguet was where we went instead.
There were tons of stuffs I noticed and loved in that province. One is, the climate was pleasingly cold. Second, the people living there were totally nice to the extent that they actually know each other in that village and treats visitors like us as part of their family. And lastly, the view was unexceptionally captivating.
The way up the huge mountain was like passing a math exam, hard but possible. There were clumsy times that I trip to huge veins and slip on mossy rocks that gave me wounds and scratches. There were heart-stopping, nerve-wrecking and eye-watering moments that I almost fell on cliffs, step on a quicksand, and even step on a weak tree branch. But all the hardships were paid up when we reached the peak of the mountain. It was one of the greatest feelings I got in my entire life. The fulfilment I felt there was still vivid to my memory until now.
But my fun, adventure-filled vacation did not end there because I joined a mix martial-arts class, Kungkado. At first I was so against it when my father proposed it to me but when I saw that different style of art with my own eyes, I instantly fell in love with it that until now I'm attending the class with perfect attendance.
I always had the passion for adventure inside me. I enjoy discovering and experiencing more, and meeting new people. I consider the wounds, bruises and scratches I got during my adventures as my trophy worth my achievements. This year's vacation may not be as expensive as last year’s, but it sure was as fun and exciting as before. “Here’s to freedom, cheers to art. Here’s to having an excellent adventure and may the stopping never start.” —Jason Mraz
Contributed by Melissa Patricia Barrios
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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