At first, I was really worried about travelling for 12 hours. I easily get bored during a long trip so I was thinking of things to do to kill time – except for sleeping. I planned to play a guitar but it turned out that my blockmate, whom I requested to to bring her instrument, was assigned to the other bus. So, I ended up ‘watching’ a movie and looking at everything I was able to ‘see’ along the road. I did not have any problems while we were in the bus, which I did not expect, because I usually get dizzy and nauseous throughout bus travels before. For this, I want to commend the Maria de Leon bus company for keeping us not only safe but comfortable in the course of our trip. And yes, I admit, it was my first time to be conveyed by a first class bus.
By the time we arrived at Ilocos Norte, I felt warmly welcomed by the air and every single, non-human living being that I can see there. I felt relieved for the only sign similar to Manila that I noticed were the electric cables and posts, while everything else are trees, small plants, fields, mountains, animals, the sun, sky – nature at its best. Simply being there, it was so overwhelming. I can’t help the feeling of being lost in thought and just stare and appreciate nature.
The tour around the Botanic Garden was really really tiring, but it was fulfilling. Having an idea of all the plants there is no joke, especially when you’re taking pictures and noting the characters at the same time under the afternoon sun. I may not have memorized all of them, but the fact that these species are only representatives of a particular plant family made me more interested in studying them. I cannot help being overwhelmed all the time, it’s just that I wonder how complex life is that it is inevitable to have a Higher Being responsible for all these complexities – especially those we still cannot explain.
As for the sleeping quarters, man, how lucky are we to be assigned to the alumni house. Although it was located far from the canteen and the other sleeping quarters (where most of our blockmates were assigned), I enjoyed staying on the playing grounds (I mean the field) in front of the house. It was because I was reminded of how much I wanted to stare at the sky every night back when I still have time to lavish stargazing.
I also want to commend the canteen staff for providing us appetizing meals, especially the pinakbet (served during lunch on the second day of our activity). It was as if my mother cooked that one – it made me felt like I was just having lunch at home.
Of course I will not forget to mention the night I had an allergic attack. I did not have any idea that the vegetable dish served for dinner has malunggay fruits in it. I thought they were just young string beans or sigarilyas. Naubos ko pa man din lahat yung sinerve na gulay, ansarap kasi e. It was really terrible, and to share to you, my swollen face already gave me an idea of how will I look like when I grow old. So far, that was my worst allergic attack - I even thought of dying that time because I found it difficult to breathe normally. Thank God my friends helped me overcome my allergy – they prayed and stayed beside me that night.
With regards to the main activity of our field trip, I first want to thank Ms. Ragragio for being adventurous while we are gathering our plant specimens in the first biome. I always loved hiking since I was a kid. It was so fun getting wet and muddy when we tried to hike a very steep part of that place (that was Cagayan territory already). Some of my lab-mates considered this experience the adventure of their lifetime. As for me, I'm looking forward to more adventures more extreme than this one in the future (I'm soooo excited!).
As we reached Bangui, I cannot explain how overwhelmed I was when I came in close contact with one of the iron windmills built by the sea shore. It was really fun looking up at it and watching it continually rotate its huge blades.Sobrang ganda po talaga dun, I wished I have my family there with me. It felt like I’m floating, high na high kumbaga, because of the place’s natural beauty, especially the waters. Sulit na sulit po yung view, kahit mainet sa paa at kahit nabasa na yung pants namen. The experience was real and absolute, thank God it wasn't just a dream (hehe). I cannot ask for more that moment really. I just want to stare at the sea and the sky and the windmills, and drown in their magnificence.
I got my skin tanned when we went to Burgos where the infamous Kapurpurawan rock formation is situated. I was already covering my face with the plastic bag containing the collected specimen while we roamed around and took pictures of the superb limestone formation. Sulit din po dun kahit na sobrang inet.
During the third day, particularly in the afternoon, I went to Laoag main with one of my blockmates to buy some pasalubong. There I noticed how clean and organized their market is, unlike ours in Antipolo. To briefly describe it, the market has three levels, the first and the third were the dry ones while the wet market (fish, poultry, and meat) is on the second level. I realized then how rich and fortunate the Ilocanos are, their city is not industrialized and they have a lot of soil to cultivate. For this, I say that Laoag is richer than Antipolo, and even richer than Manila. It is not the office buildings and malls and other theme parks that signify the richness of a place, but the people who are working hard in order to keep it as it is.
Everything about the field trip to Ilocos Norte was awesome – even the moment I had an allergic attack. Ngayon alam ko na kung anong itsura ng bunga ng malunggay. I even included one thing in my aspiration list after the trip: to have my own house up north. :)
