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**inspired by the writings of tabachoi, i've decided to write my own tribute to my hometown, Los Banos. here's another perspective on LB life**
when people ask me where i'm from, head held high, with pride in my voice, i say "i'm from los banos, laguna" next thing they ask is, "so is it true that the fertility tree is indeed fertile ? i gotta laugh with that one. but from what i've heard (and not from experince), it is.
my family is one of the first families to settle in los banos. so everywhere i go, i meet relatives, even if they are far removed. before, it was total hassle to see the titos and titas all around coz i couldn't do things as freely as my friends could. but now, i've developed an appreciation for these encounters.
i lived and studied in los banos for most of my life (except for the few years we were out of the country). and in those years, i couldn't wait to get out of my town. news had this way of travelling to my parents even before i had the chance to tell them my version of the truth. and i'd get into all sorts of arguments with the parents because of all my long distance calls and internet usage to communicate with my manila friends.
but after 4 years of living in manila, and 1 year (and counting!) of living in cebu, i miss my dear old LB. all its charm and simplicity.
LB life, once you've experienced it, is something that you will always long for. you'll look for papu's siomai, donor's shawarma, mang henry's fishballs, pansit canton, royal 500, playstation, walks around the campus, sunday afternoons at baker field, thursday gimmik nights at isis, terror teachers, humanities, physci, whitehouse, ilags, catalan, UP rural high, purefoods in la ville, the clean air, free flowing water and everything that's in LB.
LB for me is...HOME. aside from the obvious reason that my family is there, this is where all lasting friendships were formed. meaningful (even hurtful) relationships were experienced. the one place that i could go and just. be. me. i don't have to dress to impress or intimidate. i don't have to walk the walk, or talk the talk. i don't have to be the corporate yuppy puppy that i've become. i can just be ces. the girl that goes to class in shorts, shirt and slippers. the ces that used to be heard over the local radiostation. the ces that almost trashed her batchmate's bike and almost broke her wrist. relaxed ces, with no cares in the world. the ces that takes care of her family, their house, and her dog. the ate ces to her godson jesse. the simple girl, with simple needs and simple pleasures.
i've toying around with the thought of moving back to LB for a few months. i've got to go back to roots, to my touchstone. i'm longing for a sense of freedom.
i want the freedom to be me.
when people ask me where i'm from, head held high, with pride in my voice, i say "i'm from los banos, laguna" next thing they ask is, "so is it true that the fertility tree is indeed fertile ? i gotta laugh with that one. but from what i've heard (and not from experince), it is.
my family is one of the first families to settle in los banos. so everywhere i go, i meet relatives, even if they are far removed. before, it was total hassle to see the titos and titas all around coz i couldn't do things as freely as my friends could. but now, i've developed an appreciation for these encounters.
i lived and studied in los banos for most of my life (except for the few years we were out of the country). and in those years, i couldn't wait to get out of my town. news had this way of travelling to my parents even before i had the chance to tell them my version of the truth. and i'd get into all sorts of arguments with the parents because of all my long distance calls and internet usage to communicate with my manila friends.
but after 4 years of living in manila, and 1 year (and counting!) of living in cebu, i miss my dear old LB. all its charm and simplicity.
LB life, once you've experienced it, is something that you will always long for. you'll look for papu's siomai, donor's shawarma, mang henry's fishballs, pansit canton, royal 500, playstation, walks around the campus, sunday afternoons at baker field, thursday gimmik nights at isis, terror teachers, humanities, physci, whitehouse, ilags, catalan, UP rural high, purefoods in la ville, the clean air, free flowing water and everything that's in LB.
LB for me is...HOME. aside from the obvious reason that my family is there, this is where all lasting friendships were formed. meaningful (even hurtful) relationships were experienced. the one place that i could go and just. be. me. i don't have to dress to impress or intimidate. i don't have to walk the walk, or talk the talk. i don't have to be the corporate yuppy puppy that i've become. i can just be ces. the girl that goes to class in shorts, shirt and slippers. the ces that used to be heard over the local radiostation. the ces that almost trashed her batchmate's bike and almost broke her wrist. relaxed ces, with no cares in the world. the ces that takes care of her family, their house, and her dog. the ate ces to her godson jesse. the simple girl, with simple needs and simple pleasures.
i've toying around with the thought of moving back to LB for a few months. i've got to go back to roots, to my touchstone. i'm longing for a sense of freedom.
i want the freedom to be me.