The Philippines

With the end of my teaching school year last year also came my last summer break. It took some adjusting my first year on the job last July to have an unchanged, full-time schedule through the summer, but I suppose that’s what real #adults do. Luckily, last year I was able to have some gap between jobs to have a naturally-occurring break, and this year Alex and I were able to plan something small with the family.

As a way to truly enjoy breaks, holidays, and the joy that travel and exploration brings me, I wanted to also start a page here dedicated to that. So here goes my first summer feature, taking it waaaay back to my roots: The Philippines.

I was born and raised in the Philippines, in a town right outside of the capital of Metro Manila called Cainta, Rizal. My family moved to the US right after I finished high school and we’ve lived in America now for 9 years. (Wow.) I don’t get to go back enough, I’m sad to say, but all my memories of it have always been pretty remarkable. #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines

Here are some of my very amateur snaps over the years for a sneak peek into. If you’re at all intrigued or have questions, feel free to reach out and/or leave a comment below!

My lola (grandma) showing us her photo albums with my dad’s and our childhood photos in them 🙂 (2010)

A glimpse at my parents’ hometown’s quaint airport (2010)

Small plane to a small town: to Catarman, my parents’ hometown (2010)

An island off of Catarman that we were able to have to ourselves (2010)

How we got there: by these boats (2010)

The dock (2010)

A fish farm slash AMAZING restaurant in Catarman (2010)

Checking out the oceanfront and coral to my aunt’s beach house (2010)

My sister at the Douglas MacArthur Memorial on our trip to Corregidor (2010)

A Day in the Life in the famed beach town of Boracay (2013)

Paraws (sailboats) scatter the waters (2013)

Lounging in a tucked away beach in Davao (2013)

Arguably the best value street ice cream in all the land (2013)