*THIS IS AN ARTICLE I WROTE FOR baguiocitypeople.com AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH THE REST OF THE 40K WHO HAVEN'T READ IT YET .. JUST BECAUSE! .. JUST BECAUSE I MISS THE PINE TREES TODAY ..
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March 30, 2014. Its 9:36 PM here in Singapore, my laptop on
my lap, my mason jar filled with cool lemon water my left, my phone having a
life on its own on my right, the fan blowing directly on my face because it’s a
maddening 32 degrees outside, my sweat pants and shirt sleeves are rolled up
and my nose is sweating that it irritates me! I am frantically thinking of ways
to beat the heat but somewhere in my mind I know exactly what to do. The answer
is 1,554 miles away.
The exact location: Baguio City, Philippines -- where it is currently 12 degrees which I discern, will undoubtedly find comfort in that cool night breeze... But all I can do is close my eyes, wish, sigh... But then I immediately open my eyes since my nose is sweating up again! Ugh! Warm weather problems! Let me transfer to the room where the air-con is...
The exact location: Baguio City, Philippines -- where it is currently 12 degrees which I discern, will undoubtedly find comfort in that cool night breeze... But all I can do is close my eyes, wish, sigh... But then I immediately open my eyes since my nose is sweating up again! Ugh! Warm weather problems! Let me transfer to the room where the air-con is...
I was born, raised and everything in between in the City of
Pines. My entire 26 years and 8 months, before I relocated to work here in
Singapore, was spent in its glorious atmosphere that if only the pine trees,
pine needles and pine cones can speak, it would tell my life story, reveal my
craziest secrets and disclose my random clumsy experiences. The mountains has
always been my safe haven and until now, even being overseas for over a year,
that feeling still has not changed and I guess, it never will.
Now that I am living abroad, it not only made me miss every
bit and pieces of the city, it also gave me a certain level of appreciation to
that Baguio-girl in me. The typical conversation when you meet a co-Filipino
here would usually start with "where are you from?” I would proudly respond
that I am from Baguio and as soon as their face lights up with the mere reference
of where I am from, I feel even more proud! Ooooooh! They like me! (Excuse my narcissism!
Hahaha!). I have never been away from home for this long so I don't have a
definite grasp of how other people categorically perceive
"taga-Baguio" but being away and actually exposed to different people
and diverse practices made me comprehend that I am not the person I wholly I
think I am because in a way, I realized I can also be defined by the city, the
people and the culture I came from.
When I first arrived here, my friend and I together with
some of our housemates from the Southern region of the Philippines were having
this conversation about travelling from Baguio to Manila. Of course, the
reasonable Baguio term for that is "bababa" (going down) or
"aakyat" (going up). It was not a big deal for us that we kept the
conversation going until we noticed the weird look on their faces -- apparently
they were alienated by the terms we used. For them, it appeared like our travel
to the low-lands, "bababa", involves a long, challenging hike
complete with mountaineering gear just to reach the grasslands and then back up
again with "aakyat". Although when you think about it, it essentially
is "bababa" and "aakyat" because Baguio city is literally
situated in the mountainous region of the Cordillera.
Like that story, there are those little things about
growing up in Baguio that has never really concerned you at all as it all comes
out naturally until someone else points it out that it seemingly sets the bar
for the "How-much-of-Baguio-do-I-have-in-my-system" meter .. And then
you start the thinking game of what else do I say or do that makes me
taga-Baguio? .. A million and one things pops out of your head and you are just
amused at the things you discover about the Baguio way of life.
Here are random instances that might make you feel the
feels: Despite the fact that everyone gets enthusiastic about strawberries, you
go, "Like, duh! We have a whole farm of those!" you roll your eyes
and add everything else is strawberry-tized -- from jams to wines to taho! You recognise
how fresh vegetables really looks, smells and tastes like, and as Sayote may cost
a fortune in other areas, in Baguio, you can ask from your neighbour’s backyard
or you're lucky if the vines has branched out over your side already. You
secretly know the lyrics to country music when it is played on the radio, more
so you sing along every time the Magic 99.9 jingle is on. Leather jackets are
for cowboys, denim jackets are what you take when you go swimming and those
killer boots? those are made for Baguio walking. Midland is where you check out
what’s in, hot and not in the city including obituaries, Dainty, Star Café or
Luisa’s is where the oldies meet up for their version of "coffee
tayo", Tiongsan was the first to have it all for you and Streamline is the
cake for all seasons. You know that Jack's rice is not rice alone, that
"killing me softly" does not refer to the song and that you do not
want to mess with the local women because their legs were trained to beat you
at just about anything. Oh, you also would not want to mess with the
"yagit" kids playing too because they guarantee a nose bleed. They
will contest you in English. Your closet is composed of 90% sleeves and all
things cold-weather proof but you probably don't own a Baguio City bonnet
yourself. You will distinguish a true-blue Baguio bred person when he walks
past a famous personality along Session Road, not with a word, not even a smile
but being the discreet closet fan that he is, he will nonchalantly boast about
this "encounter" with his friends. You are convinced you are in
Baguio when you hear a lot of "ngay", "ngarud" and
"kadi" with almost everyone you converse with. Your childhood is
validated by that photo of you sitting on the elephant at Burnham Park then by
the time you get past your teens, you never set foot on Burnham Park again not
until you’re in your 30’s already and decide to join the morning tae-bo crowd.
A red coloured spit doesn't necessarily cause you to panic and call the ambulance,
one look and you know it’s not blood. You used pine needles, instead of rolling
a piece of tissue paper, to trigger a sneeze... um, did you? Or was it just me?
...
I can just go on and on and on with that million and one
more things that outlines our uniqueness! It is sort of a new way to ascertain
the things that brings out the Baguio girl/boy in you and get to know yourself
better. It makes you smile and if you are 1554 miles away from home, you just
want to book that ticket, board that plane and fly back to where you are
supposed to be!
Oh! I sigh again! I do miss home every day. I guess, no
matter where in the world I am, whatsoever my mood may be, I continuously will,
for the reason that I left my heart... My liver, my kidneys, my gallbladder, my
lungs and my pancreas lurking and wandering around, up and down the knolls,
hillocks, hilltops, highways, sidewalks and junctions! Haha. Seriously, there really
is no place like home. I never even thought I would say and feel that way, but
I did! Truly, up there in the mountains, I know I am home, I know I am safe, I
know I am myself.
Well, so its true ngarud, that you can take me ngay out of
Baguio ngem you will never take the Baguio out of me kadi. Ever ah!
please check out www.baguiocitypeople.com for everything and anything Baguio-ish :)
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