Vacation in the Philippines
Report on My 2024 Vacation in the Philippines.
After last year's adventure (vacation) in Brazil, I wrote a detailed report for my students in China, anticipating their curiosity about my travels. This year, I’m doing the same for my recent trip to the Philippines. I hope to inspire my students to explore new experiences themselves. So, here’s a recap of my vacation, with a few insights that might encourage them to take the plunge!
1. The Thrill of Visiting a New Place.
There’s an undeniable excitement in exploring somewhere new, and my trip to the Philippines was no exception. It was my first time there, and I was eager to experience it firsthand. One key reason for choosing the Philippines was that a trip to Brazil wouldn’t allow me to see my kids, as they weren’t traveling to meet me this time.
Additionally, I wanted to visit my church’s temple and attend services for two weekends. Of course, I was also curious to see if the Philippines lived up to my expectations.
2. Making New Friends.
I’ve made friends wherever I go, a practice I’ve upheld during my seven years in China. So, naturally, I aimed to continue this tradition in the Philippines. I took a few rides on the famous jeepneys, a popular mode of transport there, and struck up conversations with fellow passengers. Many such interactions led to a new friendship — proof that striking up a chat can lead to wonderful connections!
3. The Travel Experience.
Travel itself isn’t my favorite part of going somewhere; I just love discovering new places. The concept of teleportation sounds like a dream to me! Unfortunately, my flights didn’t go as smoothly as planned.
Both my outbound and return flights experienced delays. On the way to Cebu, I barely made my connection, I was overcharged by taxi driver at 3 am to take me to the departure terminal in a hurry to avoid missing my flight, I paid five times the normal fare. Though it stung initially, it was better than missing the flight. On my return trip, I missed a connection because of a delayed first flight. Despite rushing through the airport and paying a premium for a taxi again, I still arrived too late. I had to buy a new ticket for the next day (meaning one more day traveling),which meant I departed the Philippines on Monday morning and reached home in China by Wednesday evening — exhausted but grateful for the experience. - who would have thought I would fell so at home in China
4. Tourist Activities.
I had hoped to connect with someone at church who could show me around. To my delight, a member of the congregation — a medical student — offered to be my guide on his day off. He took me to the Temple of Leah, Little kyoto in the mountains, and the historical Magellan Cross in Cebu.
What made this experience special was that he mentioned he had felt a strong impression to talk to me when we first met at church. We quickly became good friends, and his company made exploring even more enjoyable. Another point to mention was that heavenly Father does answer our prayers (even the simple one),because I was praying to met someone like him to help me navigate Cebu.
5. Volunteering at the Temple.
A major reason for my trip was to visit and work at the temple. I spent time there from Wednesday to Saturday, and it was a fulfilling experience. I took many photos of the beautiful temple and found the work to be deeply rewarding.
6. Other Activities.
Though I was beyond the typical age range for institute activities, I attended anyway to mingle with locals and make new friends.
Later on the week I also participated in a graduation ceremony for the institute and seminary on Saturday evening.
7. Dating.
Being single, I always hold out hope that my efforts to make new friends might eventually lead me to that special someone. Dating is a hot topic among university students — one I frequently discuss during meals in the canteen and at various campus activities like English Corner.
Many students are shy and often seek my advice on finding a girlfriend or boyfriend. I’ve noticed they usually make friends with their roommates and classmates, but don’t venture beyond that circle. So, I encourage them to broaden their social horizons—after all, friends enhance life both personally and professionally.
I even did teach a class on dating strategies, covering everything from planning a date to asking someone out and handling relationships with honesty and respect. This class included exercises and games designed to help students overcome shyness and improve their social skills. A girlfriend or boyfriend is often the result of being more sociable, friendly, and willing to take risks.
As a teacher, dating students romantically would be unprofessional and problematic,. so I focus only on friendship. But during my vacation in the Philippines, where everyone spoke English, I continued my practice of making friends, with the added possibility of a romantic connection if the chemistry was right.
When you see a girl you thought you did like (pretty and cute),then the stakes become high because you don't want to be rejected by such girl. I remember a counsel from pres. Monson as he reminded us the lyrics from a hymn that could help us in such occasions, he said "I then recited, for his benefit, the words of the hymn, "Come, Come, Ye Saints," with emphasis on the phrase, "Fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake" (Hymns, no. 30)."
What kind of a teacher I would be if keep encouraging the students to make new friends while I would shy out from such opportunities. I am NOT saying she was the only pretty girl I meet in Philippines, but what I am saying is that she was the one who rejected me, so let me share how it did happen.
On my last day at the temple, I saw a lovely girl in the celestial room who looked like an angel. Summoning my courage, I waved at her. When she didn’t notice, I manage to found her again at the stairs, got her name, and planned to add her on Facebook. Despite this, she later ignored me at the institute and seminary graduation, moving to another bench when I sat near her. Of all the friends I made during the trip, she’s the only one who hasn’t accepted my Facebook request (and I suppose she never will).
Rejection is a normal part of anyone’s life, I got rejected, but I was so glad I took the chance to approach her, otherwise I would be wondering forever – “WHAT IF I HAD TALKED TO HER ?” But I had talked to her and now I don’t have to wonder, she was not the kind of girl I did expected her to be. It is kind of rude, or at least not very polite to ignore a person. Perhaps she would profit from my dating activity to learn a more graceful way to say “No”.
Below is some slides from my dating class/activity:
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8. Sunday at Church.
On Sundays, I took full advantage of my opportunity to attend church and stayed there the entire day. The temple square in Cebu comprises the temple, a patron house, and two chapels serving five wards.
This meant there were plenty of meetings and activities to keep me occupied the whole day. Besides the usual Sunday school and sacrament meeting, I participated in various other sessions, including a resilience class, marriage strengthening training, and ministering visits.
9. Returning to China.
My return journey to China had its own share of drama. After missing a flight connection in Manila, I had to decide between staying at the airport, finding a hotel, or opting for something a bit unconventional. I chose the unconventional route of course: since I was in Manila, where there was another temple I hadn’t visited yet, I decided to check it out. I took a motorcycle taxi — cheaper than a car taxi — with nearly all my remaining cash and arrived at the temple close to midnight.
Although it was closed, I managed to snap some photos of the exterior. The humorous part was me explaining to the security guard at 1:00hs am. that I just wanted to take some pictures of the temple. He called his supervisor, and I can only imagine the conversation going something like, “Hello supervisor, there’s this crazy foreigner who wants to take pictures of the temple now (1:00 hs am.)”
After showing my ID and proof of membership, I got my photos. I was hopping to spend the night at sofa in the patron house’s lobby, but it was closed until the next day. So, I spent the night talking with the security officer until sunrise, then took the church shuttle to the bus station and then back to the airport for the flight at noon. That’s why I arrived home in China utterly exhausted. But it was an unforgettable adventure, quite different from the typical tourist activities like waterfalls or snorkeling. For me, such activities don’t hold the same appeal when traveling alone.
10. Overall.
Experience Overall, my trip was fantastic. I embraced the old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Despite the high taxi fare and that one rejection, everything else about the trip was great. Every penny spent was worth it, so much so and I even visited two universities to explore potential teaching opportunities in Philippines. Who knows? In the future, I might be teaching in other Asian countries as well. We’ll see!
Article by Marcelo Gameiro
Published 22 Aug 2024