Do you remember the saying "home is where the heart is"? I do. And you know that it is very, very true.
I've been nostalgic lately quite often and it started during the Christmas season. I don't know why I always feel that way every time the season is here. Blame it on childhood memories. Most of my best childhood memories was that of Christmas, and that was when I still believed in Santa. I don't know how I discovered that Santa has been dead for quite sometime and that I finally solved the mystery of the Christmas morning gifts and how Santa would fit in the chimney though we didn't had one, but with that, Christmas somehow lost it's magic for me. Maybe it's what you call growing up.
More so lately that I've been feeling homesick because of the upcoming Papal Visit to Tacloban. It is a hype that I want to be a part of. Yes, Tacloban is one place I call my home. I was away from Tacloban for almost 10 years, but my heart really belonged there. I grew up and studied and spent most of my childhood in that place. You can never imagine the sadness and grief that washed over me and the people of Tacloban when our beloved City was washed out flat by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), drowning a lifetime's worth of memories.
Circumstances brought me home but the supertyphoon took me back here in Manila. I know that in as much as I want to go back, because of the uncertainties that I would face there during these times, I content myself with the stories from friends and family members who have gone back to face life in Tacloban amidst the fear of experiencing another super typhoon.
I have my reasons of not going back yet, but it doesn't change the fact that I am missing my home, the simplicity of life, the laid-back attitude of the people, the friendly smiles that greet me as I get out of the house, the dry humor that seems to be innate in every Leyteno that can sometimes be mistaken as sarcasm by non-Leyteno ear,
I miss the "tuba". "Tuba", stress on the second syllable- is fermented coconut wine. What makes our tuba different from other tuba sold here in Luzon is it's color and of course, the taste. Until now, I haven't decided whether Coke or Pepsi makes a better chaser. I miss lechon, If you have tried Tacloban's lechon, you would agree with me that it is the best lechon there is. Eat it with some root crop called "gaway" or yam. Missing my "suki" or my favorite lechon stalls in Sagkahan. Has anybody seen a "palawan" here in the Metro?
Thank goodness for photobloggers from Tacloban, because through their lenses, I could see a glimpse of what's happening in our place. Here are two photoblogs that I recommend you to take a peek.
1. Walk With My Camera
This is a black and white photoblog by Orlando Uy, or at least about 95% of the photographs are in black and white. Everytime I visit this site, I could not help feeling mixed emotions mostly sadness and homesickness. Mr. Uy captures emotions and effectively conveys it to his audience/readers.
2 Dave Martinez Photography
Dave Martinez is one person that everytime I saw him, has a camera slung on his neck. He captures emotions of people in his subjects and effectively bring the viewer to the exact moment the photo was taken. One of his posts really brought me to tears. Maybe because I could feel the same pain the subject felt at that certain moment.
Yes I may be biased in my observations because I knew these persons from school. But I think you would also agree about the raw emotions captured by these photographers. Most of the photos in their respective photoblogs are not set in a studio but rather on the streets of Tacloban. Looking through their recently uploaded photos of Tacloban, I feel closer to home.
I invite you to please see some of their photos, I am pretty sure that your perspective in life will change as well.
Keep the faith,
Mei
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