I just got back from a 5-day vacation... it was supposed to be a relaxing one but it turned out to be the other way around. I can't believe the days i spent in manila, it was tiring and stressful. So much for my plans of relaxing.
On the day we arrived, we went straight to divisoria and lost a lot of money in just a day. My feet hurts and the place was so crowded. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of bargains and a lot of good stuff there but hey with that kind of place, you have no way of thinking straight. You'll just end up spending everything. I'm glad that i brought just enough and didn't bring all my money with me. And to make the day worst, we were asked to share in front of the deaf the next day during their daily devotions. My sister works in a school for the deaf (Bethel Institute for the Deaf), this is where we are staying the whole time we were in Manila, and I really admire what they do there. And this is one of the reason why i wasn't able to say NO when we were asked to share. So there i was, instead of sleeping after a long day in divisoria... i find myself opening my Bible and talking to God on what to share to the deaf the next day.
2nd day, i woke up around 6am and started practicing my speech hehehee. The daily devotion started at 8am but here i was... worried and cramming at the last minute. But the Lord was gracious, i survived hehehehe. And thanks to my friend who wants to experience everything there is in manila, another day of walkathon. Our initial plan was to go to market market but we end up at glorietta hehehehe, walking around multiple malls at one stop. We rode MRT which was a one of a kind experience. It was so crowded and a lot of very interesting smells, good thing i was able to compose myself hehehehe. Well, that was one experience i will never forget.
3rd day was the greatest... we woke up early to go to Tagaytay and visit the Taal volcano. It was breathtaking but of course, no pain no gain right. The way to Taal was not easy but the horseback-riding was fun! My horse was a born leader and was 1st to reach the top. She was small yet amazingly strong! Her name was carmela according to my guide. At first i was doubting her strength, coz she was more of a pony rather than a horse. And i'm not sure if she can handle me but hey, who am i to judge. She was great! Talking about small but terrible. Reaching the top was a fun experience, but being there was awesome. The scenery was incredible! That experience was something that i will treasure all my life. On my way back, I saw how life can be cruel to others. My guide was a boy, about 10-12 years old. He was working while his dad was on the basketball court playing coz there was a league that day. He's not studying and earns Php 50.00 only per travel. The cost of the overall journey was really high, we had to pay Php 1,000 each for the horseback-riding to the destination and this kid is getting Php50 only, is that fair? My heart was crushed and I hate to have known that this cruelty exist but what can i do? Giving tip to the boy is just one thing but will never make a change in his life. This kept me thinking the whole time that we were travelling back to manila. Here i am enjoying life, travelling to beautiful places but there are these people, kids, mothers, fathers, etc that are waiting for the crumbs that fell from the table I eat from. And this is where they depend their living from. How sad... I hope that things could change to that little boy and to the rest of them in that place.
4th day, It's the Lord's day. We went to church at UBC (United Bether Church) and Pastor Snider pointed out the image of our God versus the image of our fathers. Most of us, we have a clouded image of God as we compare it with the image of our dads in our lives and Pastor Snider, pointed the difference by talking about the father in the prodigal son story. After church, we went up where my sister is. In the silent ministry, I saw different people at different ages, praising God and learning His words in signs. It was a sight and i enjoyed watching them.. how they interact and talk to one another. After church, we went to Trinoma to meet with my cousin. Seeing her was another memorable experience. We reminisce the past and talk about a lot of things that brought us where we are now. And another walkathon experience, as we got lost over and over again in that mall heheheehe. The day ended with a movie. We got hit with the new moon fever. I dont want to talk about it that much because i already read the book. But overall it was okay.
5th day - it was a time to go home. We spent the whole day packing and making sure we didnt leave anything behind but as predicted, i left some items at my sister's place. But it's ok, i can live hehehehe. It's good to be back home though the thought of going back to work is not part of it hehehehe. My manila experience was a mixed of fun, learning, realization, etc. I thought of a lot of things when i was there and it made me realize a lot of things too. But the experience is not enough without learning from it. And so i hope that what i learned from the few days i was there, will remain and will change me to become a better person. God help me to be one.
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