Good Morning Ma’am: Philippines I

University of the Philippines

A map of this world used to hang on my dorm wall in college where I’d lean back on my crooked, wooden chair and point to wherever the pointer finger had landed. I guess everyone has their personal laxatives: to ease stress, I glimpsed at the map and marveled at the thought of people like myself in foreign spaces and what they could possibly be engrossed in at the moment. Overwhelming personal problems become paltry when seen from a global scale. I found this curiosity after a few travel stints that developed my outlook on greater human society, where I slowly realized the underlining connectivity we share and the ways in which we differ due to local circumstances. For its luxury, traveling has never been taken for granted, so meeting locals and diving in have been invaluable mantra.

A profound week was spent in Quezon City and around the North West of the Philippine archipelago. The following photos are merely glimpses into an experience that has helped me grow during this (uncertain yet colorful) life away from  North America.