A Visit to the Big City (Part 1)

We arrived in the big city at 9am, the boss is already waiting for the vehicle that will pick us up from the airport, and my eyes were scanning the big city life, buildings there and everywhere, the racing vehicles and the ever annoying traffic.

It's been a long while that I have not visited Luzon. I spent two years of my life in Pasay while I was 5-6 years old, all the rest of my days were spent in Antique, and when I was in Grade 6, transferred to Koronadal City, in college till now, here in General Santos City.

You see, it has been a long while that I have not seen the progress that's happened in Manila, and I was amazed at the skyscrapers that surrounded me, I felt so small in a world so tall.


Manila, a place many people have longed to visit, longed to live in, and longed to conquer. But when I was there, I was jittery to be back in my comfort zone, Gensan.

True, Manila is a big city, a land of many opportunities for whatever things you'd lay your hands on, but this is not the life for me. I am from the province, and life in the province is different, way way different from the land of tall buildings and heavy traffics and people with different and pretty Smocked Dresses.

I admit, I was culture-shocked. It didn't come as if I never expected what I saw, because it's been in the news, it's just that I never expected it to be that way. The traffic seemed forever and I see people everywhere. I imagined pink, and some places were really pink. Thanks to MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando.


I am just glad that there's one friend who was able to tour me around the city. I saw the situation after the storm, and some rivers stink still because of the flood. Manila, they keep coming back to Manila because of the opportunities, and thank God some dwell for their purpose was achieved, but for me, whose life has been forever in the province, I'd stay where I belong.

I have not conquered Manila really well since my purpose is only to meet writers in Pangasinan and in UP Diliman, I was able to visit Luneta, breathe the air in Tagaytay, passed along Binondo, met with friends in MOA, wanted to ride the caleza, hurdled the siksikan LRT and MRT, walked the kilometers long Tutuban Town Centre, and did some sight-seeing while on the way to Caloocan.

Manila can already be compared to the booming big cities, the like of HongKong and Singapore, but life for me would still be where my heart belongs, General Santos. It's always been my comfort zone, not to mention the fact that in the days I was in Manila, i left my loved ones in Gensan.


Who knows, I might be back soon, hopefully with the hubby and kids, but one thing's for sure, I will keep coming back to where HOME is for me.