Tubao Trip

This morning I felt strange to be waking up in an unknown place for the first time in all of my trip. I was so exhausted from yesterday's sightseeing and bus travel to Baguio that I was in the deepest sleep ever and when I awoke, it felt like I k.o.'d at a random person's house. I awoke, of course to chickens and roosters making their morning rounds of coca doodling next to my window.

My dad's siblings decided that we make a trip to Tubao, the town where my mom and dad were raised as part of my obligatory visitations. Interested in my family roots and my own history, I asked my auntie if she knew what hospital I was born at and she relayed to my uncle that it was Baguio General Hospital, not too far from her house. My uncle Juhn, being the skilled and hospitable driver that he is took me there before we left for Tubao.

Little o' me was born here

and baptized here at St. Vincent Ferrer church

This is the view from the balcony of my Auntie Vickie's house

About an hour and a half away from Baguio and down a windy road is the town of Tubao. Most of my relatives on both sides grew up in this small town, but in different barangays, my mom in Gonzalez and my dad in Garcia. What I love about these places is that everyone along the street that my parents grew up know each other and treat each other like family, so I am constantly being introduced to people whom I thought were actual relatives. It is still such a warm feeling to be greeted by them time and time again with their embraces and awe of how much I've grown up.

Our first stop was Gonzalez to visit my uncle King who still lives at the house where my grandmother raised her 10 children. I have memories of this place as a 9 year old little girl who was placed in a beauty pageant, throwing candies off of a float circling the barangay. I wish I had pictures available online, they are hilarious!

This is the house my grandmother and grandfather built. I think it's almost 100 years old.

My uncle King and his grandchildren. Everyone's so big now.

I'm still getting used to the idea of being an aunt!

Only a 5 minute drive is the barangay of Garcia where my dad grew up. My aunts and uncles organized a lunch for us at the family house there and were nice enough to cater to my pescatarian diet. I swear, I have never eaten so much fried fish!

The very first house that was built is closed off, full of cobwebs, dust, and serves as a memorable space that fostered the growth of all it's children. We went through old keepsakes of my grandmothers old house and they enjoyed telling me stories that this house helped create.

The last time I was here was in 2006 for my grandfather's funeral. The new house looked different from when I last left it, but more empty since my grandmother barely lives in it anymore and travels around the Philippines to visit her children.

Pictures from the day:

This is inside my grandmother Janice's old house, which has been abandoned because of the past typhoons that have occurred in the recent months. The two older women beside me are my relatives' neighbors who took care of me when I was a baby and often came to visit every time I went back to the Philippines.

Old altar

This is the flood line from the typhoon that happened recently.

Vintage photos: My dad is on the left!

Old pictures of my brother and I still mounted. My brother looks funny.

Vintage photos of my aunts and uncles

The outside of my grandmother's old house

This is the newly built one, still in progress of construction

The day trip continued on to another town called Agoo. We visited a church that my family attends and sponsors. I must say, this is the first time I've been inside of a church since we began traveling.

This is the city hall named after one of my relatives

Before we ended our trip to Tubao, we stopped by a local ice cream shop and had some refreshing halo-halo. This is one of my favorite filipino desserts; it's ingredients are layers of red beans, coconut, tapioca, coconut milk, bananas, ube ice cream and ice.

Road sign

The ride back home was beautiful, passing by make-shift & cement houses, families walking home together and lush green rice terraces made me think about just how easy our lives could be. I really appreciate the simplicity here, it reminds me that although the US is both modernized and developed and believed to make everyone "happy" there is still an emptiness that rests in everyone and so many other things that distract us from things that really matter. I thought a lot about my family and what they've been through while growing up, all the stories both adverse and comedic make me feel so proud to be a part of the Aspuria family. It's always a nice visit when coming back here.