This is the place where I first knew I wanted to get into sustainability, in the eight days of quiet during a silent retreat that I joined years ago. This is the place where I spent time to recover from my first burnout, hiking one of the popular mountains in the area. This is where I recently brought myself for a semi-solo trip as I make another leap in my personal journey. This is the place where I find myself most carefree, alive, and in touch with who I am.
Do you have a place you consider your home?
For me, it is this place called Baguio City in the Philippines. It is a sanctuary to retreat away from the noise of the everyday world, my hideout to listen deeply to my thoughts and feelings, a place to find kindness in all things, people, and places.
“Baguio”, I learned, came from the word “Ibagiw”, which meant moss. Mosses are said to be plant colonizers that show up in disturbed sites—for example, deforested areas—as a response to help stabilize soil and retain water. Mosses help new plants grow.
Quite a fitting description, as many frequent Baguio to find calm amidst disturbance in their lives hoping to find resolutions.
I planned this trip in the most spontaneous way. While tourists usually scheduled their trip with a full itinerary, I did not have one. I just had the dates booked and a promise that I would be present.
With a loosely organized trip, I learned to have room for surprise and it did not disappoint. This trip recharged me in ways I did not expect and where I brought home reflections on three things that I am sharing with you – on being kind, on listening, and on finding joy in creating.
A note on being kind
One of the things that I appreciated is the kindness of the city and the people in it. On my first day, I met with a local artist friend at bakehouse. Again, I had nothing planned, so I asked her some recommendations. She asked if I had a paper. I pulled my tape receipt from the bakehouse, handed her my pen, and she wrote the events happening that month during my visit, good food and places to go to.
The word “Ibagiw” is also used to refer to their annual creative festival every November, the Ibagiw Festival. I came at the right time.
It was also my first time to go around alone. Since I wanted to orient myself around the city, I tried to learn how to commute by jeepney, a public transport option, rather than the usual tourist option of taking a cab.
I asked my Airbnb host if there were jeeps passing through the road near I stayed and thankfully he said, “Yes po meron, pero yung jeep po na going up yung pa-Burnham. Then ang terminal ng Guisad jeep is sa city market.” That’s when I learned that I was staying in Guisad. I thanked him and set out that evening. As I walked towards the waiting shed, I saw a woman who also seemed to be waiting. To make sure that I did not go on the wrong jeep, I approached her and asked “Ate, dito po ‘yung jeep pa-Burnham?” and she kindly replied yes. A few seconds later, a jeep passed, she waved her hand to call the jeep, and told me, “Tara, sabay ka na sa’kin”.
During the ride, she told me “Kanina pa nga ako naghihintay dito. Siguro sinabi ni Lord na hintayin kita”. Apparently she was waiting for the same jeep for some time already. She could have been annoyed at having to wait, only to find out she was at the exact time and place to help this lost girl out. We are always at the right place, at the right time.
It was a short ride but we got to talk a bit more. I learned that my companion used to live in Manila when she was still younger, but relocated when she married. We got dropped off near the city hall. I walked with her to her next jeepney terminal station to head home and we parted ways as I continued to walk to Burnham Park, a popular public and green space in the middle of the city.
In places where crime rates are high, it can be scary to approach or be approached by strangers. Baguio City is one of the cities in the country with low crime rates, and it shows in the kindness of strangers.
What I also found really interesting was the fact that jeepney terminals were usually just along the streets with no visible signages (or maybe I was not looking hard enough!). It seemed like people have memorized the locations, and if you are not a local, the only way to find your jeepney terminal is to ask.
I pulled up my Google Maps to orient myself and walked to city market, where the terminal to Guisad was supposedly located. I remember walking the whole perimeter of the market and asking three people to direct me to the right queue. It was around 7 p.m. at that time. People were lining up on the sidewalks as they wait for their jeepney ride home. I thought I’d wait for an hour but thankfully it wasn’t that long.
Kindness is a culture and I feel it here. Wouldn’t it be nice if (the world was Cadbury) everyone were kind? What even makes a community kind? When you are in a kind environment, you feel safe. You can get in touch and listen to your deepest, genuine, self. That was me me during this stay.
A note on listening
People who know me well are aware that I am a strong introvert with excellent listening skills. It is one of the strengths I am really confident to share. My work the past weeks before this trips really drained me socially though. I sometimes wished I had the energy of an extrovert to run workshops for companies, manage a community of changemakers, execute projects, and engage clients.
I knew I badly needed to recharge my battery.
Finding myself in a slow city with a loose schedule made it easy for me to recover, to be quiet, and to listen—listen in the sense of being present with where I am, with whom I talk to, and with myself. This experience taught me to slow down and listen. I spent hours either not doing anything or typing on my journal, a habit I kept since 2011. I also caught up on long hours of sleep.
Some of the profound realizations I could share was the self-affirmation that I was still an introvert and I deeply enjoyed being alone, something I realized not everyone enjoy. Another interesting reflection was that I still do not fear death, but that would be a post for another time (maybe or maybe not).
This is a world where fast is perceived to be good, where the busiest person is glorified, where slowing down is not an option. While people generally describe me as a busy person doing several things at once, my best self comes when I can slow down.
Listening does wonders to the soul and you can only do it well when you slow down.
A note on finding joy in creating
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my visit also coincided with the Ibagiw Festival, where several local artists and artisans showcase their work and celebrate with the community annually. The creative kid in me was so excited to go through my friend’s listed recommendations.
I dedicated one day for all things creative. I went to Ili-likha Artist’s Village for lunch. I squeezed in a quick work call before heading to visit the shop inside that featured local artists’ crafts, Living Room. I could feel the love and passion put into making the crafts. I was able to buy some presents for friends here.
In the afternoon, I walked to the Sunshine Park for the opening of the Art in the Park, which featured portraits of local artists and their work in art lightboxes (including my friend’s! Iya Regalario).
UP Baguio was nearby where they held the Mandeko Kito (which meant ‘let’s sell’ in Ibaloi) bazaar, an artisan marketplace. There were handwoven fabrics, jewelry, accessories, homeware, stickers, and even art workshops. I bought some more gifts there.
What makes these kinds of marketplaces special is the fact that they seem to be created with love by the artists and artisans. Buying from them do not just mean exchange of money with a product, but expressing your love for the work that they do. I did end up purchasing more here.
What a nice place to be in where people find joy in creating good things and sharing it with others! I am inspired by the community’s culture.
Coming Home
When we choose to slow down and explore the world alone, we are not finding ourselves. I have never subscribed to this idea. Rather I feel that it is about establishing this connection with our deepest selves so we can create ourselves anew, something we do not really get to do when are living in a busy, turbulent environment where we are being pulled in all directions.
Once in a while, take time to go home to your Baguio, whether that is a city, a town, a person. Once in a while when you feel the busyness of the world is too much already (or even if it is not), go home so you can find kindness, learn to listen, and find joy anew in creating good things.
I drove back to Manila bringing not only my cooler box filled with strawberry, longganisa, bangus secured with ice, but also the reflections that came along the trip.
