SAN DIONISIO, A PLACE I CALL HOME.
When I was young, I often hiked the mountain near our house to be able to see the ocean nearby. I love the view of the towering Mt. Pan de Azucar. I grew up loving nature. I admired the beauty of everything around me.
Whenever there was a special occasion, my family often went to Sua and Bitak to swim and relax.
When I left our place to continue my studies in South Korea, I often thought of the ocean and the mountains back home. I dreamed of watching the sunrise and the sunset everyday. I missed our place so badly. South Korea is a very beautiful country, but there was something that I was looking for.
After several years abroad, I found myself on Ceres bus heading home.
While on vacation, I spent most of my time at home catching up with my family. I also visited a few friends from college.
Since I stayed mostly at home, I was able to watch the sunrise and the sunset, not by the sea nor from the side of Mt. Manduasin, but right from our yard. Yes, that's right! I watched the sunrise and sunset almost everyday in the comfort of our own home. It was amazing!
I would wake up around 5:00 in the morning just to see those pinkish clouds as they turn into golden yellow.
In the afternoon, I would go out and watch the sun go down. I love seeing the clouds turning from white to golden orange, then to red, and purplish blue. I never felt bored at all.
I finally found the missing piece! It was the calmness of the morning, the coolness of the evening, the slowness of life, and of course, the warmth of the people around me.
As what Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" said, "There's no place like home."
And so for me, "There's no place like San Dionisio."
Returning the Favor to My Hometown
My vacation was not just about seeing my family, but also about accomplishing a mission. My mission was to be a part of the USDP Baybay Scholars Clean Up Activity. As part of this mission, I met Ma'am Taneza and the parent leaders to talk about the best date and time of our clean up activity. It was decided that we will be doing the clean up on the 10th and 11th of October from 5:30 to 8:00 in the morning.
On the first day of our activity, I arrived early in the morning and I was able to see the sunrise. It was really cool. The silhouette of Mt. Pan de Azucar made the view more dramatic. I was in awe. I quickly took out my camera and snapped a few shots before the Baybay scholars and their parents started coming.
The next day, I tried to come early again to have a glimpse of the beautiful sunrise over the vast sea. I was glad I did.
 |
| Flowers of Burubitu-on |
I had a great time during our clean up activity. It felt good to be able to help clean our shore. It was nice to see the shore become cleaner than it was.
Some people might wonder why I did it. I don't live right next to the sea. Why do I have to join USDP and support their program? Well, I may not live right by the sea, but I surely love the sea. Yes, I don't just like the sea, I love it! I want to help make it clean and preserve it. I want to help make it available to the generations to come.
I do hope that other people, especially those who live by the sea, will realize how important it is to take care of our ocean. I really hope that all of them will support USDP (United San Dionisians for Progress) and its program. I also hope that those who are throwing their garbage in the ocean will stop doing it.
We owe a lot from the ocean.
I know most of you like the ocean.
I know most of you like to eat seafood.
Let's help each other in making the shores of San Dionisio clean. Not for tourism purposes but for our future.
Let's make our town a better and cleaner town.
Making our town clean is not only our politicians' job. It is also our responsibility.
Some of you might say, "But we are not there. How can we do it?" Well, I did it. I was not physically present in our town these past 5 years, but I did it by supporting USDP and its program. I know you can do it, too.
Special thanks to all who helped and gave us snacks. :)
