Heyya, wholesome reader!!
Do you ever just visit a place and vivid memories of your childhood vacation suddenly flood your head? Recently, I experienced this phenomenon in a short trip to Leyte.
It was the summer in 2009 when I and my sister stayed in Palo (a neighboring town of Tacloban) for a month. My aunt brought us there for a month-long vacation and it was one of the most unforgettable moments of my childhood. Aside from the fact that it was our first time to go on a trip without our parents, it was also our first time to visit Leyte. Imagine how exciting that was for the little us.
Fifteen years later, who would have thought I’d get to visit this place again? Last May this year, I and my boyfriend went to Tacloban City to attend a friend's wedding. While we were there, we took the chance to visit a few notable places around the city. Some of the places we visited were places I remembered visiting also during my childhood vacation. Specifically, these places were San Juanico Bridge, Archdiocesan Shrine of Sto. Niño in Tacloban City, and the MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial Park in Palo.
Visiting these places allowed a heavy feeling of nostalgia to creep in my body that I just can't shrug off. Sadly, our pictures back then got ruined by accident. Relying on hazy memories, I tried to remember the things we did here.
As I walked on San Juanico Bridge, I can imagine my younger self being overly excited and scared at the same time the moment she set a foot on the bridge that rumbled when big trucks passed by. I can faintly see my 10-year-old self and my 9-year-old sister playing badminton along the windy streets of MacArthur Park and how the breeze always flew our shuttlecock to the wrong direction. I can’t believe the statues were still there, standing strong amidst any typhoon that came their way, but my beloved aunt isn’t anymore. The most heart-wrenching of all was feeling the presence of my deceased aunt in all these places.
Fifteen years ago, I was in the same place with someone whom I can no longer be with today. It’s a bittersweet feeling that I’ll always associate this place with my memories of her. And even if new memories of these places keep piling up in the future, I will always remember her in these spots, right where she gave me and my sister a beautiful piece of our childhood.
Thank you for reading my post up to this point. I hope you have a great time ahead!
I'll take delight in writing for you again soon.
Love, Sam ♡
For the best experience view this post on Liketu
Wes & Grindan