Living in the province for more than two decades does not mean I have not yet seen the city. There was a misinterpretation of people living in the countryside like they were too ignorant of what cities look like. But in reality, most of us can also be flexible and open-minded. We can adjust to both environments.
The province of Zambales is only an hour away from Olongapo City, and it is the closest city proper to us. But it is different when we talk about the bigger cities in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. They have more tall buildings, that is how we describe them.
When I got invited to join my boyfriend's family for their medical check-up somewhere in NCR, I said yes and felt excited because I could finally have a long trip again and witness the tallest buildings in the country.
My partner's Mom told me I should sleep in their house since we would hit the road early at midnight. The reason is that it will take us more or less than 4 hours of the trip. So I asked for permission from my parents if I could sleep at my boyfriend's house, and told them the reason. They said yes, and I packed my things and then went there.
We just slept for two hours and began to dress up and prepare. And before anything else, we had a cup of coffee and a quick breakfast. It is to energize ourselves for the long trip.
After the preparation, the car we rode on came by, and we had to get ourselves comfortable inside for the 4-hour trip. My partner had a weak stomach for long rides, so he needed to sleep and feel comfortable while we were on the way to avoid vomiting. When the driver started the engine, he set himself at the corner and rested his head to get some sleep.
I also took the chance to nap while on our way, but when I felt like we were already in the city, I opened my eyes. While hitting the road in the sky, I took pictures of the first buildings and witnessed the new surroundings.
I kept looking at the window from my left and right to see the environment around me. I did not bother to wake my partner up since he might feel dizzy and get mad at me. To share with him the view from the skyway, I just took pictures and videos and showed them to him when he woke up.
Since the reason behind going here was their medical, we went directly to the private hospital. Just a trivia, the session and check-up are part of their requirements before flying to Australia.
The driver parked the car in a space provided by the hospital. Since we are in a pandemic, the driver and I were not allowed to come with them. We just waited in the parking lot. We stayed inside the car and opened the air conditioner to be comfortable.
And after an hour, my boyfriend came out of the building and said he was already done. He went out first to check on me. I took the chance and asked him to take pictures of me. I showed him the shots I wanted, and he took my phone and started clicking.
After waiting a few minutes, the rest of the family went out of the hospital and checked on us. They told us everything was good already, but it was lunchtime, and we needed to eat before hitting the road again. The driver started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.
He checked his Waze account for directions while looking for a restaurant. We requested soup, and we went to the food court of Mega Mall. We ordered a lot of different foods because we were all hungry. When they served the orders, we started eating, and I did not have the chance to take pictures of what we ate. But I kept a selfie of my partner and me while waiting for the food.
I am so grateful to my readers for taking the time to read my piece. Your support means the world to me. Please accept my deepest gratitude to all of you. I look forward to seeing you on my next blog!
Blog #18
Date Published: September 3, 2022