January Story: A Bittersweet Month

January has finally over and it leaves me with bittersweet memories. It was a fun, exhausting, and sad month for me. But it was surely is a memorable one.

Here’s what happened in the month of January:

New Years – I welcomed 2018 at home with my family. Surprisingly, I did part of the cooking and I think I did a pretty good job. Hehe.

On the second day of the month, we have to send my grandmother to the hospital. She’s not doing well for the past few months. But 5 days after, she passed away. It’s painful but I know she’s in a better place now. And she’s with grandpa so I’m sure she’s happy.

For 9 days I’ve been juggling work and my grandma’s wake. Work in the morning. Vigil at night. Worked even on weekends in preparation for my long vacation.

Right after my Grandma’s burial, I went on my vacation. We’ve planned it for so long that I wouldn’t want to cancel it.

I spent my 9-day vacation in the Queen City of the South, Cebu City, Philippines! For two main reasons: celebrate Sinulog festival and explore the city. It was my first adventure for this year and my only travel for January.

Events I joined:

Celebrated Sinulog Festival with friends was the best experience ever!  From attending the Novena Mass to Life Dance party to Street dancing are just a few of the things that made this festival exciting.

Places I visited:

It wasn’t my first visit to Cebu. The last time that I really explored the city was back in 2011. Where we visited Plantation Bay, Taoist temple, Tops of Cebu, Imperial Palace, and Marco Polo Hotel (New Years Celebration).

Now, there’s so much in the City that you’ll be interested to check out. I love being a tourist in my own country. Within Cebu City, we went to Plaza Independencia, Fort San Pedro, Basilica Del Sto Niño Museum, Sirao Garden, Tops (Top of Cebu), Temple of Leah, and Taoist Temple.

Going south, we visited the municipality of Oslob to go swimming with the whale shark, island hopping, and visit Simala.

We also wander on the North part of Cebu just to visit the Bantayan Island. This island has been more famous because of the movie Camp Sawi. The movie tells the story of 5 different women who are struggling to mend their broken hearts, find themselves inside a camp that will help them recover from their awful experiences in love.

The islands I explored:

The Philippines is a beautiful country and composed of 7,107 islands. It has been a dream and my goal to visit as many islands as possible. On this trip, I was able to add 3 new islands on my list.

Sumilon Island

Bantayan Island

Virgin Island

It’s a mixed feeling this month but I’ll forever cherish the memories I had. The memories I had with my grandma. And the moments that I shared with my dearest friends. This year, my goal is each month I will visit one place that I’ve never been to. It’s gonna be challenging but at the same time, it keeps me motivated.

Thank you, January! Looking forward to February. 🙂