#Airbnb Philippines

[beingjellybeans]

Philippine Holidays Made Perfect: Airbnb Getaways for Every Traveler

As the Philippines welcomes the ‘ber-months,’ there’s a palpable shift in the atmosphere — a familiar scent of holiday cheer that warms the air. It’s a time when Christmas carols resonate through bustling malls and streets, and homes transform into glittering wonderlands adorned with festive lights and parols, marking the arrival of the most enchanting season of the year. Creating Meaningful…

[realtyhubph-blog]

Foreclosed Properties at Shine Residences

📍 Shine Residences, Rennaisance Community, Meralco Ave., Brgy. Ugong, Pasig City 🔹ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT Shine Residences is a prominent residential development located in the heart of Ortigas Center, Pasig City, developed by SM Development Corporation (SMDC). This luxurious condominium complex is part of the Renaissance Center and offers a blend of modern living, convenience, and upscale…

[propertylisting]

𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗨𝗠

📍Taguig

📍Pasay

📍Mandaluyong

📍San Juan

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸

[moon-ingrid-review]

📌 Hayati Cozy Condo, Brixton Place West Avenue

[leeveit21]

Find Affordable Storage Places For Rent | Leeveit

We offer a variety of storage places for rent at affordable prices with high-tech security and climate control. We offer the best solutions for unused spaces and give you the chance to earn money. Find out more by visiting the site.

[dingalanadventurer]

Once in a while we must give time for ourselves , loved ones and family ♥️

This place is very ideal for those who want to relax and spend time with the people that you love.

[love-little-lotte]

Hamilton Manila 2023!

As a musical theatre girlie who lives far away from the capital city, it's a bit hard to catch artists and musicals when they tour in my country. It can also be quite expensive since I have to pay for my flight and book Airbnbs. But when Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that Hamilton would have its Asian premiere in the Philippines early this year, I promised myself I would not throw away my shot.

I first discovered this musical in the summer of 2016, probably a month before it garnered big awards — including Best Musical! — at the Tonys. Having only heard of Breathe from LMM's other show, In The Heights, back then, I was surprised to hear rap and hip-hop in a Broadway musical. Nevertheless, I was hooked! Every song was catchy, and the lyrics were smart and informative. Satisfied and Helpless became my favorite songs, with It's Quiet Uptown making me cry whenever I hear the four words: "Forgiveness, can you imagine?"

After watching The Phantom of the Opera back in March 2019, I was so excited to go back to Solaire and watch another musical. This time, I was able to enjoy my second theatre experience with my college friends. It seems very fitting that I get to share this moment with them. Back in college, we used to sing songs from Hamilton during breaks and enact the dance from The Schuyler Sisters. We even made a parody of the song Alexander Hamilton when making a presentation about Confucius for our Asian Civilization class!

While Solaire didn't have many different backdrops for photo ops for Hamilton like they did for POTO, my friends and I were still able to take cute pictures!

As a partnership with UnionBank, they also offer free holographic souvenir cards for the first 140 people (150 on the weekends, iirc), so coming to the theatre four hours earlier is definitely worth it! Here's my card with my friends:

My friends and I also enjoyed complimentary drinks from Solaire since it was our first time signing up for Solaire Rewards. Don't throw away your shot for free drinks!

Okay, now for the show itself! Although most of my friends were hoping to watch the show in the orchestra seats, we ended up on the balcony. After a while, I realized that Hamilton is certainly best viewed on the balcony since we're able to see the rotating stage more clearly, as well as the incredible choreography and lighting design.

Here's the main cast we saw on October 31:

Like most Filipinos, I was hoping to see Rachelle Ann Go as Eliza. "Pinoy Pride" is something of a cheesy inside joke in our country, but hell, I'm so happy to see Rachelle thriving in West End productions, from Les Misérables to Hamilton. Seeing her portray Eliza live was one for the books. She was playful and giddy in Helpless, but she completely broke everyone's heart during Burn. And not to mention, her voice! Her singing highlights include Burn and the last part of Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story. She also shared wonderful chemistry with Callan Purcell, who played Hamilton in this production.

I was so looking forward to seeing Jason Arrow as Hamilton, but I still liked Callan's performance, even if his interpretation was completely different from other Hamiltons I've seen in slime tutorials. I especially liked him the best in Act 1. His "mature" Hamilton may not be that convincing at times in Act 2, but his energy was so infectious as the "ambitious" young Hamilton in the first half.

Another surprise was Kirrah Amosa's Angelica. I've read some comments in the Pinoy Hamilton FB group about her "lacking" portrayal of Angelica, but you know what? I thought she was great! Yes, she's giving more of an "empathetic Eliza" energy instead of the "fierce Angelica" we usually see, but that's what made her performance of Satisfied even more impactful to me. As for the third Schuyler sister, Peggy/Maria Reynolds, Elandrah Eramiha has a honey-like voice, which she completely showed off during Say No To This.

As a Burr apologist, I'm torn with Winston Hillyer's portrayal of Burr. Eliza's my overall favorite character in the show, but for me, Burr is the most relatable and grounded. I wasn't completely disappointed with his performance, but I just didn't think his character was able to "grow" in the second half. He has a very wonderful, crystal-clear voice, though!

Darnell Abraham as George Washington was also a main highlight of the show! Maybe it's because of his rich baritone voice, but I loved his father-son relationship with Callan. His Washington was thoughtful and deeply caring. (And dare I say I like him more than Chris Jackson from the OBC?)

Brent Hill was hilarious as King George, but I can't help comparing his performance with Jonathan Groff's. They both have brilliant comedic timing, but Jonathan's a much more menacing King George, whereas Brent is sassier and maybe even crazier!

Meanwhile, Hamilton's comrades: Marcus John and Trey Curtis, who played Lafayette/Jefferson and Mulligan/Madison respectively, also had so much chemistry with each other and stole the show so many times! Marcus reminded me so much of Daveed Diggs' little quirks in the show, but he was still great in his own way. I've read somewhere that Trey is also a standby for Hamilton and that he's amazing. Sigh... What I'd do to watch the show again and catch him as Hamilton! Julian Kuo was also very sweet as Laurens/Philip Hamilton, which made his death scenes twice as heartbreaking as usual.

Overall, I'm very much satisfied with this Hamilton cast!

Of course, Hamilton will not be complete without merch! Just like last time, I bought a boat tote bag because, like other Gen-Z kids, I'm obsessed with tote bags. We just can't help it! I also bought a lapel pin, so I can pin it to my other tote bags. I initially wanted to buy the button pin set, but unfortunately, it was sold out. I'm still pretty happy with my purchases, though!

Four days later, I'm back at home, and I still have post-show blues. I just listen to the OBC recording and the mixtape to keep me company. Maybe I'll rewatch the Disney+ pro-shot again!

Watching Hamilton was a dream come true and an experience I'll never forget anytime soon. I can't wait to watch my next musical again!

[gkathleenk]

GUAM

DAY ONE

My flight from Minneapolis to A.B. Won Pat International Airport (located in Tamuning) in Guam was a long journey. My flight took off at 11:25AM, and it took 13 hours to get to my layover in Seoul. We got to Seoul at 3:20PM (their time), and I was in Seoul for 18 hours. My flight to Guam finally took off at 9:45AM the next day, and we arrived at 3:15PM. My ticket cost $1,675.

After landing at A.B. Won Pat Intl, I wanted to check in at my Airbnb located in Dededo, a city located outside Tamuning. I am staying in the Vibrant Mini House. The Airbnb has a 3 night minimum and the total overall for the 3 nights is $274. Guam is a US Territory, so they use the US Dollar as their currency.

The drive from the airport to my Airbnb was 14 minutes. The most common form of transportation is bus, even with locals, but I decided to drive because it was faster and easier. While in Dededo, I decided to stop and get some food. I chose to get Dish-N-That, which is an American-centered restaurant. Their main focus is Smash Burgers. I apparently didn't wear my glasses, so I could barely see the menu. I decided to get an appetizer of onion rings which were $4.30 and for my meal I got the Bacon Double Cheese Burger which was $11.30. I didn't have to tip for my meal, because gratuity is included in the overall bill.

After getting food, I drove 12 minutes away to Ague Cove, located on the cost. Because Ague Cove is technically private property, I had to get permission to hike here first from Operations Officer Jesus Pangelinan. The hike down to the cove is pretty moderate and can only be challenging if it had just rain a day or two prior. Ague Cove can be very dangerous once you get to the bottom, due to the waves and super sharp coral. The hike back up can cause you cardiac arrest, so I had to be safe and bring extra water. The hike lasted about 3 hours to complete.

By the time I was finished with the hike, it was around 8PM, and I decided to head back to my Airbnb and get some sleep.

DAY TWO

I woke up and decided that today I would spend the day in Tamuning. I woke up around 11 and drove 17 minutes to Sakura Noodle House. I ordered the Chopseuey Noodles (fried) which was $10.50.

After eating, I drove down to Guam Ocean Park. You can get a free pass to spend the day there, and you can go jet skiing, snorkeling, kayaking, play volleyball, and swim all for free if you have the pass. The pass costs $200 for and an adult and $30 for a child. I chose the snorkeling tour. It lasts around 3 hours. After snorkeling, I went jet skiing.

I spent around 5 hours at the Ocean Park, I drove to Three Squares Restaurant to get some dinner. For starters, I got the Local Sampler, which consists of tinala katne, coconut dinanche, chicken kelaguen, fried corn titiyas, and empanada dippers, costing $19.95. Tinala Katne originates from Guam, while Coconut Dinanche and Chicken Kelaguen originate from the Philippines. The reasoning behind the Filipino influence is because a third of the population of Guam is Filipino, with the other thirds being Chamorro and mixed. For my main meal, I got the Asian Chicken Salad (salad with teriyaki chicken, cucumbers, edamame, mandarin oranges, and fried wontons), which cost $15.95. My overall bill was $39.40 which included my tip.

After dinner, I went back to my Airbnb to go to bed.

DAY THREE

Since today is my last full day in Guam, I thought I would do some research into the history and culture of Guam. The population is currently 171,774 people, the largest ethnic group being Chamorro. Chamorro is an Indigenous group of the Mariana Islands, and their ancestors come from Southeast Asia (mainly Indonesia and the Philippines) during 1600 BCE. In the 17 and 1800s, Spain got a hold of the Mariana Islands and spread diseases and violence, causing the Chamorro population to drop from 70,000 to 1,000 in 1820. Now in the 20th century, there are around 50,600 Chamorro descendants in Guam alone. They developed the Chamorro Language, which is most similar to Tagalog, and it is the 2nd most used language in Guam, after English. The main religion of the Chamorro people is Roman Catholic. 94.2% of Guam is Roman Catholic. The reasoning behind this is because of the centuries when Spain had control over the island. Guam became fully colonized by Spain in 1668, and they left in 1899.

After my research this morning, I wanted to get something to eat. The food that Guam is most known for is Chicken Kelaguen. Chicken Kelaguen is inspired by Philippine cuisine, but it has Latin American influences as well. The dish is chicken marinated in a lemony and spicy sauce with coconut added as well. You usually eat it with titiyas. To get this meal in Guam, I went to Chef's Inasal BBQ House located 7 minutes away from my Airbnb. The price for the Chicken Kelaguen was $21.30.

After lunch, I thought it would be best to visit the Micronesia Mall, located 4 minutes away. Micronesia Mall is one of the best things to do when visiting Guam. Opened on August 8, 1988, Micronesia Mall is the biggest mall in Guam. The owners chose that date because the number 8 is a lucky number in a lot of Asian cultures. The 4 anchor stores are Ross Dress for Less, two Macy's, and a 24-hour Payless Supermarket. The mall has a 24-hour food court, a 12-screen movie theater, and Funtastic Park, an amusement park with 7 different rides. Because all the stores and restaurants are the same ones found in America, I decided to not buy anything.

After the mall, I decided to check out the UnderWater World Aquarium. General Admission costs $23 for an adult and $15 for children. The aquarium is open from 10AM to 6PM, and since it was 4PM, I had plenty of time. You are 14 feet below water in the tunnel. Not only can you walk through the tunnel, which takes around 45 minutes to complete, but you can actually do a SeaTREK, which is when you get into the tank and swim with the animals. I obviously chose to do SeaTREK because that sounds amazing, it cost me $99, but it was an experience of a lifetime. Because the SeaTREK takes around an hour and 30 minutes, I decided to just do that and not walk through the tunnel.

DAY FOUR

Today is my last day in Guam! To start my day off, I went to the Guam Museum, located in Hagåtña. The Guam Museum was made to help people better understand the culture and history behind the Chamorro people by mediums such as sculpture, paintings, and short films. They started collecting art in 1887. The museum officially opened in 2014. The most recent artifact added to the museum was a photograph taken in 1916 of three Chamorro men preparing higai to repair the roof on their house.

After the museum, I went across the street to Plaza De España, which was the Governor's Palace in 1734 until The Battle of Guam in 1941, but it was refurbished in 1885. Most of the Palace was destroyed during the battle, except for the three arch gate to Almacen, the back porch, and the Chocolate House.

After leaving Plaza De España, I decided it was time to head to New Zealand and continue my Oceania adventure there. I really liked visiting Guam. Despite being a US Territory, Guam is its own country with its own unique culture. They offer so many fun activities for locals and tourists to participate in.

[blizzardsuplex]

WIP Fic Snippet

Well, I'm working on a fic that's a.) taking me longer to finish than a couple of hours and b.) isn't super top secret, so I thought: why not put an extra long snippet in under the cut?

(Also specifically tagging @mobiblackout and @coquinaclutch. These words are for you, friends LMAOOOO)

With fingers numb not just from the crisp fall air, she sends a Viber message Julian's way:

Hoy, Julee What have you gotten me into with this AirBNB thing of yours?

A little hopping icon of her baby niece in the corner appears almost immediately, letting her know that her brother's tapping out a reply; the perks of working from home.

Hi ate Max What do you mean? Did the guests not show up or something like that? No, they're all here. That's why I'm worried They even arrived before me! Is that normal?

A longer lull between the first message of his reply.

Well the one you talked to said there would be a lot of people that would come through right That's how we were able to charge so much for the upkeep And I'm sure it means nothing that they were early. This isn't the Philippines, people arrive on time or even before

You're not here. You don't know what they're like

Okay. What are they like?

It's this one couple and their friends I think They're all men with muscles and tanktops, some of them have tattoos

She hears the too-close crunch of a grass underfoot, flinches; relaxes. It's just the big guy shifting on his heels as he continues standing in place, watching the other four men with arms crossed over his barrel of a chest.

And someone who I think is a bodyguard

(…but maybe not a very good one, Max reflects after a few seconds, considering the serious injuries two of the others have clearly sustained. She's deliberating mentioning that to Julian before he beats her to a reply.)

A bodyguard? Are they rich or famous or something?

No

Or maybe that's too harsh a judgment? This is America, after all: rich and notable people seem to pop out of the ground every day here. Maybe they were one of those groups of fitness influencers or something? If she was younger, she could see Adam's unreal baby blues selling her a meal plan and some protein powder…

For this reason, and the fact they'd given a pretty generous advance tip to rent this house in the first place, Max quickly tries to soften the blow.

I mean I don't think so. I've never seen any of these men before in my life

[akocomyk]

Return of the Mermaid

2023’s 3rd Most Memorable Moment

If we had a dose of Vitamin C last January, we had an actual mermaid last December.

By Mermaid, I mean my very close friends, Monica, who immigrated to the US shortly after we graduated high school and has only been here in the Philippines for a vacation every few years—the last time was in 2019, and it was also a contender for my Top 10 Moments list for that year but sadly fell short, giving birth to our #JusticeForMermaids group chat.

Anyway, we had a better plan this year, that’s why it placed really high—and my 2023 wasn’t eventful, to be honest.

We rented an Airbnb rest house in Amadeo, Cavite, but before we headed there, we had lunch at Balay Dako. Some of the food we ordered were their signature paella, lumpiang sariwa, camaron rebosado, ginataang langka, and chicharong bulaklak—Monica had been craving this for days, and tried to order in two different restaurants she had been to recently, but they were sadly unavailable.

After buying some groceries, we then went to our Airbnb. The place was very cozy, it had a small, four-feet deep pool, and we had the entire place to ourselves.

When we’ve already settled, we had a mandatory photoshoot at the side of pool, then we went back inside our room to present our ✨ Life update ✨ presentations, which was Wilma’s idea. I created mine just that morning, right before I readied myself, and I simply copied the stuff from my blog and placed it on a pdf.

Wilma went first, then me. I also introduced to them the guy I was seeing who joined us via Zoom—they were so thrilled to meet him. Marjette, Monica, and Trish followed after me in that order. These presentations went on until 11:00 PM, and we finished one bottle of pink moscato—around 75% was consumed by me, so I was a bit drunk when it was Trish’s turn. And even though I’d love to share all their juicy stories here, they’d kill me if I did.

The following day, we played Cards Agains Humanity, and then went out for a while to buy food for breakfast. Then, we took dip in the pool right after eating.

Upon checking out, we hit the road going to Imus—we were gonna have lunch at Wilma’s house. It was a last minute idea, so her mom just prepared all the food she could get out from the fridge for us. We stayed and rested there for a while, then took a short drive going to Monica’s house for her dinner party.

We brought Wilma’s Tetris Jenga and played for one round, but we never got to finish it ‘coz we were already invited to eat. The moment we returned to our table with our food, the wind blew the jenga tower that we’ve built so far.

Our high school friends, Sarah and Jef, came to the party as well. And we sang karaoke while emptying the three remaining bottles of pink moscato—again, I think I may have drunk 75% of those, meaning I was more wasted then than I was the night before. My most favorite song that we sang that night was Rivermaya’s “You’ll Be Safe Here” because it was such a throwback, and we were harmonizing when we were singing.

You know why I love this memory so much? I woke up the day after feeling a bit depressed ‘coz I just missed being with them. Stuff like this happens only once every few years, and we haven’t even been complete yet—Celine was missing here, Monica wasn’t present back in January.

Maybe we should plan for the next winter solstice, then?

[beingjellybeans]

Exploring the Philippines with Airbnb: A Rising Trend Among Southeast Asian Travelers

In a world reshaped by the pandemic, travel has taken on a new dimension. As borders reopen and adventurers eagerly dust off their passports, Southeast Asia is witnessing an intriguing phenomenon. Airbnb, a pioneer in redefining travel experiences, is revealing compelling trends that showcase a fervent interest in the Philippines among Southeast Asian travelers. Chinese Wanderlust: A Philippines…

[purplesurveys]

1717

How do you feel about tomato sauce with chunks of tomato? I mean I don't like tomatoes to begin with, so I feel like I'm just not gonna have a good time with this.

Do people think you look like either of your parents? Does that offend you? I look very much like my mom and no it doesn't offend me at all.

Do you prefer regular bacon or turkey bacon? Regular only because I've never had turkey bacon and it'd be impossible for me to compare.

Are you more of a talker or a listener? Listener.

Do you think it’s weird when people talk to their pets like people? No but for the people who find it weird I kind of feel sad for them.

Where do most of your relatives live? Ooh I don't know what the real answer to this would be. We're scattered across Metro Manila and our provinces, but there are many others who have permanently settled abroad too.

What is the last place, other than home, that you stayed overnight? Our Airbnb in Malaysia. I can't believe it'll be two months since then.

Would you ever buy a motorcycle? No, I don't know how to ride one.

What is the most unusual thing in your reach right now? I still have the deodorant I bought in Thailand and that's pretty unique. I don't know how to explain it...it looks like a crystal? Crystal deodorant, is that a thing? It was the only kind available at the nearby 7-Eleven.

Are you sitting by a window right now? Yes.

Do you have anything other than posters or pictures on your walls? My wall lamp right by my office space.

What is the furthest you have traveled alone? Alone...probably just Muntinlupa, lol. I'm scared to go into the expressways alone.

Have you ever ridden a train? Sure. What's funny though is I rode the train in Thailand more times than I *ever* have in the Philippines in 25 years.

Have you ever done something you told yourself you’d never do? Yeah, I'm not very good at keeping some of the promises I make for myself.

Are you tattooed? Or does it freak you out? You are correct in that getting tattooed does freak me out.

Are you attracted to or put off by people who are heavily pierced or tattooed? It depends. There are definitely some tattoo styles I'm not into. Excessive piercings are also a hit or miss with me.

Have you done anything productive today, anyway? I guess. I had to put in some work today because I needed to settle some decisions and confirmations with clients and it couldn't wait until Monday.

Eaten anything delicious today? My mom's spaghetti.

Have you ever taken in a stray animal? Not a stray, but we got Arlee from PAWS.

Do you have or want children? I don't want them anymore. I get really irritated around noisy children and for me, if I'm already impatient about everyday things like that I really don't think I'm cut out for parenting.

How do you feel about marriage? Ever been close? Marriage used to be the biggest dream I had for my future but my past relationship has entirely hardened me from it. I don't care for love and relationships much anymore.

Are you confident in your appearance? Fairly enough.

Do you enjoying taking pictures? Just of things I want to count as memories, but I'm not one to take photos or videos of every single thing I come across.

Do you take pictures of THINGS, or are you just a camera whore? xD LOL at the whore and the xD. How old is this survey? Anyway, yes I mostly take photos of things I encounter. Food I eat, funny signs, dogs spotted...

Do you believe in “the one” or “soulmates”? Sure, but I also believe that people can be perfectly content without their own.

Have you ever dated someone simply for their looks? No.

What about dating someone simply because you felt too bad to say no? Nope.

Are you eating anything right now? I just had dinner, so no.

Does it drive you INSANE when people chew with their mouth open? I can move past it. There are other more irritating noises for me.

Does any food always make you sick but you love it too much to not eat it? Not sick but it makes my stomach upset -- anything with milk.

How do you feel about alcohol? It's fun to drink but everyone who it does should be responsible with how much they take and know how much they're able to handle.

Have you ever been drunk? Yes. I'm pretty low-tolerance so I am also usually the first one in a group to start feeling giddy.

Do you like orange juice with pulp? I've never had that kind.

Do you scream for ice cream? Nah I'm not really into ice cream; I'm a slow eater, so ice cream always ends up melty and soupy with me.

Which orange came first; the color or the fruit? I wanna say the color? Surely some elements in the universe were already orange long before the fruit came about.

Are you in school? If so, for what? Not in school.

What is your dream job? To never have to work ever again in my life, lol. < This is very real and also very relatable. I'd have to say same.

Have you ever experienced a natural disaster? Yes typhoons are typical here.

Do you feel bad when bad things happen to other people? Or do you not care? If you don’t, do you feel guilty about that? I do feel bad especially when the bad thing was caused by things out of their control. It's definitely a case-to-case basis though. Some also deserve to have their asses handed to them.

Aren’t you a little nervous about posting photos online? Well, no.

Have you ever been diagnosed with a mental illness? I haven't.

What was the reason you washed your hands last? I just finished washing the dishes and I didn't want my hand to smell like sponge.

Is there something you should be doing? I should be sleeping earlier than usual but I'll kill some time first.

[realtyhubph-blog]

1.7 has Arayat Pampanga

1.7 hectares Mini Farm in Arayat, Pampanga for SALE

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[propertylisting]

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𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸

[meaqui]

Allí

In a year, I found myself in Spain.

Not in a dream. Not in a hallucination. But in the midst of real stone, air, and sand. When I glanced outside my plane window, it almost felt surreal, like a fever dream. The clouds had carried me to a place where the language I’d learned to dance with now echoed in the streets. A country that once ruled the world, now a piece of my imagination made real.

As I landed, a strange sense of normalcy washed over me. I was so far from home, yet it felt as though I could melt into this place—disappear into its rhythm.

And for the first time, I used my Spanish in the course of an ordinary day. I didn’t feel the overwhelming nervousness that once made me forget everything I knew. It wasn’t flawless. My grammar stumbled, and when the taxi driver asked me to fasten my cinturón, I had no idea what he meant.

But I said hello to the concierge and asked for the Wi-Fi password while he explained the hotel policies. I spoke with the breakfast lady, told her our room number, and asked her to add the charge to our bill. I approached the metro staff to ask for directions to the nearest exit. I even had a conversation with our Airbnb host about my love for football.

I was speaking Spanish—on a regular day. And I couldn’t believe how natural it felt. It didn’t feel like a foreign language on my tongue, but rather a language I was simply still getting used to speaking. I was in there for a week. Then, Spain was no longer just a destination I had once planned on traveling to; it became a place where I lived each moment fully present. I kept exclaiming "I'm here" as I wandered through the narrow streets of old towns, looked at strangers' faces, navigated through the metro with ease. And slowly, without realizing it, I began to feel less like an outsider. There were still moments of hesitation—phrases I fumbled, customs I misunderstood—but the nervousness I once carried had been replaced by a quiet confidence.

In those brief moments in Spain, I could feel my sense of self shifting. It’s not my second home, as I’ve only been there a week. Maybe this is just another chapter, still open for me to continue writing. Maybe it’s a dance, one I need to keep learning the steps to and listen to the rhythm better. Maybe it’s a fever dream.

I’m back in the Philippines now, and I think about Spain every other day. I feel normal here, but I feel normal there too. And when I close my eyes and think in Spanish, I can almost feel myself back there again.