The life and times of a twenty-something college grad trying to figure out life while traveling the world and grieving the loss of her mother. Watch the journey unfold.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Canigao Island

Hi, Mama! This weekend the volunteers went on an excursion to Canigao Island, which is a private island about three hours from Tacloban City. It literally was paradise. The waters there were so clear, so blue, and rivaled in beauty the waters of the Mediterranean.

We spent the day playing in the ocean, and all of the volunteers gathered around while I spread your ashes into the water. I've had a rough couple of days emotionally, and this was the first time I've cried when spreading your ashes. I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of volunteers surrounding me and supporting me during this time. As upset as I was, I know you will be so happy in that water. It is so calm and so peaceful...just the perfect place for you.

A couple friends and I decided to walk around the island (which we were able to do in about 45 minutes because it was a very small island), and you won't believe what we came across, Mom! A monkey!!! It was right in front of us. I couldn't believe how close he was to us. It was so amazing to see a real live money that wasn't in a zoo or any sort of conservatory or anything. I was so happy!

At night we played games, and were grouped into two teams. We had to come up with team names and chants. Our team name was "Malabad," which means "naughty" in Waray Waray. Our chant was hilarious. Unfortunately, we lost the competition though. Regardless, it was still a lot of fun. We slept in tents on the beach, which as awesome as that sounds, I would never recommend doing. It was so uncomfortable, and I did not have a good night's sleep. The next morning we woke up and headed back to Tacloban.

Even though I was upset most of the weekend, I still managed to have a great time. It was really good to escape for a couple days...especially to a place as beautiful as Canigao Island.
























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