My first arrival in Cebu City last November filled me with excitement and awe because of how big and alive the city was. I remember feeling fascinated about seeing the tall buildings and the unfamiliar language spoken around me. Later, when I visited Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, I felt even more amazed. The sights there were different in their own way: bigger, brighter, and even more overwhelming, making my heart race with curiosity and wonder. Each city gave me new kinds of amazement, but Cebu was special because it was my first real adventure away from home.
We were conducting our educational tour at the time, between November 17 and 22. I remember we visited the famous landmarks: Mactan Shrine, Magallan's Cross, Basilica Minore, and Fort San Pedro. We also roamed around SM City Cebu and SM Seaside City Cebu. Being with my classmates at the time was incredibly fun. Some got to experience Cebu for the first time and were as amazed as I am.
Before our educational tour ended, I told myself that I would come back when I start my internship in January. And I did.
I took the ferry via TransAsia. The moment we undocked, I didn’t have a clear plan on how to travel from the port to my apartment in Lapu-Lapu City, which is very distant. If only I had known to take the ferry from the same port to Lapu-Lapu City, it would have saved me the hassle of bringing my luggage. But nope. I pushed through the gates and ignored the taxi drivers who hailed me.
When I reached the highway, I overheard two people who wanted to go to SM City Cebu via jeepney. I observed. And when they hailed one of the jeeps, I jumped to go with them as well. SM City Cebu was familiar to me, so it made sense for me to go there. While traveling, they asked me where I was going. I said “Lapu-Lapu City”. Coincidentally, they are following the same route. That’s when we decided to go together.
The two people I traveled with are a real estate agent and her daughter, who were on vacation in Iloilo. They were living on the east side of Lapu-Lapu City. My apartment’s in the West, specifically in Brgy. Basak. I asked questions about them, especially the real estate mother. She mentioned selling condos and apartments in the Metro Cebu area. She was born Ilonggo, but I forgot which municipality she hailed from. We briefly exchange topics, mostly revolving around what I’m studying and why I chose to do my internship in Cebu.
We rode a van after we reached SM City Cebu. Upon arriving in Lapu-Lapu City, they were the first ones to drop off. The mother then gave me advice on how to navigate the city. I dropped off further near a hospital. I then walked with my luggage to an intersection where I hailed a tricycle to take me to my apartment. When I arrived, I didn’t waste time asking management politely for the keys. I then went straight to my room and rested. It was really tiring. I had to ponder what happened for minutes. To top it off, I wasn’t that confident with my Cebuano skills as I am now. I was uncertain about navigating the city and the language.
Would I have navigated to Lapu-Lapu City without them? Probably not. I might have spent more on taking a taxi or Grab. But I chose to go with the flow, observing and trusting people with whom I can travel. I am really grateful for them.
Some, if not most, people would find it difficult to travel as I did. Not everyone’s that open or adventurous and that’s okay. It takes time to accumulate the capacity to decide, accept, and feel what’s needed for a situation. You must be proactive and open-minded to do so.
