COUNTRIES I'VE BEEN TO

This list includes countries kung saan hanggang airport lang ako. He he. And it goes without saying na I could not have been in these countries without my Bebe. Sa totoo lang, kahit na me wanderlust ako, I never did have the courage in the beginning to venture into embassies to short of beg for visas. My Bebe was my confidence-booster everytime. It's also a factor na dahil OFW kami, we were able to afford those travels. I mean, mas mura naman talagang mag-fly to Europe from the Middle East kaysa from the Philippines! So since 1993, nakarating na ako sa mga bansang ito --

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
- Saudi Arabia but of course
- The UAE
- Bahrain
- Egypt

NORTH AMERICA
- USA including Hawai'i

ASIA-PACIFIC
- HongKong
- Thailand
- Australia - the best ang Sydney for me

EUROPE
- Italy
- The UK
- France
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Romania kahit 24 hours lang sa airport
- Cyprus - hanggang airport din lang
- Belgium - hanggang airport din lang

In contrast, kokonti pa lang ang napupuntahan namin sa Pilipinas. Nakakahiya na tuloy kay Susan Calo-Medina. Pero pasasaan ba't makakalibot din kami sa sariling bayan. Hindi sa ayaw, mas naging convenient lang na unahin ang foreign travels.

Traveling is indeed a huge source of education/fount of knowledge for the traveler. Magastos at nakakapagod pero sulit. True, sa pagiging pandemic ngayon ng Internet use, one can simply and easily be an arm-chair travelogue pero wala talagang katumbas ang maging real traveler.

Parang pagbabasa yan ng literature. Traveling is akin to reading literature. Sabi nga nung mga litt teachers ko sa state university sa Diliman, hindi ka pwedeng umasa sa synopsis or sa reviews -- lalo na sa Cliff's Notes. Kailangan basahin mo yourself ang original work. Nang sa ganun, captured mo ang nuances at iba't-ibang kaeklatan nung masterpiece. Just gleaning from what others have rendered out of the original, is an injustice not just to the original author but also to you as reader. For you are depriving yourself of the wonders and the magic that reading an original work of art entails.

Traveling indeed has made me aware how small I am compared to the world, but ironically, I nonetheless did not feel unimportant and insignificant. I learned on the contrary, that I am part of something grander other than myself, that I belong to a bigger world other than the one I used to think I only moved in. This realization urged me to be more aware of the new worlds being opened up for me, to me -- to soak it all in, lest I never pass that part of the world again.

Traveling has also made me aware how truly the same we all are - humans that we are, even if we have a lot of differences. We care for the same things - our histories, our cultures, our resources/environment; we take pride in the same things - our achievements, our people; and nurture the same hopes and dreams - harmony, peace, tourists [he he]. Despite language barriers, we were able to forge friendships with other travelers and the citizens of the countries we traveled to. Despite differences in cuisines, we were always full at mealtimes [and no thanks to McDonald's]. Despite varying cultures, all of us unanimously understood the need to shop for bargains. What is more universal than that?

An OFW being able to travel however, is not without its share of intrigues. There has always been talk that our travels were mere fantasies/virtual travels. Where are the photos? one asked. These OFWs are so profligate - spending on travel instead of saving up. Unahin pa ba yan kesa sa pagpupundar ng bahay, an OFW's ultimate dream? These OFWs are a pair of show-offs. Bakit ba palagi na lang naka-press release ang travels?

No matter the intrigues, we go ahead and travel when we can afford it and given the chance. The opportunity to fly far outweighs any unwarranted intrigues that may come.

Sabi nga, "hindi man kami jet-setters, well-travelled naman."