I am sitting inside the empty halls Quezon City Library while writing this blog post, browsing through my De Vita book. The past few months have been so challenging and life changing. I am literally back to my old “medical school days” self. A month prior to our diplomate exam in Medical Oncology, here I am struggling to remember what I’ve learned from the past 3 years of my fellowship training, and trying hard as well to grasps everything that I’ve reviewed during the past 3 months. After writing this post, I will be transferring again to a coffee shop nearby to study all night long. But I am not, complaining. I love my profession and being a cancer physician is the only thing that I would love to do for the rest of my life.
Well, I have to “breath” once in a while and do the things that I love (hmmm, writing a travel story like this) in the midst of this nerve wracking experience.
Traveling sometimes gives me that “sense of home coming” even when I am just about to visit a new place. The Heritage Town of Taal, Batangas gave me that kind of feeling.
Time might have created a long gap between THEN and NOW, but the remnants of our nation’s past are still palpable in this old rustic town. And there I was, a part of a generation that came after an older generation who once upon a time frolicked around this place and fought alongside other Philippine Revolutionaries in search for our independence from the Spanish and American conquistadors.
I never knew beforehand that there is a heritage town located about 2 hours from Manila. A BIG "thank you " to my good friend/sister Ma’am Jannel Villanueva for taking me and Ma’am Amy in this spectacular journey.
We were able to spent a great deal of time walking around the heritage village, peak inside numerous Spanish colonial houses and see St. Martin De Tours- the largest catholic church in Asia.
I never got tired of pointing my eyes in every corner of the houses we visited. The interiors of these houses were already redecorated and repainted (to preserve it I guess) but its rustic charm remains. These houses were once owned by famous patriot and supporters of the Philippine Revolution.
Walking around Taal gave me a different kind of fervor and delight…and a new sense of nationalism. I laud the effort of heritage conservation advocates to preserve these structures. And I wish that the people of Taal and the government will fight off commercialization of this heritage districts so as not to rob future generations the opportunity to peek into our country’s glorious past.
