THE WORLD IS GETTING SMALLER

I love traveling. Oh, that feeling when you take off for a flight and feel that where you are seated is actually a thousand kilometers up in the air. Such fulfillment when you get to see the beauty of the world around when you travel by bus or car. And so much adventure and fun when you ride on a rooftop of a jeepney or tricycle. And then there's the peace and serenity you would feel when you walk along the beach or hike up a mountain and see that there is so much beauty in God's creation and a lifetime is not enough to get to touch all of them. Indulging your eyes to the beauty of creation is the only thing you could do as you stare in awe and wonder - oh these precious eyes of mine!

Since I was a child, I have been dreaming of traveling around the world - until now, I do. At first, I had the chance to visit places around my own country. There are 7, 100 islands in the Philippines, and traveling across them would take years! So, I got to visit a few of those islands and to my amusement, there is so much more to see outside the perimeters of my province! There's a variety of food, culture, languages, scenery, and each of them is unique. From the Northern Philippines (Kalinga, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija) down to the South (Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Davao, Sarangani), you will always find something unique in that area. My eyes were opened to see the bigger picture of the nature around me...and then, by seeing so many, I realized I haven't seen much.

The first country I went to outside the Philippines is in South Korea. Their food, language, culture, and scenery are different from ours. The City of Seoul is so much cleaner, more beautiful, and more orderly compared to the busy streets of the Philippine Capital. The Province of Gangwon is so peaceful, clean and safe. My eyes lavished through the greenness of the beauty around me, and I have witnessed how there was synthetic peace across the border of North and South Korea. I went there to learn about Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding Skills, but I went home bringing with me much more lessons and memories.



The second country I visited was Indonesia. I now visited it twice.

The first visit was in Medan, North Sumatra. Their food, language, culture, and scenery had many similarities with the Philippines. Visiting them proved to me that they are our ancestors. We came from the same roots. They are our brothers and sisters. I went there for a gathering of church leaders around the world- for fellowship and sharing of testimonies. I went home inspired and blessed not only from the testimonies I heard, but with what I have witnessed in their daily living - their food, language, culture, scenery, and even faith in God.

The second visit was in the Island of Central Java (Semarang, Salatiga, Solo, Jogjakarta). Like Medan, it was very similar with the Philippines. The unique experience, however, is that I get to visit the world-famous Buddhist Temple - Borobudur! I enjoyed taking pictures while entertaining two big questions in my mind: "How many people made this huge temple?", and "How long did it take to build this?" Each of the walls have sculpted images of human beings, animals, and other creatures. This world heritage site is surely an evidence of our rich heritage from the past. I went to Central Java to meet with Asian Anabaptists and talk about "diakonia" or service. I went home with so much more than learning from the experiences of each of the participants. I went home with more friends, more Indonesian words learned, more food tasted, and more scenery viewed.

As I look back at those experiences, I realized: I haven't seen much. I haven't been to anywhere. I haven't done anything. I have only seen two countries outside the Philippines, and that is not enough. So, maybe this is the magic of traveling. The more you see, the more you feel you haven't seen much, and the more you desire to visit other places. When I was a child, I thought the world was so big. But now, for me the world is getting smaller. So, that small world, I need to see. In that small world, I am just a dot. But it doesn't matter. This dot will travel.

I am now twenty-one years old (turning 22 in two months)! My dream is that before I reach 31, I have gone to all seven continents of the world. I don't know how, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming. God has created me for a purpose. He has called me to do something big. And with that calling, I need to see the world He created, for me to understand what He called me to do.

Awesome! I can't help but just give praises to the One who created me, who created all those things I witnessed, and who will create the way for me to go to a lot more places.

I am just a small dot in this small world. But this dot will travel around that world.

Swimming in the largest volcanic lake in the world - Lake Toba, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Overlooking Mt. Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia

I am bigger than this! -Borobudur Temple, Central Java, Indonesia

Enjoying chicken and makkoli with international friends -Seoul, South Korea

Enjoying the breeze! -Maria Cristina falls, Iligan City Philippines