By: David Elliaczar Tabernero

    On the night of December 8th, my mom and I got on an airplane going straight to Manila in the Philippines. When we arrived, we went straight to our house in Cavite to take a rest and sleep, and we arrived early in the morning of December 9^th. When I woke up from my nap in the afternoon, we went to the nearest mall to gather groceries and eat. At night, some family and friends arrived, which we enjoyed.

    The next day, on the 10th, my dad picked me up from Cavite as my mom had to go to Mindoro. I enjoyed my time there, as there was a big fluffy dog named Isko. On the 16^thmorning, my uncle from America came back to the Philippines after 20 years! After they arrived, we went all around Manila, traveling and enjoying our time. On the 21st, we went to a hotel for one of my cousins’ 18^th birthday the next day. On the evening of the 22nd, we had a party in the hotel, celebrating and dancing around with the whole family.

    On the 23rd, we were supposed to go to Batangas with them in an Airbnb for Christmas, but they did not like the Airbnb at all, so we spent all night attempting to figure out where to stay. In the end, most of my family decided to head back to Manila because we were all exhausted. On the morning of the 24th, a miracle happened, and they found a place to stay: my aunt’s house. We drove there as soon as possible, and we spent Christmas Eve there. We headed back to Manila on Christmas morning to play games and have fun with my family. Even though it was messy, we still enjoyed Christmas.

    On the bright morning of the 26th, we went to an Italian-themed mall in Taguig, enjoying the architecture and design. Then on the 27th, we packed our items and set off to Baler, the birthplace of my dad and most of my aunts and uncles. We arrived at the beachfront hotel at night. In the morning, we gazed at the breathtaking view of the beaches. Later that day, we went swimming in the pool, and I had so much fun in Baler. At 4 a.m. in the morning, my dad and I went back to Manila so my mom could pick me up to go to Mindoro. In Mindoro, I received the tragic news that my horse sadly passed away while I was in Indonesia. There I practiced my Tagalog skills, learning unfamiliar words like Bilnuran, Balintataw, and Panginain. We celebrated the new year in Mindoro with the family. I enjoyed Mindoro so much as I got to spend time with my mom’s side of the family.

    I loved it very much, as I got to see some family members I had never seen and spend time with them. My dad’s side was complete after 20 years, so that was overly exciting for me. With this in mind, I wonder what the next Christmas and new year will hold for me.