Celebrating our First Awesome Year

We made it! One year through drought, mud, thunderstorms, sunny days and rainbows, we're here, fulfilled with the decision to build our new home here in Mindoro. Days were not always perfect but like a character in one of our favorite TV shows, Everwood, once said, "fine is real". Living our dream, having a farm of our own including all the surprises, challenges, frustration, hard work, and joy that come with it, has been both real and romantic.

We don't know what adventures we'll get into in the near future yet. We have hopes and plans, chores and to do lists, and we just continue living as life happens. Growing and learning all the time, in a rich surrounding blessed with enough water, sunlight, and dirt to bloom and blossom and just the right amount of unpleasant experiences to keep us grounded, you know, the annoying

neighbors, loud, drunk, videoke singing and the on-again-off-again relationship between the boys and their playmates.

Most of all, this year has gifted us, more than anything else, resilience. It just pushed us beyond our physical, mental, social, and emotional limitations. It does not even feel like it had only been a year since we said goodbye to our city life. We went through a financial drain from having our home constructed from the muddy ground up. We had to let go of people, we still are in the process of letting go, of people we thought were not just friends but family. Our family of four also had to undergo culture shock and discrimination just because we and our ways are different and we are outnumbered. All this heavy lifting has been shaping the way we look at things and the kind of people we are and will become. We have pretty much, a good balance of awesome and annoying. But we can live with that. We have each other and that's what's important. We are living a life of simplicity. We try to be fair with the people we work with and compassionate to the animals we keep. All in all, it was a really good year!

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Exploring Naujan, Oriental Mindoro

About a minute after I started researching about the things we can do in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, I received an electronic notice that informed us that we missed paying our internet bill and then the connection was cut immediately. Usually I would panic, but we resorted to our original plan instead: to explore and be surprised by the things we will find on our own, to be lost and ask about places we can visit, instead of having a list of "things to do". Actually, not-knowing adds a distinct flavor to adventures, which offers a thrill factor when you navigate through places you have not seen an online preview of. This free-style travel plan also help us take our time and just enjoy the experiences instead of rushing from one destination to another. So here are some of our new discoveries: The municipality of Naujan boasts a good collection of ancestral homes that took us to another era in our history. For only P100, yes one hundred ...

Trip to Benguet Day 2

Despite our peaceful and cozy slumber under warm blankets on a cold La Trinidad weather, we had to wake up to our phone's alarm. We set it at 7am to give us prep time before our 8am strawberry farm tour. It's just walking distance from the house so we got on our feet right after a cup of warm coffee (also produced up North) and some Valley Bread (local brand of white bread loaves), toasted and topped with coco jam. We passed by a local market filled with fresh fruits and vegetables harvested in the valley and lines of souvenir/pasalubong shops brimming with strawberry products, as well as wooden and woven crafts. As soon as we reached the booth where we had to sign up for the strawberry picking, an ice cream vendor handed us spoons of irresistible strawberry ice cream to try. With the sun warming us up for the adventures of the day, we helped ourselves indulge a bit with cones of this cold, sweet treat. Then we headed to where the strawberries are, finding out ...

Day#3: Mansalay's Mangyan Burial Cave, Mangroves, & Buktot White Beach

While enjoying our ride, Daddy saw a port and was curious, so we stopped to explore like we usually do and it was just the perfect time to enjoy some snacks so we bought some chips at the local sari-sari store as well. As we were licking our salty fingers, we saw some mangroves or bakawan, lining up a portion of the shore. Here are some pictures of what we discovered and enjoyed next. We walked along the white shore, soaking in the unbelievable sight composed of mangroves, white dead corals mixed in the sand, and clean and clear water. It was definitely a stop worth taking! When we reached a certain point, we found out that there are sea guards who are more than willing to take us to a cave. The tide was high, so we had to walk in knee-deep water, which made the experience quite relaxing and memorable. We learned that the Mangyan Burial Cave is the resting place of some skulls and bone...

Unschooling James and Adam

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