Exactly a year ago I packed my bags and came to Cebu City with a lot of trepidation in my heart and a feeling of excitement, mingled with a feeling of loss. Back then, I only knew less than ten people in the city, have barely enough money and doesn’t know anything about Cebu other than the airport, Magellan’s cross and the Taoist Temple.
These days, i can barely recall the feeling i had back then. Instead, i find myself wondering why i didn’t come sooner.
To be honest, i never really had any plans of coming to Cebu. In all the places in the country, this is one place that is not even in my bucket list. I remembered how, out of the blue, i just found myself browsing for rental places in Cebu. I’m not sure what really started it but there were a lot of things that motivated me to fly out of my comfort zone and spread my wings in a place where I hardly know anyone and everyone can hardly understand me.
I remembered how frustrated I was in my old company; how i drag myself each day and how depressed i was with most people around me. I remembered how i felt the last time i pressed the phone button to log out. I remembered how great it felt, like i was set free. Most of all, i remembered the first time Chase called and the feeling when i was told that i passed all the interviews. Everything was a blur after that.
Then, Cebu. How shall i begin to describe you, oh Queen City of the South? How shall i begin with our story?
It wasn’t love at first sight, that I tell you. The first thing I thought of minutes after leaving the airport was, “great! Bumper to bumper under the heat of the midday sun!” Right there, my doubts started to creep again. I came from a city, but a provincial one. We hardly have any traffic congestion and getting stuck in traffic is the one thing I hate most.
I thought, how could i possibly live here? All i see are buildings, i can hardly communicate with the people and i hardly know anyone. I felt so alone and helpless. Days past and a part of me I never knew existed surfaced. One day, I was eating alone and suddenly found myself teary. I have never felt so alone, not even during my first year in Dumaguete.
You see, I always prided myself for being independent. I always wander alone and eat alone wherever i am. There are a few things that can make me cry and eating alone in a crowded mall is definitely not one of those things. But just barely days here, I found myself losing control of the one thing I’ve always been able to hold back: my emotions. I don’t know what’s in this city but here, i became human.
Days, weeks, months passed and my circle of friends grew. I discovered things and slowly gained my confidence and started to wander off alone again. I found myself happier than i ever was. I found myself with a more defined goal and looking forward to more adventures. True, i got lost so many times and there are times when i start to feel lonely but i was never depressed here.
How can i better describe this? I guess it’s like falling in love with the last person you expect to fall for. It is surprising, sometimes confusing but very exciting. This is how I feel about Cebu and its people.
Yes, i am falling in love with Cebu. The city has offered me something that I’ve always wanted, freedom and independence. If a man can offer me this, i’ll marry him right away.
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