Matilda was soon behind me and helped me out. Shaken, I agreed with her to get back to the house and forget about the river.

Back to our room, we giggled at what had just happened to me but we kept it a secret and until now, nobody in Uncle Lorenzo’s house knew.

It wasn’t the first and last time I fell. During our 9-month stay in Buguias, I stumbled and fell several more times while going downhill due to my wobbly knees.

Boiled Potato

During the missionary training, I lost weight because I was a fussy eater. Arriving at Uncle Lorenzo’s house I found myself voraciously devouring boiled potatoes. After a meal, I would get myself a second helping of boiled potatoes whipped with Mayonnaise. Matilda and I ate too much of it that Uncle Lorenzo brought us a sack of potatoes about 25-30kg and in just three days it was all gone!

I started to outgrow my trousers and my face looked like a pear shape.

Orange Orchard

If Uncle Lorenzo’s house was a treasure trove, his garden was a haven. There were fruit trees of varied types: apples, oranges, and peaches which were all a novelty to me. When Matilda and I arrived in September, the orange mini orchard was speckled with orange and green fruits.

Every day, we stood by a tree armed by a knife and helped ourselves with had our full. When the fruits were gone, we turned to the peaches tree.

Introduction to the Missionary Life

During the next couple of months, Matilda and I went about in the neighborhood until we got to know everybody and everybody got to know us. We helped in weeding, planting, and harvesting. I remember the first time I harvested potatoes. It felt like digging for gold. I giggled with glee at each potato I dug.

In Buguias, I buried my old timid me to push myself out of my comfort zone. Apart from giving private Bible studies, I was also asked to speak during a graduation ceremony. Thanks to my linguist family, I could communicate with the local people with a language that was common between them and me. Over time, I learned the basic words and phrases in the vernacular but continued to use the common language.

Although far from the city, Uncle Lorenzo’s house was like a treasure house. There were musical instruments such as accordion, which I learned to play, and trumpet, which I didn’t learn to play.

Because of Uncle Lorenzo’s wide connection, Matilda and I had a chance to visit several places, climbed a number of unnamed mountains, and experience a wide variety of their culture.

Cañao

A sort of ritual, a dance performed on every occasion heralding the start of a celebration, Cañao became my favorite event. It is a trademark of the Igorot people. It is one of the many things I love about them. A culture preserved and they take pride in, Cañao dance.

Broken-down car in the middle of nowhere

December came up fast. Mr. Roman, our first host in Atok, invited Matilda and me for a trip to Tirad View Academy in Quirino, Ilocos Sur. He was going to pick up his daughter for the Christmas break. Located down south of Benguet but enclosed by a mountain range, the way to this place is so treacherous, it takes an expert mountain terrain driver to get there. Joseph was the guy.

Leaving Atok very early in the morning, we were dressed in layers. The long drive made us sing all our songs until we didn’t have any more left. It was getting dark and we were not quite there yet. Slowly, we took a layer of clothing one after the other until we only had one left. A sign that we had left cold Benguet behind and were in sunny Ilocos finally. It was getting late at night.

Arriving at Cervantes but still a long way to our destination, we spent the night at Pastor Wincy’s house who was greatly surprised upon seeing me. He was my senior in college and was a very warm friend who was so much like a big brother to me. Never in his life did he expect to see me in his territory and neither did I. He knew me well as a lowland girl. Nevertheless, our unexpected reunion brought excitement as we caught up with each other. There was a guy hed been matching with me whos from Tirad View Academy. Well, I also liked the guy but he was uberly shy and there was no way I would initiate the first step.

Early the next day, we set up to our destination with Pastor Wincy in tow. I thought we had overcome the worst part of the trip but I was wrong. We had to cross a heavily mined river with the unfinished bridge construction. This was the reason why we didn’t carry on driving the night before. The river could be swollen and impassable.

At midday, we finally arrived and the first thing I wanted to see was the Tirad Pass. Tired means pointed. Tired Pass is a historic site where Emilio Aguinaldo, the first Philippine president made his escape against the American soldiers. Looking up from the valley, I marveled at the height and the role it played in the formation of the Philippine History.

Another schoolmate was greatly surprised to see me. Susan, a girl my senior and neighbor in the dormitory. Seeing a different Jemina whos now bubbly (I meant talkative), Susan couldn’t believe I was a missionary because she said I didn’t know how to smile back in college and I was like a hermit crab, always in my shell. Little did Susan know I was making a pearl out of myself. 😉

Our trip back to Benguet the following day didn’t feel as exciting as the first. This time my eyes were always on the road and several times I noticed that as soon as we turned left, we would turn right again. I watched with great interest as Joseph steered the wheel clockwise and anti-clockwise non-stop. His muscled arms looked very strong and able in controlling the vehicle and I settled confidently in his proficiency.

My mind started to relax and I diverted my attention to the greens along the way. The road was getting zigzaggy again and before we knew it, the wheel lost its grip we couldn’t drive any farther. Fortunately, it was a level road near the river. The wheel needed a new part and the closest shop was about 2-3 hours away.

Providence smiled at us and let us get stranded near a potable water supply coming from a rock. Night has fallen and there was still no part for the wheel.