After finally arriving in Tacloban at around 3 p.m., our journey still had a few more moments waiting for us. As we stood at the baggage claim area, waiting for our suitcases, we noticed something reassuring. Right outside the arrival gate, Ma’am Leslie and Sir Clemente the campus director were already there, waiting to pick us up at Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport. Seeing them gave us a sense of relief after such a long and tiring trip.
Once we got all our luggage, we headed out and got into a van, similar to a Hiace. Without much delay, they brought us to grab something to eat first. After hours of flights and waiting, food was definitely something we were all looking forward to.
We were taken to Robinsons Place Tacloban, where we had our first meal in the Philippines at Kuya J Restaurant. The dishes we ordered were unforgettable. There was a whole fried chicken crispy on the outside and juicy inside along with puchero, a flavorful Filipino dish, and halo-halo, a sweet and refreshing dessert that perfectly ended the meal.
We enjoyed the food while sharing stories and laughter, slowly regaining our energy. But the day wasn’t over yet. After eating, we continued our journey to our accommodation, the Presidential Cottage.
The trip from Robinsons to the cottage took around three hours. It was quite a long drive, but it gave us time to rest and take in the surroundings. Interestingly, even before we arrived, dinner had already been prepared for us. We were given fried chicken again this time even more juicy and satisfying. It felt like such a thoughtful welcome.
When we finally reached the Presidential Cottage, we were welcomed warmly. We were given the WiFi password and a short house tour. The cottage had three bedrooms: two smaller rooms and one larger room with a private bathroom.
We quickly arranged our rooms. Chintya and Ananta took the larger room with the private bathroom, while I shared one of the smaller rooms with Avarel. Pak Buyyun stayed in the other small room by himself.
After settling in, we started organizing everything placing food supplies in the kitchen and arranging our clothes neatly in each room. It felt good to finally have a space to call our own after such a long journey.
When everything was done, it was finally time to rest.
But the night had one more funny moment.
Pak Buyyun suddenly admitted that he didn’t feel comfortable sleeping alone in his room. So, he decided to join me and Avarel in our room. The problem was, our room was already very small. Honestly, even for two people, it felt cramped so for three people, it was clearly impossible.
In the end, we came up with a simple and hilarious solution: I moved to Pak Buyyun’s room, and we basically switched places.
It was such a small, unexpected moment, but it made us laugh and feel closer as a group. A perfect, light ending to a very long and unforgettable first day.
(To be continued – Day 2)
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