I woke up on the second day feeling a bit better. The body aches from the long journey had started to fade, but something else kicked in hunger. As I got up, I remembered the food Ma’am Leslie had prepared for us the night before. There was bread and something I had never tried before: chicken spread.
At first, it felt… strange. The taste was unfamiliar, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it. But I kept eating, trying to adjust. Surprisingly, by the fourth bite, it actually started to taste good. Before I realized it, I had finished three slices of bread. It was one of those small cultural experiences unexpected, but memorable.
Not long after, Ma’am Leslie and Sir Clemente came to the cottage again, this time bringing more food along with traditional Filipino snacks. It felt like such a warm and thoughtful gesture. We gathered, ate together, and enjoyed the variety of local flavors they introduced to us.
After that, we were given time to prepare for our next destination: Tangkaan Beach. The excitement quickly built up as we got ready and headed out.
When we arrived at Tangkaan Beach, the view was beautiful and calming. While enjoying the scenery, we also had another round of delicious food shrimp, chicken, and more.
Even though the beach looked incredibly inviting, we didn’t swim because none of us brought extra clothes. Honestly, it was a decision we immediately regretted.
After spending some time there, we continued our trip to another destination, Mahaba Beach Resort.
Here, things became even more interesting because we met our “buddies.” These buddies are students from Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) who would accompany us students from UNISDA during our two-week program in the Philippines. Since they would later come to Indonesia as part of the exchange, this program created a mutual connection between us.
There were Ivan, Marry Mae, Nikki, and France. Each UNISDA student was paired with one buddy, and mine was Sir Ivan.
At Mahaba Beach, we didn’t just relax we started preparing for something important. We practiced singing and dancing for the upcoming welcoming party at the SLSU mini theater the next day. The song we practiced was “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars.
We spent quite a while rehearsing, laughing, and trying to get everything right. It wasn’t just practice it was also our first real bonding moment with our buddies.
After a productive and fun session, we headed back to the cottage to freshen up before dinner.
That night, we went out to eat at Pagatpat.
We ordered shrimp, squid, a huge lemon tea tower (around 4 liters!), and two glasses of mango juice. The atmosphere was even better because there was live music playing. At one point, we requested the song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and it instantly made the night feel more special and nostalgic.
After dinner, we returned to the cottage, feeling full, tired, and happy. The next day would be an important one the welcoming party so we decided to rest early.
And just like that, Day 2 came to a peaceful end.
Comments
Post a Comment