Saturday, March 16, 2013
Switching Places
It’s the 4th year of our mother-daughter summer
tradition. Instead of going for the usual domestic spots (we’ve gone to Ilocos,
Davao and Palawan), mom and I decided to visit Hong Kong and Macau! Another
unusual thing for this year is that my brother, with his fiancé, decided to
join our trip.
Aside from the international destination and my clingy
brother, this is the first time I didn’t hire a travel agent. Usually, for
mom’s convenience, I book tour packages. That saves us from spending time
figuring out where to go and what to do. For this year, though, I took matters
into my own hands. Hong Kong’s MTR system is easy to navigate and Macau is not exactly
a huge place, so I became our trip’s designated tour guide, whether they liked
it or not.
Our accommodations were booked a month in advance and our
itinerary was fool-proof and very detailed, up to the last dollar, 2 weeks
before our flight. I was well-prepared to be our tour guide, IN PAPER. In
reality, there were still a lot of glitches, misunderstood directions and
language barriers my itinerary wasn’t able to document and prepare for. But I
must say, unplanned adventures and misadventures are the best parts of this
trip.
.JPG) |
| Travel buddies! At HK Airport, MTR and Cable car! |
All my life, my mom has been my source of guidance. From the
biggest and smallest of decisions, she’s always ready to speak her mind. That
weekend, I was the responsible one. I called the shots and she dutifully
followed. My awareness level skyrocketed, wanting to detect anything that may
go against our plan. I wanted her to enjoy and not worry about a thing. Kind of
like how much she cared for me that I came out of what could have been the most
difficult years unscathed.
I now realize that, more than wanting to take care of her, I
was unconsciously trying to prove that I can take charge. I wanted her to see
that the many times they let me explore foreign places with friends, armed with
nothing but well-researched itineraries and guts to be out there, truly helped
me mature. Those instances she mentioned to my dad during our nightly Skype
dates that I was “good with directions” and “related with strangers very well”
were exactly the kind of pat on the back I hoped for.
As they say, there comes a time when we switch roles with
our parents. We become the care-givers, the providers. There’s a long way from
here to that, considering my parents are healthy and hardworking, thank God.
But that weekend was a glimpse of how it feels like to be on the other end. And
as a grateful daughter, I am thankful I was able to live up to that role.
.JPG) |
| She used to drag me EVERYWHERE. Reunions, Xmas parties, office meetings, weddings, etc. That may have been her way of creating a solid bond between us. Well, it must have worked. Way past the "pwede pa akong utuin" stage and we still enjoy spending time with each other. I don't think I ever won't. ❤✈ |
# posted by Liana : 8:08 PM
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