FINALLY! A breathing time. I know this is a little late (very late), but i still want to share here in my blog my memorable experiences last 2011.

Truly, 2011 was a year beyond measure. God blessed me with tons of surprises and granted many of my heart's desires. Even just a few weeks before the year ended, God had been gracious. I want to share how He showed me His love and faithfulness to me for the whole year.

JANUARY
1. I had the opportunity to witness a beautiful reunion between a father and daughter who hadn't seen each other for years. The daughter, Erica, was just a baby when her father was sent to jail and sentenced for life.

When asked for her Christmas wish, Erica wished to see her father again. You see, Erica was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Given her condition, she might not see her father again.

So our friends from FEBC arranged for Erica to meet her father at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City and we helped. We picker her up at Child Haus where she was recovering and her excitement was very evident and infectious. According to her aunt and grandmother, the child is a daddy's girl. And it was even more stimulated when her mother left her and her twin sister for another man when her father was jailed. Talk about too much drama for an 11 year old.

Finally, they met. I struggled fighting back tears because their reunion was very beautiful. Erica didn't show even an ounce of awkwardness while in the presence of her father. In fact, she didn't waste any opportunity to hug him, kiss him, and make lambing to him. She knew their time together was limited. In spite of her young age, she knew how to make use of this golden time.

The reunion between the father and Erica's grandmother almost made me cry too. It was a mixture of emotions: happiness, relief and sadness. Happiness because finally, a mother got to see her son after more than 11 years. Relief because her son is safe, and we all know what prisons are like. Criminals kill each other - that sort of thing. And sadness because she can't stay with him and he can't leave with them. It would probably take more than a decade before they once again see each other.

Going home was probably the most dreaded part of that day. Father and daughter cried. Mother and son hugged each other tight. Just reliving it makes me remember the painful parting this family had to endure. But they were glad that even for just a short while, they were able to see and hug each other.

I told Erica that I have an ever present father I want to share to her. When I told her about Jesus, she smiled and gladly accepted my "offer".

2. A few weeks after that momentous day, my uncle bumped into my father at the mall. Too bad I didn't see him even though I was only a few stores away. Or maybe it's a good thing I didn't. But nonetheless, I'm glad to know he's alive and okay. Although, that day with Erica and her father made me wonder when I'll have a beautiful reunion with my father.

FEBRUARY
This was the month when I experienced my first ever Volunteers' Rally event. This was particularly special for our department because it was the first and last event where we were complete.

We had fun designing our booth. I almost didn't sleep doing that. But it was worth it. People who visited our booth found our pictures funny and interesting.

Preparing for this event was the best part. We had great laughs.

I miss it.

MARCH
My first time to live thousands of kilometers away from home! Finally I found a dorm and has been living by myself for majority of the month. Unlike most people, I didn't really experience homesickness because my home is just 2-3 hours away. Being too dramatic about it would be a little stupid. Plus, I really wanted to know how I would fare living out of my cocoon. And so far, I ended up gaining about 5 kilos. This year, that has to go down.

APRIL
1. My first television stint! My boss was interviewed on this talk show aired on cable and the producers gave us the freedom to run the episode. So I had to make a list of questions, answers - basically, I had to write a script and sort-of- produce that specific episode (without doing the actual production). For a first timer, I think it was handled pretty well. I mean, I didn't mess up big time but it wasn't perfect either.

2. I was employee of the month! (Our boss said I was building my own department, a one-(wo)man department. Haha.)

MAY
The month my travel-writing career kicked off. For my first assignment, I flew to Aklan and Antique to cover various stories there. Three things to describe it:

1. Road trip;
2. Great team work; and
3. Boracay for free!

For more of my Aklan-Antique trip, you can read more about it here and here.

JUNE
1. I finished making that dreaded script about Father-and-Child Relationship. I had a HARD time writing it that I thought it would never end. Nothing was popping in my head (get a glimpse of my dilemma here).

But according to the line producer, the episode garnered a good amount of feedback. The discussion, according to him, was "meaty".

Thank God. Glory to Him!

2. They say "Problems are hidden treasures."

True enough, I discovered the treasure of God's unwavering love and the treasure of true friendship.

JULY
1. Volunteers rally part 2, but this time with photographers.

2. I don't remember any more magnanimous event during this month but I'm sure it has a lot to do with friends. It was a carry over of my "situation" last month. I feel blessed to have such awesome friends!


AUGUST
1. After a two-month travel hiatus, I was once again back in the game. I started with Valenzuela, then covered a story in Pangasinan and spent a day with Muslim kids in Payatas.

2. In Pangasinan, I met and talked to a 95 year old grandmother!

SEPTEMBER
1. My birth month! I officially turned 23.

2. Antique part 2. I went back to Antique to cover a livelihood story. Once again, I saw the mysterious black sand beach and beautiful Antique sights.

3. Boracay part 2. Who said you need thousands of pesos to reach Boracay? I only had P500 when I went there and I had a blast! Once again, I got a henna tattoo, this time with Angel.

OCTOBER
I had the most unexpected travel adventure of my life - Aurora!

Originally, I wasn't planning on covering stories there but God allowed me to see the amazingly breathtaking beauty of Aurora and meet Dumagat tribesmen. Plus, for the first time I experienced 16 hours of extremely intense travel!

God has been really gracious and amazing to me. Aurora wasn't even a desire of my heart yet He allowed me to be there. I wondered what I did to deserve that blessing and He simply told me:

"It's not about what you did. It's about who I am."

NOVEMBER
1. So the year is about to end and I've been to Luzon and Visayas. Then I realized I haven't been to Mindanao this year so I asked God if He would allow me to travel to Mindanao before the year ended - and He did. I was able to go to Agusan del Norte.

In Agusan I met new friends, learned more about the Bisaya dialect, met another tribal group - the Mamanwas, heard the touching story of a father's love, and got to see the famous Lake Mainit. The experience was made complete with military escorts and floating NPA presence. Thank God for the protection!

2. After a week in Agusan del Norte, I went on a road trip to Davao City. There, friends and I spent the night in Samal Island and I was able to fulfill a promise I made to myself - return to Jack's Ridge.

God is good!

DECEMBER
It didn't end in Agusan del Norte and Davao City. Just a few weeks after my Mindanao stint, I found myself back in Mindanao, specifically in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City. I was sent there to cover the disaster relief operations we were having. For the first time, I was exposed in a fresh disaster area. The moment I got off the plane, the whole city was reeking with death. Anyway, I was able to hear stories of survival and compassion.

I felt like a CNN reporter. To make things even better, I got to experience being JC for 2 days. LOL

It was there when I realized that God isn't finished with me yet. This 2012, there will be more to come. More places to visit, more people to meet, and more stories to write.

Year 2011 was certainly a year beyond measure!

Excited for what's coming in year 2012!