Friday, September 23, 2011

Beyond The Four Corners of the Classroom

For four years, my life in UP had been a routine one… well almost. I usually wake up at three in the morning just to continue reviewing for my exam and sometimes finishing the half-baked laboratory reports. Then by seven in the morning, I go to school, still groggy and sleep deprived.

Oh yes without a doubt, I have learned a few essential things during my four-year stay in UP. I learned the art of speed-reading (LOL), I learned the basics of photography, I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop and InDesign and most of all, I learned how to dance (don’t ask why).

But since after graduating from the university last April (sniff sniff), I have become more open to the idea of exploring different places. But even after graduation, I still continue to learn important things about life. Indeed learning is not limited to the four corners of the classroom.

These are some of the essential things I learned from traveling:

1) I learned how to be frugal. I admit that sometimes, I am an impulsive buyer. I sometimes do not value the money I’ve had and have the tendency to just splurge it to expensive food, taxi (also an expensive way to tour the city) and other unnecessary things. My Manila Trip last August 13-14 had taught me how to become a wise spender. Armed with only Php 1,500, I never thought that that seemingly small amount of money could bring me to different places which made my trip super sulit up to the last peso! I can’t wait to do this kind of trip again, but this time, maybe in some international destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bali, Indonesia!

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Manila, Philippines

2) I learned how to become more patient. I easily lose my patience most especially if I am bored, hungry and cranky. Just last April, our flight back to Davao got delayed for more than 9 hours. We were already at the airport at 4:30 AM and was expecting to leave Zamboanga by 6:30 AM. But because the aircraft had some serious problems on its landing gear (someone told me that the landing gear won’t retract minutes before it landed at Zamboanga International Airport… scary!). But I just realized that all of these happened for a reason. In traveling, you just have to expect the unexpected!


Moi impatient face at Zamboanga International Airport

3) I learned how to enjoy every moment of my travels. I admit. Traveling can be sometimes stressful when things aren’t on the right track. But despite the stress, I still manage to smile and laugh about it. C’est le vie! Carpe diem!

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Help!

4) I learned how to pack my things wisely. Bringing a lot of bags is a pain in the ass. The never-ending field works that I’ve had has helped me in packing my things properly. Mother Packer!

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Rolling in the deep method.

5) I learned how to appreciate Mother Nature. Yes, I may be a Biology major but I didn’t appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature until I started traveling. I just realized that our country has so much to offer, and I can’t afford to degrade its natural beauty!

And the last but not the least, 6) Along the road, I have met the most awesome people and have learned a lot from them. I have a big respect to all backpackers/travelers here and abroad. Good thing, they aren’t selfish of sharing some tips about traveling.

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Kadayawan Festival with PTB and CS people!

I know that in my future trips, I am pretty sure that I’m going to learn lot of things. I can’t wait!

How about you? What are the things that you’ve learned from traveling?

13 comments:

  1. yayks, tinamaa ako dun sa mother packer..hahaha.. I can't travel light.. lol... dala tibook balay hehe :) followed u on FB ug like pud sa FB ...

    Droppping by;
    Vernz

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  2. Very nice entry Renz! Fan talaga ako ng blog mo. =)

    Was supposed to write something like this in the future but I guess I'll have to spin it off in a different way now! Wahahaha.

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  3. Hello Vernz! You should learn how to travel light na, para makatipid ka sa trips mo (unless if you're traveling via PAL and AirPhil Express; they don't charge for check-in baggage) HEHE

    Robbie! Awts, touch naman ako! Hehehe can't wait of your future entries! :D

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  4. nice. I agree with no.5..

    biologists do appreciate nature, but the biologists who travel have more understanding and appreciation sa nature.

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  5. Nice one renz!

    For me traveling is something that is part of who I am... i'd like to think that when people about me the first thing that they would think about that I love traveling....

    One of the trips that I learned a lot was just this summer in Baguio. I learned to appreciate more the culture of the cordilleras. I learned how to love mother nature and party responsibly. I learned how to interact with people whom I don't really know but shares the same passion as I do... just a few of what I learned from them... Hay.... now I miss Baguio... hehehehe

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  6. hi Renz! Can relate to ALL! :D
    saka it's true that you get to appreciate things more when you travel more. It was on my first out of the country trip that I fell in love with the Philippines, I was in Hong Kong then. Kasi parang sa ganun "lang" na natural beauty eh napaganda nila ng husto yung place nila, pano pa tayo? Our country's potential is just.. whoah! hehe (kung magka disiplina nga lang ang lahat ng Pinoy. *haaay*).

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  7. blog hopping. nice blog btw, marami akong natutunan at nalaman sa mga post mo. na add npo kita sa links ko.

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  8. naks! good job renz. same here, when I started travelling on a budget ang dami kong natutunan. And unlike before, parang may tamang hinala ako lagi na masama ang ugali or masama ang binabalak sa akin ng ibang tao pero dahil sa travels ko I learn how to trust someone or at least chillax lang ako nakikipag kilala, wala na yung biases na meron ako sa ibang tao dati.

    cheers!

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  9. Ivan! Yeah, tama ka! Buti lang talaga na nag major in Ecology ako kasi yun ang critical point ng pagiging isang student ng BS Bio eh. I really appreciated everything sa surroundings ko and mas careful na ako kung magtatapon ako ng basura.

    Kuya Ian! Agree. Traveling has taught me on how to interact with people. Dati kasi napakajudgmental ko na tao, pero when I started traveling, I learned that there is more beyond the physical appearances of a person. :D

    Cat! Yes, tama! Kung tutuusin eh mas maganda talaga ang Pilipinas kesa, for instance, Hongkong. Pero look at HK right now. It's just, kulang lang talaga tayo sa disiplina eh kaya kulelat tayo when it comes to tourism. Pero at least the government is pushing efforts to promote our country which is good.

    Jinjiruks. Hey dude! Been a follower since 2006! :D

    Jerome! Di talaga ako nagsisi kung ba't di ako nagproceed ng med. Kasi kahit di na ako nag-aaral ngayon, ang dami ko pa ring natutunan tungkol sa buhay and etc. :D

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  10. Lesson Number 2 is definitely a valuable life skill. Lesson number 4 prevents excess baggage fees. Great post fellow Isko! I've just started following this interesting blog of yours. God bless!

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  11. Definitely, I can relate to all 6 points you've mentioned, especially with Number 5. I've appreciated Mother Nature so much that my travels now are more fueled by the fact that I want to take more pictures of her.

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  12. weh nde nga, since 2006 pa, ano ang dating blog mo?

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  13. http://the-pseudoneuro.blogspot.com dating chocoholic-memories ako (LOL ang baduy ng old URL ko)

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