Return to Camiguin: A Journey Through Memory and Timeless Beauty

There are places in this world that refuse to change, where time seems to rest its weary head. Camiguin is one of them. Fourteen years ago, I set foot on this small island in the Bohol Sea during a college field trip for an Art and Society class. It was a pilgrimage back then, a young student’s journey to find beauty in simplicity and art in nature. This year, I returned—not as a student, but with office friends, drawn by the promise of nostalgia and the bountiful Lanzones harvest, an irresistible lure for anyone familiar with Camiguin’s golden reputation.

The Volcanic Island

Back in third year college, I was fortunate enough to experience studying AH 5 (Art and Society) under the tutelage of Professor Julius T. Quiz or “Sir Kibz” as we fondly call him. We were his last batch of students before he migrated to the US (or as what my Tibak friends call, Lupain ng mga Imperyalista, LOL) with his family. On the final chapter of the subject, we were taught about the basics of photography – rule of thirds, S-curve, cropping, funny perspective and many more. As part of the subject’s requirement, we went to Camiguin to apply what we have learned from his lectures about photography. I haven’t been to this island before but heard a lot of good things about it. I was pretty excited and worried at the same time.

Look, I was so thin back then! Yikes!

Katrina and I were the oldest students who joined the field trip. A few hours before our scheduled departure, I learned that my close friend, Yuri can’t make it to the trip. I thought I won’t enjoy the company of sixteen to seventeen year olds who kept blabbering about Justin Bieber and American Idol.

Although, the show must go on. I shouldn’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity (sadly, my family is not fond of traveling). After the roll call, we finally left Davao 30 minutes after 8PM. The night was dry and cold.

It was my first time to join a field trip with people whom I barely knew.