Moving

BY: gerard

Transferring from one place to another could be a dramatic experience for a sentimental guy like me. I’ve been deeply attached with the place where I can call my-home sweet home. But circumstances compelled me to left Palompon and look for greener pasture to nearby city to find my place under the sun.

I cannot understand why it seemed difficult for me to leave the place where I spent from childhood until mid-twenties. Maybe, the longest time that I am away from my hometown is when I work in Manila for almost one year, but I decided to return less than a year after, because I longed the things that I usually did in Palompon.

During my college days, I was hired by the municipal government to work as the spokesperson of the Mayor and I spend the next four years in government service and politics. But when my expectations at mayor’s office failed I tendered my resignation, leaving a strongly –worded passionately written resignation letter, the reason why I left the place afterwards and spent the next ten months in Manila.

Living in the bustling metropolis, away from home is an exile for a stranger in the city, like me. The pulsating environment of the city will somehow caught your attention and tempt you to spend some of your hard-earned money for watching the Panaghoy sa Suba and Enteng Kabisote, during its star-studded premier nights at SM Southmall, or spent the night with live bands at Queen Rhoda's Palace or in Rose Garden chatting with gorgeous ladies who are entertaining customers (known as GRO) in their early twenties, and some even 17 to 19. It seems that the road and street in this place is like a circuit of circuitry which starts from nothing and ends to nowhere, like an endless cable wires which direction is not known, and where does it ends.

While away I longed for the mouth watering bahalina which is only P 7 a large glass (medyahan) in our public market, the appetizing kinilaw of assorted seafoods such as guso, lato, lukot, alimango and the juicy imbao which is abundant in our place. The succulent alipapa and other squids which we use to cook in fire while singing the Bakit ngayon ka lang Dumating and Ngayon at Kailanman. The tasty sa-ang and other kinhason, and the equally delicious pawikan or lumod cooked with black beans and peppered with red chilies and served in awfully hot delicacy.

But aside from its tasty delicacies, I desired to go home to see my close friends, and see the unending smiles that slip from the lips of every Palomponganons. The familiar faces I’ve seen everyday in the marketplace, plaza and along the streets, the barangay captains and barrio folks whom I often visited in their baranggays when I’m still working in the government. The friends and acquaintances, or even tempting beauties whom I danced during coronation nights and spent the whole night jamming at the basketball court-turned-dance floor during fiesta.

I want to linger for a day in our town, before finally moving to Ormoc.

But the day has come that I have to report at our editorial office along Bonifacio Street in Ormoc City, across the posh Pongos hotel. My first day in Ormoc was lonely. But the succeeding days were enjoyable in a challenging job of a journalist. Another reason for moving to Ormoc is that I’ve heard a vacant teaching position in an IT school.

Now, I am just contented with a small room that I pay for P 500 every month, while in our house my room is double the size this. And it is a tricycle ride away from the city proper or in Cogon, where I worked, even if I hate tricycles and multicabs before because of its untidy thing that exhaust smokes. Besides, I used to walk in our town because the marketplace, municipal hall and church are just walking distance from our house.

Since there are many things that made me busy and occupied, my desire to return to my hometown has subsided as of the moment.

Now, I am inside the classroom, and very happy with my students.