ENDURING WANDERLUST

I was eighteen, unsure of myself yet full of dreams.

Facebook, in its new self-imposed role as time capsule, reminded me that exactly four years ago, I wrote this in my diary:

For a while now I’ve been longing to go to places far away. Far enough away that the colors of people’s eyes form a myriad of hues. From seeing only brown to more grays, blues, greens, and other magical colors that the irises can embody.

I long to be in places where people speak a different language. Different enough to cause confusion and delineation, but fascination as well whenever words that sound similar to my native English and Tagalog come up in a conversation.

I want to be in a place where the air is distinct. Where scents of cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, garlic, and lavender hang strongly in the air, slowly weaving itself to the fibers of one’s clothing and the strands of one’s hair.

I long to be in a place where people play instruments I have never seen before. I want to hear the sounds they make as expert locals make music out of them. I want to learn songs and stories that express the story of a local hero, the love of a foreign man, different versions of creation, monsters, fairies, witches, and the various exemplifications of good’s triumph over evil.

However, this is not yet meant to come to pass. My own country is full of unique backgrounds, histories, stories, songs, mountains, and beaches that I have yet to experience. I must immerse myself in them before I run off to a foreign land. I must first collect stories, knowledge, and bravery from my beautiful country so I may boast of it convincingly to blue-eyed strangers I have yet to meet.

Patience is key. Patience is also preparation, in so many ways than we think.

I always new that I am meant to see the world. I didn’t know how yet at the time I wrote this entry, but I for sure knew that one day, I’ll get to pack my bags and explore the world a little bit at a time.

As I have written here before, Paulo Coelho is right: and when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

April 28, 2018 by Daniella Reyes Categories: journalTags: dreams, literature, travel, wanderlust Leave a comment

SOMETHING TO ASPIRE FOR – TURIN 2017

“Travel, for me, is a little bit like being in love, because suddenly all your senses are at the setting marked “on.” Suddenly you’re alert to the secret patterns of the world.” – Pico Iyer

It was love at first sight. 

I never believed that it’s possible for a  moment of contact to be enough to make one fall head over heels, and be willing to do anything and everything to pursue the object of their immediate insanity.

Turin however, was unreal and otherworldly. Love at first sight, as it turns out, is possible when one travels. The entire city is a Baroque exhibit, remnants of the old Savoy-ian wealth and grandeur expertly preserved throughout the centuries. What I saw only through documentaries and mama’s collected National Geographic clippings on Italy was suddenly all before me and it was overwhelming.

I visited two palaces turned museums: Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama, former homes of Turin’s fallen monarchs, the Savoys. I was also able to see the Shroud of Turin, as well as the Egyptian Museum. The most fun I’ve had however, was at the National Museum of Cinema. It was nirvana for a lover of film and imagery, as Maria Adriana Prolo’s collection was extensive and authentic. As souvenir, I bought a postcard of Audrey Hepburn to remind me to live an elegant life. The museum was housed inside the Mole Antonelliana, Turin’s “La Tour Eiffel”, and whose panoramic lift allowed me to see the entirety of the old city as well as the surrounding Italian Alps.

The various piazzas were moving displays of the typical Italian life. Street performers playing and dancing to classical music could be found in every corner. Water fountains with steel busts of a Bull bring forth an endless stream of perfectly potable mountain spring water. The street graffiti were incredibly poetic, calling one’s amore “alleluiyah” like it’s nothing.

The locals were never in a hurry. There was always time for a stroll or a chat with a friend and an Apéritif. The only hurried thing I saw was the drinking of coffee, as “café” automatically means “espresso” and is consumed right at the bar in one to two gulps. I ate authentic pizza and lasagna, and had Sauvignon blanc with dinner followed by a shot of espresso, and then a shot of Amarre. Oh, and I also had Gelato every day.

This visit was a privilege afforded to me at work, and it was a game-changer. Turin gave me something to aspire for. I was reminded of the dream of working at the UN level I had since university. Those dreams could be translated in to a concrete plan now, with a specific UN Agency in mind, and motivated further by the desire to live in this beautiful city.

Turin cleansed me of the  distractions that have been sabotaging my goals for months. I was made to realize the importance of letting go (of people, activities) even if we might like them very much. I realized further the value of one’s mental energy, and how necessary it is to choose one’s battles in order to make sure that we are investing ourselves properly.

Most importantly however, I realized that maybe I am good enough for this dream and that someday (a foreseeable someday), maybe I could make it.

All photos were taken using an Oppo F1s+. My first full mobile photography set. 🙂 

October 9, 2017October 10, 2017 by Daniella Reyes Categories: journal, travelTags: adventure, baroque, dreams, exploration, italia, italy, photography, piemonte, street photography, torino, travel, travel photography, turin Leave a comment

On Dreams – Bangkok 2016

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is one of my favorite books. My copy came from the trash as someone from my High School decided to throw it out on our locker-cleaning day in the final days of school. Indeed one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, ha!

The book follows the story of Santiago as he crosses the Desert to reach the Egyptian pyramids where treasure is supposedly buried. This was revealed to him through a dream, and he decided to follow this dream with burning passion. In his journey he discovers the Soul of the World and meets an Alchemist who teaches him how to understand and be one with this timeless truth. As expected, his journey was anything but smooth and there were moments where he lost sight of his dream (his personal legend). In the end, he achieved his personal legend but not in the way one would expect.

There are two truths I learned from the book, and these two will continue to guide me as I go about life.

There is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.

When you’re on a journey to fulfill your Personal Legend, the whole universe conspires to help you achieve it.

Ever since junior year of college I knew that I wanted to work on an international capacity. This desire stems from a mixture of loving travel, exploration, and photography, and also wanting to do good in the world. I wanted to join either the United Nations or National Geographic, and just travel and explore frequently. I envisioned myself getting lost in foreign lands whose language I don’t speak, and whose people look drastically different from me.

I was ready for it, and after graduation I was determined to get a job at an international NGO. I blindly applied for various positions even though I was aware that I’m incredibly unqualified for all of them; and as expected I never got a call back.

Life happened and I ended up in a soul-crushing job at a BPO.

At that time, I sincerely thought my dream was dead. Life was a hard teacher and I wasn’t prepared for all its lessons. I’ve always seen the world as very Disney. My innate optimism has made me naive and the heartbreak became overwhelming.

I had given up.

But Life has other plans, and it brought me to my current job which has strong ties to various UN agencies and other international governing bodies.

I remember my interview vividly, especially the part where my current boss asked me if I was okay with traveling. I remember answering YES with a gigantic grin on my face.

Last year I was given the opportunity to visit Bangkok twice to represent the country, and our organization, to two meetings. It’s a great honor as I’ve only been with the organization for a few months.

Here are some of the photographs I took when I explored during my free time.

February 26, 2017February 26, 2017 by Daniella Reyes Categories: journal, travelTags: bangkok, dreams, mobile photography, ploenchit, pratunam, street photography, thailand, travel, travel photography, urban photography Leave a comment