Fernandez, Joanna Lynne M.

Geog 1 Topophilia Paper

February 18, 2014

They say you cant love two at the same time or youll be a player. Well then, I am a player. But dont judge. I am not talking about persons here rather I am talking about places. So am I in love with places, you may ask. Yes, definitely, I am in love not just with a place but five places in total. I know Valentines Day has just passed and you might think that this is just me expressing my bitterness. Some might even think that I am getting deranged by saying that I am in love with places. But I tell you, being in love with a place is natural. There is even a word for it. Topophilia is the love of place, my Geography professor said. I am not much of a traveller so I cannot claim to be an expert in this topophilia thing. My family rarely went out of towns so almost all my travels were just from the camps, competitions, and field trips I attended to. My life must have been boring you say but hey, the memories are the ones that count. I have lived the first 14 years of my life in Pangasinan. There, I grew up from being the little girl that I was before. I entered school until I finished high school back in 2012. I can claim I am a proud Pangasinense, but just half. My Mom was originally from Pampanga so basically, I am half Kapampangan, a proud one too. Back when I was little, we travelled to Pampanga to visit our relatives there and we still do. From the ten siblings of my Mom, you could just imagine how big our family is. I have lots of cousins which mean lots of memories shared too. Some of the fond memories I had happened in my Moms hometown Arayat, Pampanga. Specifically, the ancestral house was in Brgy. Paralaya. There isnt something special about the place except that it is very near Mt. Arayat. I remember fantasizing about the mountain when I was a child. I dreamt of climbing it until I reach the top. Honestly, my cousins and I even tried running towards it thinking it was actually near but we failed. Our short and thin legs failed us. There was this one time though when we actually reached the mountain. It was summer so swimming was a norm. My family decided to visit this resort situated on the mountains foot. The place was awesome. The pool water was very cold because it actually came from the top of the mountain. My favorite part was the mini waterfall. I must say Arayat is one of the places that I fell in love with. The people are so nice, they do talk a lot. The unusual tone they create by speaking their native tongue makes me feel very at home. You see, I have the Kapampangan blood running inside of me so I cannot help but tell you how much of a beauty the province really is. It was also a summer, when one of my cousins friends invited us to stay in one of the rest houses in Clark Fields. The offer was unexpected but we still went. We were a bunch of maniacs. We wanted some adventure. It was exciting because thats our first summer without any parental or elderly guidance. We were by ourselves. At first, I thought Clark was just some place one often reads about in history books, nothing special. I thought it would not be so much fun but I was so wrong. The place was so green. Very huge trees were planted on the sides of the street giving the whole place a cool breeze, exactly what we needed for a hot summer. There were so many trees it became a wonder how the place was kept clean. The house we stayed had this American vibe probably because it was originally an American soldiers rest house. It was cool though , we were like in a totally different place. The whole place was also great. There was this park that had a very high slide on it, the highest I had seen in my life. The market place was also great. I remember the one stall that rents bicycles for a fair price. There were basketball courts, a covered and uncovered one. My male cousins used to play there

against other groups of boys. It was all for fun and they became our new friends. And mind you, there is a mall inside, SM City Clark, so whenever we get tired there was a place that offered us our needs. I cannot really forget that summer, probably wont ever. The third place I love must be Batac City, Ilocos Norte. I was there for a weeklong summer camp, my first camp experience. Naturally, I was excited and all. My classmates and I planned for all the things that wed do once we arrive in Batac. We really thought itd just be a one fun and chill summer but we were wrong. My judgment failed me again. We didnt really know that we really had to stay outside and sleep in tents. We were childish then. Surprisingly though, the activities that the organizers prepared for us were hell much exciting than what we had expected. We went cleaning the coastal areas. We competed with other teams in many fun activities. We tired ourselves out but it was worth it. As a conclusion to the camp, we had our field trip on the last day. From there, I had the chance to see most of what the north has to offer. I had gone to Pagudpud beach and the windmills. It was so much fun though it de nicer if the museum where the replica of Marcos body is situated was open that day. Nevertheless, it was still awesome. The fun I had with my classmates will always be remembered. The fourth on my list will be Lingayen, Pangasinan. It wasnt my residence place but it still holds many of my favorite moments while growing up. My preschool, elementary, and secondary high school were all situated in this town. Many of my firsts happened in there so it will always be special. My first academic award, my first basketball game, and my first dance all these took place in this lovely town. Basically, Lingayen is the towns province so it was a bit busy compared to the surrounding towns. It had a nice park and market, and an old historic church in its town proper. The provinces capitol was also situated there. You see, Pangasinan also claims to have the most beautiful capitol building in the entire country. Lingayen is also famous for its beaches that are constantly being developed by the local government. Near our school, there was also a sports complex called Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center, named after FVRs father. Some games were held there back when the country hosted the SEA games. With all these, the town can be said to be a true beauty. Almost every part of it became significant to me. Lastly, the place that I love the most would be my home. It is in a small barangay called Lomboy in the town of Binmaley, Pangasinan. Our place was small compared to other barangays but still, it had this vibe that I always sought for. Almost all the people in it were blood related with one another. I remember having so many to call Tito and Tita especially when I was still a child. Everyone was like a family. Though there had been some fights, the community still and never fails to talk around and be okay with one another. Most especially, I fell in love with the place because it was the place where I grew up. It was where I transformed from the little girl I was before to the young woman that I am now. It is where my home is, my home that holds almost all the best and worst feelings I have ever had in life. I will always feel connected with it and I know that it will always be there to welcome me with open arms. Lomboy will always be a part of me. In the end, I have made myself a player because of loving five places at the same time. But I dont care, I dont have any regrets. The memories I share with them are much likely the best I have and surely enough, they will always have a special place in my heart.