Dear Niwee,
Here’s something funny. I was in Anawangin Cove that weekend with one of my traveling dolls, Raya, having our photo taken together. Little did I know that someone is beginning to question my sanity. He told a friend, “Voodoll doll ba ‘yun? Ayoko na ‘atang lumapit kay Lorna,”
It didn’t end there. I was showing my own mother pictures of Lunah in Tibet yesterday. Instead of awe and/or envy, she expressed disdain. “Para kang mangkukulam!”
So before you dismiss me as a doll-carrying lunatic, please allow me to explain. Gathering inspiration from the French film Amelie and Willy Puchner‘s Traveling Penguins, I decided to have globe-trotting dolls to serve as my endorsers for my t-shirt business‘s upcoming designs. The t-shirt statements read “Pambansang Lagalag” and “Pagkahaba-haba man ng prusisyon, sa ‘Pinas pa rin ang tuloy!”
In my heart, this is beyond business. This is a social movement in the making. See, Raya, the one who dons the “Pambansang Lagalag” tee is our invitation to see more of our own arresting country before obsessing about passport stamps. Isn’t it sad to hear foreigners rave and express their appreciation for our culture? Let’s take Anthony Bourdain, for example. How about the countless expats who fell in love and opted to stick around? PLEASE. Let’s not be an alien in our own home.
Raya’s Postcards from Caramoan
Raya’s Postcards from Roxas City
Raya’s Postcards from Zamboanga
Raya’s Postcards from Anawangin
Raya’s Postcards from Las Piñas City
Raya’s Postcards from Puerto Princesa
Raya’s Postcards from Cagayan de Oro
Lunah’s (Last) Supper in Pen Pen
Lunah’s (Last) Breakfast in Salcedo Market
Lunah’s (Last) Food Trip in Ilocos