My family left for the province and so I am left at home with my mom's half-sister, bored to death.
I was at school today, dreading the thought of going home to nothing, thinking that my "aunt" might not be home when I do; and so I decided to look for this book store.
Manila is a tough place, with smooth edges, and so I braved what is called "Remedios Circle" to look for "The Filipino Bookstore," which is supposed to be along the road leadig to that "Circle." I was wearing black capris, a red shirt with my sister's fuscia JanSport hanging on my back (which had 2 novels, a notebook, my wallet and cellphone and all of my readings for my Internation Studies class), and all I had on were a pair of Doc Martens maryjanes.
From school to Remedios, I took a jeep, not knowing where my feet will take me, so when I got down, I decided to look for that book store. So cross Taft and walked into Remedios. I walked past about 8 blocks, thankfully without hearing cat calls and whistles, and not to mention the occassional beggar. I finally got to the circle, and was surprised to see it full of people. Kids were running around barefoot on the concrete, students enjoying the beginning od summer break with a cigarette, and a few people from more affluent classes waiting for the cafes and restaurants to open. I walked around the circle, thinking about where to take my family out, and encountered a 5 year old boy, screaming the Filipino equivalent to SOB to playmates who wouldn't come near him (gee...wonder why).
So I went around the circle, and found no bookstore. Probably it's on a backroad somewhere, but I know it's somewhere around the area. I went around, and went back to where my jeep dropped me, suddenly becoming aware of the skin peeling off the back of my foot where the maryjanes stop and hit skin.
It was a humbling experiece...walking is always a humbling experience. You never the streets until your feet have spanned its paths. The experience was humbling because I now know what a hobbit feels like carrying all that weight while walking and at the same time wondering whether or not you will get to where you want to be.
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