We Crossed A Line (Literally): Trespassing Our Way Into Peace

Hello, Hivers! Did you have a frustrating, stressful day at work, at home, or at school? We all experience this almost every day, and for some who are fortunate enough, this rarely happens to them. But for us who are gracefully affected by these physiological responses, we find ways to cope and adjust. We find ways where we can still breathe and continue to do our responsibilities without losing ourselves. You, how do you cope? Because for me, walking is the best way to cope and bring my body back to safety. In this blog, I'll share with you our little walk in our town of San Remigio, where we strolled in the woods with our dogs after a stressful day at work and school.

We still live near the tent city, the permanently relocated residence of San Remigio, where those who were forced to leave their no-build zone barangay reside. Today, we finally visited this place again and reached the woods where we unexpectedly entered, or trespassed, let's say, into Purita Farmhouse. It was a quick but memorable walk for us because we finally got to visit and reach the woods that led us to the farmhouse that I once visited years ago.

This is what they call the tent city, but obviously this is a village filled with container vans where affected residents of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake have been living for eight months now. There were many tents here before where I volunteered in psychosocial support in partnership with our program in psychology. But most of them left the village and chose to live again in their old houses in danger just to survive and live with more convenience and familiarity.

Finally, we were able to reach the woods part of this area, and it was because I was with my boyfriend. I wasn’t able to reach it before because I walked my dogs alone, and I was scared of the woods. But today, I figured out it is really a calm and safe place. Especially after a stressful day, nature really helps us cope and recover. When I walked here, I was able to breathe and recover immediately. The greens and the breeze were so gentle and calm, they released tension both in my body and mind.

As we walked farther, we were shocked to have trespassed into Purita Farmhouse. I wrote about this place before, and to quote from my previous blog:

Purita Farmhouse and Resort is a resort in Bangkal, San Remigio, Cebu, built in a 4-hectare mango orchard that sounds odd for northern Cebuanos, as we are not accustomed to this kind of resort setting. Despite the impression, this resort has attracted not only local people but also tourists across the island and sometimes even foreigners. Since it is in an orchard setting, the resort gives you a countryside feeling despite the fact that the town it is located in is the center of the north, which means it is quite busy and noisy. That’s why I commended the resort when we arrived there, as they made a good choice of setting where it is not disturbed or busy for visitors.

Unexpectedly, we reached this mango orchard by entering through the woods at the back. Visitors usually enter the farmhouse via the highway behind the town’s cemetery, and I was shocked that we reached it from the back. At first, we were hesitant, but we figured out that the farmhouse is not operating yet after the earthquake, and there were no restrictions since there was no staff. We trespassed only for a few minutes, so don’t worry.

We didn’t go inside the farmhouse or reach the house or pool area. It was only the mango orchard where a statue and a historical landmark of the Lady of Fatima, with three holy statues facing and praying, can be found. A bench is also installed near it, with mango trees in the background. It is not maintained now, the farmhouse, and I guess it will come back soon in a more beautiful way.

We explored the lower corners of the farmhouse, where we sat near the entrance in the woods where we entered. We sat on the bench and took photos of our dog at the landmark. I believe that historical landmark, the solid stone, had a statue before but it is now removed. Maybe because of the earthquake. It must have had one so the three statues praying below can make sense.

It was a short walk, but it gave us the kind of rest we needed before going back to our usual routine.