But this trip was the longest I’d ever been there. I made an astounding discovery about my mental health.įrom 2013 to 2019, my trips to Cebu between college semesters and day jobs would last a couple weeks max-sometimes, I’d be there for only two days, with barely enough time to catch up. The only person really left here was me, so I always looked forward to my short Cebu trips, whether it was for Holy Week or Christmas. And over time, we slowly returned to our roots my sister moved back to study in nearby Dumaguete in 2017, and my brother would be there for months during the summer until he finally picked up the language in 2018. After five years, we got to fly back and reunite with our dad’s side. We had been alienated from both sides of our extended family for reasons too long to talk about here. I moved to Manila with my family in 2008 at 12 years old, during a particularly tumultuous time in our lives. Little did I know, my time back home would stretch out for much longer than planned. So I made the decision to fly home with my dad.

Then I did the math and realized that my favorite cousin, Jillian, would be celebrating her birthday in a week.

He had come from a 12-month contract abroad as a seafarer and was excited to come home, brand-new UTV in tow, and reunite with my big, boisterous family. It was March 2, and my dad was preparing for a much-awaited flight to Cebu, after a month of having stayed in my Manila apartment for work errands.

Did cosmo run article about siblings