Nostalgia in Initao

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Cagayan De Oro, the City of Golden Friendship

Thank God for Cebu Pacific’s 10 peso promo fare!!! We are now here at Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental (North Central Mindanao). Luckily, they have just switched to using VERY new planes. Thus, the travel experience onboard was superb.

It has been six years since I’ve been here at my dad’s province. My mom and I headed straight to my Tito’s house in PNRoa. We took a cab, which was WAY better and newer than those that we have in Manila. What a shame, hehe! Anyhow, I was amused by the many structural changes we saw along the way. There were high end subdivisions located near the airport. There were new school buildings and ofcourse, an SM Mall by the entrance of PNRoa. I was enjoying the view as my mom chatted away with the cab driver in Visayan dialect. (I have long missed that feeling of being around Visayan-speaking people. It was nostalgic to me.) He asked if I understood any of what they have been talking about and I replied "Gamay ra"(Just a little).

At my Tito’s house I finally met Ate Sherlyn and her two bouncy kids, Djako and Daron. Together we took her car and drove to my dad’s hometown which is an hour away from the city.

Driving to Initao

From the city, we drove past Opol, which they say is a town that has a lot of ostrich farms. We drove past Tubigan, which is named so due to its close vicinity to the sea. Then we finally passed by a long stretch of dense, green trees. It was like a nature park or sanctuary. I wanted to explore it but I had to defer such desire. We do not have enough time for now. To my delight, we have already entered the town of Initao. It was a simple and quaint place. We stopped by the national road and immediately saw the house where my dad spent his childhood.

Seeing Initao for the First Time

I needed a few moments by myself. I tried to open the door of this old and eerie house. The door was locked. (Secretly, I was afraid the whole house might crash into me if I forced it open.) I snooped around the walkable corner where the house was built on. I was somehow missing my dad. I can imagine the happy, playful moments my dad and his siblings spent in this big wooden house. They say my dad’s family used to run a school in here. So I peeked thru the dusty window to check out any trace of furniture inside but I only saw chickens and rattan wood scattered about.

We also saw my dad’s school, Xavier High School. It’s drastically smaller compared to the Xavier schools I have seen in Manila and in CDO (Cagayan De Oro City). It was a two-storey building with a small stage in front. That was it; plus a big tree by the entrance and a vast uncemented campus. I was fortunate to have met my dad’s teachers while we were there. We spent some time chatting with them and yes, they still remember my dad and his 4 other siblings who once marched to their classrooms.

Stride Over a Flame

We again hopped into the car and drove to the nearby town cemetery. Just like any public cemetery, it was a maze of weathered tombs, crawling vines, and thick tree leaves. It took us a while to look for my grandparents’ tombs. To our dismay, the epitaphs on their tombs were gone -- probably stolen. We said our prayers then walked and crawled our way out of the cemetery. By the exit, there was a small burning bunch of dry leaves (“siga”, in Tagalog). My mom told me to stride over it. I know it’s some superstitious belief but I did stride over the flame anyway.

I wanted to familiarize myself more about this town but we had to go back to the city before darkness sets in. I can’t help but feel satisfied that my mom and Ate Sherlyn brought me here.

So long Initao! I shall return.

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Photos

My Dad's Ancestral House
A view of the second floor... beautifully withstanding the decades

Comments

[Jingguy]

hi, just want to know if you're related to the the late atty. jose amarga... my mother is from initao, ( i love your blog) tnx

[annmariemarie]

Hi Jingguy, Yes I am related to the late Atty Jose Amarga! Thanks for appreciating my travel blog. Marie

[ara]

i missed that place
i remember when i was a little girl, takot kami dumaan diyan, masungit kasi ang may-ari, pag-tumitingin kami sa beranda nila biglang may sumisingaw"hoy!! anong tinitingin-tinginan niyo!!"gulat na gulat kami..Kaya everytime na dumaan kami,straight lang ang direction namin...Now, nakatira ako dito sa S.Korea...na miss ko na ang hometown ko....

[annmariemarie]

@ara
Wow taga-Initao ka pala! Katuwa naman.. ive been meeting a lot of pinoys from all over the world coz of this post on Initao!

[addie monreal]

home sweet home
when i saw your blog and read it i missed my mom right away. heheheh. im at manila right now working in a call center here in ortigas. im always proud of being an initaonon even to my classmates during my colleges days. even im in manila now still there's no place like initao. im happy for you ann marie coz you did visit the place where your ancestors came from and thats a good thing to do. for all of us we need to know where we came from in order for us to know where we go.

[phoebe]

i grew up in initao
i grew up in initao, you should've stayed a little longer and you could've meet a lot of your relatives and realize that you are related by blood to almost everybody in town. My mom or my aunts probably knew your father, its always the case here...anyways its nice to read something personal about my town, i miss it there.

[annmariemarie]

@ska8r_angel03
Yah I wish we had more time to stay. Hopefully next time, I get to see Initao again and get to know the people there! Thanks, I am happy enough to know that my personal take on this trip was worth your time.

[esrevan]

hai!
wooooooooow!nice view !!

[jkai]

marami ka ba kilala na mga amarga? amarga kasi lolo ko. maybe we're related. hehe and im also related to late atty. jose amarga he is my lolo's cousin. :)