Day 1, April 5, 2023

My family and I are going back home for a little vacation, to the province, since it's the holy week. We were excited because it's the first time my father has accepted the three of us to go back home; we rarely go home even if it's vacation, and the only time we can get to go is when my father is here with us from his 1-month vacation from work. We waited for three hours because we thought the black taxi would be there at 8, but no, it arrived at around 10 o'clock. 

We arrived in the province around 12; we were worn out, my mother mostly. It was so nostalgic, bringing back my old memories, even if most of them were bad ones. I got to talk with my favorite cousin. We're going to call him Jing because that's my nickname for him because I'm too lazy to call him by his real name. He's taller than me now, unlike before, when we were about the same height. I don't know why I still feel restless, even though it's a holy week, there are no classes, and we're back in the province where there are only tall trees and no smoke, just breathable air. And I've been thinking after this that we're going back to class again, and there are tons of things to do and report, and again, it's like a never ending routine. 

I just wish that I could just relax a bit and enjoy my six days of vacation without worrying about anything back home. I almost forgot I've also met my cousins cat. They named the cat Lonnie or logy Lottie, I don't know the exact spelling, I thought at first it didn't have a name, so I called the cat Kaon (Eat).

"That should be it; I don't want to keep on saying stuff that is not related to the purpose of this assignment."

[Noon, around 12:57]

She puts the phone down and goes out of the house.

(Outside, birds are chirping, and the cool breeze comes through her hair.)

(She smiles.)   

(She walks down the path all the way to her grandparents' house.)

"God, I wonder what my brother is doing there; he hasn't been in the house for a while now." [It's hot outside.] (sweating a bit)

"Perhaps I should just go back home, or not?"

She then walks towards her grandparents' house, dragging her legs and feet and feeling a little lazy throughout the day. 

[Nighttime] (grasshoppers in the background, wind whistling through the trees)

"I'm hungry; I wonder what's for dinner."

"Maybe I should finish that day one journal of mine and then eat."

[An hour has passed]

"Finally, I'm done. Doing this stuff while its holy week is really tiring to my mind" (Laughing a little)

"Now that I'm done, going to go to sleep and then do this journal stuff again until day three, even though I'm here in the province to relax and have fun, I get a feeling that something's going to happen a few days from now"

[Goes to the room, gets comfy in bed and watching youonly.com a bit then goes to sleep)

To be continued...

Day 2, April 6, 2023

I got bored from staying inside; the wifi my mother bought was not functioning well, so we got to borrow my neighbors' and is also family (which is my grandfather's sister's family). My grandmother, my mother's mother, visited again, and my little cousin and my uncle also came with her. They brought back Biko and Binignet. My mother gave them cake and lasagna (from my father's birthday) to bring back home. 

Back to my bored situation, yes, I got bored too quickly; after that, I went outside to water plants because there was nothing fun to do, and again, the wifi was not functioning well. We also do some cleaning in the house, which was left alone for many months. But the house isn't always quite, because they said it had other beings living there too. I'm still stressed and restless like I was on day one, and it's even worse than before. But I'm still a bit happy because the cat that I've known since day one came to visit, and he didn't leave the house; he was just doing some adventuring around the house. 

I was starting to crave something salty, like fries or those Mr. Springles. I think I'm not only craving stuff; maybe I'm hungry. Looking forward to tomorrow, I wonder what's in store for me and my family. 

[Afternoon, 2:37 p.m.]

"I'm hungry." 

She made a stern face, and her mind went blank for a second. Minutes have passed, and she is still hungry and craving something salty. Not knowing when her brother and mother would arrive, all she could do was keep scrolling through social media while reminiscing about the past she wanted to leave behind. She lay on the couch, staring through the walls, trying to remember and forget again and again so that she wouldn't suffer anymore.

No matter how hard she tries, the longer she stays, the more her memories flow in her mind. 

"I'm just here to have fun; wouldn't it be nice just for once?" 

"You could just give me a day where I could just forget about it and not remember." But no, you have plans just like they said, and here I wonder if it's good or bad." 

Minutes have passed, and she has calmed down, worried about what is to come tomorrow on her last day making the journal. She wanders through the house, waters the plants, and spreads out. She hums a lullaby; she remembered that it was her mother who sang it to her and her first brother, whose face she could no longer remember. The walls in their house were so white and pure, just like she was before, not yet tainted by the world's cruel tortures on the minds of a young girl. 

Forget as she wants; only God could know what goes through her mind and what her heart wants.

(Sigh)

"It's going to be a long vacation... "Now I'm craving something sweet, damn it."

To be continued...