It’s summertime and the allure of the islands and the marvelous beaches beckons us. It’s time to unwind and escape from the stress of work, school and house chores. As the song says, it’s the moment to breathe the summer wind blown from across the sea and stroll the pristine sand beneath our feet in Boracay or Bagasbas Beach. Or relish the cool mountain breeze of Baguio or Tagaytay to beat the scorching heat. Summer has so much to offer and is a much-awaited break from our routine and dreary life. But how do we enjoy summer if we cannot even leave the confines of our homes? Last year, we spent summer dipping our head in the bathtub and making 5,000 steps walking briskly inside our yard, or walking back and forth around the living room of our condo.
To my recollection, summer has never been this complicated in all the 71 summers of my life. The only change this summer is I’m now making 10,000 steps a day by walking along the corridors of our condo wearing a mask and a face shield. This was alright except that one tenant reported me to the security guard who accosted me and asked me to just do my thing inside my unit or wait until the MECQ is lifted so that I can walk outside the building provided I’ll be doing an essential task. The lawyer in me wanted to argue that it’s a restriction of my freedom of mobility, but I worry that I may get red-tagged. I also open wide the windows in our 38th Floor condo unit to get the mountain breeze blown from across Laguna Bay.
The pandemic has stolen our summer and its frolics from both the young and the old. There are many things we look forward to during summer. Travel. Family vacation. Summer camp. Workshop. Family reunion. School get-together. Sports activity. Fiesta. Summer festival. And many more. Even the long school holiday, which used to start at the end of March and wind up in the first week of June, has been changed. Now, classes in public schools end in June and will reopen on August 23 as announced by the DepEd. The long school break is no longer “fun months”. July and August have heavy rainfall and people stay indoor to avoid floods, landslides and calamities. The pandemic and new school calendar have conspired to kill the thrill of summer.
Back in the province where I was born and grew up, summer was the biggest sporting event in the country. Who would forget the heroes of the Tour of Luzon—Rodrigo Abaquita, Jose Moring, J., Jose Sumalde, Jess Garcia and Cornelio Padilla? Our province hosted summer basketball tournaments with participating teams from all the towns. The star players became sports idols. Some of them even became big players in the MICAA and PBA like Atoy Co and Yoyoy Villamin. Summer is the season for “senakulo” and “penitensya” where the pain and suffering are replaced by the joy of Easter and the gaiety of “Flores de Mayo”. It is also “fiesta” time in many villages that showcased the native cuisine and where guests were treated to delightful carnivals, sports fests and variety shows featuring local and imported performers from the big cities. Popular bands as far as Malabon, Cavite and Navotas provided the music to keep the dancers swaying and swooning all night long.
The rite of circumcision, which promotes a child to manhood, occurs in summer. In the olden days when the procedure was done by the neighborhood barber, the ritual was concluded by chewing guava leaves and jumping into the river. It was done in a group so that no one could fake it. One had to have it or he would not belong to the group.
Summer is not complete unless one has engaged in an adventure, one form or the other. He could do mountain climbing, forest hiking, river cruising, or jungle survival. Or he could join summer camps or workshops (sports, arts and culture, drama and acting). The most tragic is attending summer classes to make up for failed subjects, although it could be fun meeting new friends who are all “bulakbol” in class. One does not have to spend a fortune to have a memorable summer. We had a picnic in the nearby beach, river or even in the irrigation canal just to get relief from the blazing heat of the sun, and brought food that we cooked at the place. One could always travel to Baguio, Tagaytay or Boracay with family or friends if your budget permits. Otherwise, you could always visit your folks in the province who could provide you free board and lodging. Enjoy the natural wonders of the place. Discover its hidden paradise. If you have no travel money, nowadays with mushrooming malls, one can troop to the well air-conditioned mall to do window-shopping, people watching, or just cool yourself. In your neighborhood, many households sell “halo halo” or ice-candy, which sells like hotcake. And you can relish them outside your yard al fresco.
In our town, it was a custom to serenade a “bakasyonista” from Manila or other places. Normally they are young coeds visiting their relatives or joining their classmates in our place during school break. All you needed was a guitar and a songbook where you could mimic Cenon Lagman, Ruben Tagalog and Ric Manrique. After the introductory serenade, you could already visit and court the “bakasyonista”, which culminates by inviting her to the Summer dance at the town plaza. And your summer is made unless she is chosen as a “sagala” in the “Santacruzan” where she could attract a lot of suitors.
You don’t have to go to a world-heritage site to spend your summer. Every place has its own corner of Eden. You just have to find it. Summer is pure fun and adventure. There is something for everyone during summer. Don’t let it pass without fun. Even during the age of pandemic. Summer is one of the casualties of Covid-19. Lost summers will not come back to us but we will survive this lonely summer and this dreaded disease. Promise me that we will meet in June when summer is gone.