Love and Vacation

By Noel Galon de Leon

After a grueling year teaching Filipino, Creative Writing, and Translation, I’m finally savoring a well-deserved break. I had promised myself a luxurious vacation following graduation in July, and now, here I am, having flown straight from Iloilo to Manila right after the ceremony. I’m eagerly looking forward to reuniting with my partner of nearly 13 years.

Given our demanding schedules—he’s based in London and I’m in Iloilo—we rarely get to spend extended time together. Though we often meet in exciting cities like Singapore or Hong Kong, Bali has always been our dream destination for longer getaways. This year, however, we decided on a whim to forgo our travel plans and stay home instead, finding solace in a quiet retreat without leaving the house.

This decision has proven to be ideal. It has given me the opportunity to explore the books I’ve been eager to read and to focus on my creative projects. The intense workload of the past year left little room for leisurely reading, so I’m now using this break to immerse myself in novels, poetry collections, and short stories that I’ve missed. Moreover, I plan to organize my laptop files and compile my poems into a collection.

One of the greatest pleasures of this vacation has been adopting an early bedtime and relishing the tranquility of early mornings. I cherish the peaceful moments spent with my partner, sipping coffee and watching the world go by from our window. The serene silence of these mornings feels deeply comforting and full of promise.

This downtime also offers a chance to find balance in daily life. I’m experimenting with new recipes, acknowledging the importance of exercise, and planning to incorporate gym visits into my routine. I find joy in tending our small garden, organizing clothes, and deciding what to pass on to friends and family. We make it a point to clean the house thoroughly and enjoy watching TikTok reels from our favorite vloggers during breaks. However, despite TikTok’s entertainment value, I’m frustrated by the misleading content, especially misinformation about sensitive issues like martial law under Marcos and extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s administration.

We need to be vigilant about the content our children, nieces, and nephews encounter online. Not everything on the internet benefits their personal growth; in fact, platforms like TikTok and Facebook can often have a negative impact on their mental health.

During this vacation, I’ve also managed to catch up on laundry, soaking our white clothes and drying them without the washing machine’s dryer. I genuinely enjoy these long breaks when we’re not rushed with household chores and can take our time. This slower pace helps me think clearly, especially after a challenging few month filled with personal and professional obstacles.

While reading La Tercera by Gina Apostol earlier, I found myself pondering what it would be like if teachers had longer vacations. We might have more opportunities to read good books and novels that deepen our understanding of our subjects. I’m genuinely captivated by each page of this novel, savoring every sentence and character dialogue without any rush.

I remember a time when I was grading papers and couldn’t put down The Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven. The story was so captivating that I read it non-stop, nearly missing the deadline for submitting grades. Thankfully, I managed to meet the deadline the next day. It’s amazing how a gripping novel can make you push the limits just to finish it.

In general, teachers in the Philippines face significant challenges in finding time to enhance their professional skills. Opportunities to attend conferences are limited, often due to the difficulty of obtaining travel permits and the high registration fees. Even purchasing books can be a challenge due to their high cost. This situation can be overwhelming for educators.

My partner and I occasionally discuss whether I should resign from my teaching job. He believes that, given my skills and resourcefulness, I could find a more manageable job with a decent salary. However, I explain how much I love teaching and the fulfillment I get from working with my students year after year. Once I share my passion for my profession, we no longer argue about my job.

My partner’s understanding and support show that he values my happiness over financial concerns. He recognizes that loving what you do is essential for personal satisfaction and integrity. This is why I continue to embrace my role as a teacher with dedication.

As I fold laundry while watching CNN and occasionally glance at my partner engrossed in his Kindle, this day feels almost idyllic. If we could be together every day, I’d seize the opportunity without hesitation. However, given our need to work toward our dreams and support my nieces and nephews, we must maintain our separate lives.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a partner, a sentiment that strikes me as I return to my novel. There’s truth in the saying that we accept the love we believe we deserve. I feel truly cherished because, despite our age difference, we don’t let it hinder our ability to dream and embrace our relationship with pride.

When this vacation ends, we’ll return to our respective lives—he as an accountant in the UK and I as a teacher in Iloilo. We’ll resume our work with renewed determination to achieve our goals. Yet, as I organize the clothes in the cabinet of our small condo here in Manila, I make this promise: I will continue to love my partner deeply and strive to bring him happiness every day, despite the distance between us. I will keep dreaming of more vacations like this, where we can spend extended time together, converse face-to-face, have our disagreements, and ultimately, forgive and grow closer.

Noel Galon de Leon is a writer and educator at University of the Philippines Visayas, where he teaches in both the Division of Professional Education and U.P. High School in Iloilo. He serves as an Executive Council Member of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts-National Committee on Literary Arts.