Traveling has always been a fun and memorable experience for me, especially when it’s done with my family. I was in junior high when I first traveled, and I did it with a beloved cousin. We toured Ilocos, both north and south, and she introduced me to my mother’s relatives–our relatives. That was one summer vacation that I would never forget. For the first time, I got to meet nearly everyone in my mother’s clan. I saw the places she frequented when she was growing up, and I finally acknowledged that I had an Ilocano blood in my veins. We went from one museum to another when we were in Vigan, and  sought out some of our distant relatives in certain barrios. I even got to name a newborn calf at one of those remote places we visited! Of course, I named it after myself so they would remember me. I also got to play not only at the beach, but also in the river banks. It’s like a whole new world opened up to me when I visited …