Back in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, I started Hunting the Rememberer: Chimera Anamnesis. On my first days at UP, I’d sit on the steps outside the massive Main Library, and I’d eat my baon and write the first pages of Chapter 1: Cala. It was fun to have lunch there and write. I didn’t know anyone yet, but the awesomeness of all the jungle nature around me was just a breathtaking backdrop to the words I was putting to paper.
As the days and weeks passed, I made friends. I’d hang out around the Anthropology library (also featured in my book), around Palma Hall, the Faculty Center, the College of Arts and Letters… I’d stay in an org tambayan or, if I needed time by myself, I’d stay in the Lagoon. I found a massive boulder beneath a Talisay tree in the Lagoon, and there I’d climb and sit and write. If I had a great idea, I’d skip class to write there. No obligation to buy food or drinks like in a cafe. If it rained lightly, I had an umbrella in my bag. If it was sunny, the same umbrella could shade me as I wrote. The leafless tree listened as I read aloud the alliteration in some passages I’d written. It was such a beautiful space, I eventually had my graduation photo on that rock. 🙂
After I left UP, I had to find other places to write. A hammock in a park or on the beach. Cafes around the world. A desk at home… But I still do miss that rock.
Filipino words:
*baon : packed lunch
*tambayan : hangout
23 May 2020