I AM Lyn. I also write as Elina. Or any other name but my favorite pen name is Aliguas Rayos.
I had hoped to retire as a journalist before I even got my senior citizen ID. I had always dreamt of pursuing other vocations besides being a life-time pen-pusher word factory.
Thus, my deviation to acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and later agriculture. Mind you, it was not easy. I had to re-educate my senses and sensibilities. At 54, I enrolled in TCM, eventually getting a government accreditation before I turned 55.
At 62 I obtained my first NCII in Agricultural Crop Production; did a three-year hands-on self-teaching, building a food forest out of a sandy shore; acquired the second NCII in Organic Agricultural Production at 65; and turned to propagation of Philippine native trees, which I now advocate.
Huh! All these brawny and brainy activities make this 65-year old active, despite some muscle pains here and there. Thank God of History and Creation! There are no joint pains yet but I fear an onset of forgetfulness.
By the way, becoming a journo is no accident either. Seminars that were intermittent then still come and go, and if given a chance to be trained again, I always see it that I attend. With or without an outfit as a suffix to my Elina V. Ramo.
I did not expect a quick coverage of a fishing village . I was just having fun riding a van that took off at around 6:00 a.m. I had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to do the morning routines but I woke up at around 5:15 instead. So I asked to be accommodated while rushing to take a chilly bath. It was cool…that ride with young journos, the age of my daughters. I did not know what to expect, neither did I know what was expected of me. I just prepared for the ride.
At the site, the editor-in-chief of the coolest travel magazine I ever saw was already in a working mode. I was quite sleepy but not feeling like I would like to sit. It was her who organized this trip. I was more than excited to see her there, albeit surprised to find her waiting for our team.
The boat ride to the mangroves was a bonus. It was a pleasant surprise! Seeing myself boarding a banca locals call “bilog” was just amazing! It is one for the journals!
The boat ride and the casual talks with our boatman was not just an ordinary ride. It was so leisurely, almost relaxing, never appearing to be one of those coverages I had before. Riding with one of the guests was another unforgettable one. It was like serving me what I needed on a silver platter, with all the perks that also tickled my interests as a person. In fact, we were discussing about native mangrove species, life in the mangrove sites, even Baguio’s waste management that would consider low-land mangroves that might be endangered.
2023 was indeed a year to remember! I am glad it found me grabbing opportunities that came without me even asking.
