And I’m proud to say I love it.

You know how, when you visit a friend’s house for the first time, you are drawn to explore every room, every nook and cranny, so that you can ooh and ahh in amazement and wonder at the beauty and love that resides in there?

My girlfriends and I have been barely able to contain our excitement at the prospect of getting together as one big group of scrapping gals in Chicago next summer. I’ve been to some places, but never to Chicago, so it’s something I’m definitely looking forward to (though even more than the city, it is the thought of seeing my friends that totally excites me!)

When all this talk about getting together began, I issued a standing invitation to everyone to come see my homeland. It’s an offer without an expiration date. 🙂 And to provide everyone of them with a sneak preview of what they could be looking forward to, I found an excellent “brochure.” It’s right here, below.

A few words, though, before you view it:

1. Photos are never really the same as the real thing, are they? In the same way, I personally feel that, though this is the best showcase (so far) of what my motherland has, there is still no substitute for seeing, tasting, smelling, and experiencing the Real Thing. And the fact that many of the best Filipino artists (including world-class Florante and Lea Salonga) are doing the story-telling is no small thing! 🙂

2. This is best appreciated in the native language, as there is no substitute for the beauty and color and expressiveness of a language in its original form; its flavor and nuances are often lost in translation. I wish I could tell you more about all the wonderful places and food that are mentioned here (like how Taal Volcano happens to be the smallest volcano in the whole world, and Mayon Volcano is known for its near-perfect cone), but it would take pages and pages and pages of writing and still I would not have scratched the surface. So I’ve just provided a link to more information–click on the “beauty of the Philippines” line in the translation below… (just put any place or item in the search box and it’ll take you to a wonderful source of information).

Enjoy the visual and auditory treat, and I hope one day to be able to enjoy all these with you, my friends, beside me. 🙂

Here’s my very rough and very humble translation of the song:

Are you feeling sad, bored, exhausted?

Are you tired, slaving away night and day?

Has your life lost meaning, devoid of spark and color?

Is everyday the same, like nothing ever changes?

Let’s go! Let’s travel together with our family,

Our closest friends, and the whole ensemble

So that we can truly have a great time.

Come on, let’s travel so that we can see

The beauty of the Philippines,

The greatness of the Filipino

Have you been to Intramuros and Luneta?

Palawan, Vigan and Batanes

Subic, Baguio, and Rice Terraces?

Have you seen the vintas of Zamboanga

Taal Volcano, Mayon Volcano

The beaches of Boracay and La Union?

Let’s go! Let’s travel from Basco all the way to Jolo

So that we can truly get to know

All our fellow Filipinos

Come on, let’s travel so that we can see

The beauty of the Philippines,

The greatness of the Filipino

From city to city

Seven thousand and one hundred plus islands

In my beloved Philippines

Let’s go to Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao

Don’t be a foreigner in your own land

Have you tried shooting the rapids in Pagsanjan?

Have you gone diving in Anilao

Or surfing in Siargao?

Have you tasted the sisig of Pampanga,

Durian of Davao, Milkfish of Dagupan,

Bicol Express and Balayan Lechon?

Let’s go, let’s travel

Then we’ll be able to help somehow

In improving the lives of all our countrymen

Come on, let’s travel so that we can see

The beauty of the Philippines,

The greatness of the Filipino

Have you joined the fun of the Pahiyas and Masskara,

Moriones and Ati-atihan,

Sinulog and Kadayawan?

Have you attended the fiesta at Peñafrancia in Naga?

Gone up to Antipolo?

Danced in Obando?

Let’s go, let’s travel so that we can attain

Happiness and friendship,

Progress and peace

Come on, let’s travel so that we can see

The beauty of the Philippines,

The greatness of the Filipino

Come on, let’s travel…

Wow, Philippines

Come on, let’s travel!