My Feet on the Ground

Photos: My Scholarship entry - Family Album

keeponwalking — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:51:00 GMT

I am a freelance graphic designer and an apprentice wedding photographer for a studio. Photography, layout design and traveling are three of my passions in life. More than the landscapes, I get satisfaction each time I get to photo the locals. My travel isn’t complete without it. I prefer to see a place by foot because I see and feel more. I get to interact with the people and get the photos that I’m happy about. Travel photography for me is all about learning and sharing. When people see my photos, I want them to see the positive side of things, just as I’ve experienced it, and to learn what I’ve learned. And this would make them want to go to the place, more than just the scenery. Through my photos, I just want them to be tourists that are undetached, someone who yearns for more interaction. I wish to tell them it’s the people and their activities that make up the true beauty of a place. I would want to be the inspiration for them to have the drive for real travel, just as I was inspired by a few people. Having these goals, and being an amateur, it would be a real benefit for me to be mentored not just about photography techniques, but also how to be an ingenious photographer.

My Indian Birthday Gift

keeponwalking — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:16:00 GMT

I have always been interested in everything Indian. Indian accessories, sculptures, patterns, mandala, gods, Indian eyes, Indian food, etc. I've always been wanting to see Taj Mahal. I met someone in Vietnam who has been in and out of India for lots of times. So one day, I told myself, why don't I make it happen? Why don't I go there? For my birthday! So there, last Sept 25-Oct 6 of this year (Sept 26 was my birthday), I went to India. Wonderful, wonderful 11 days. I arrived in Delhi, went ahead to Agra, then Khajuraho, Varanasi, then Kolkata. It was the best birthday gift for myself so far. My host in Delhi (through Couch Surfing) was a real blessing for me too. They were really sweet, always giving me fruits before I go, we had dinner at their house during my birthday, and they gave me lovely tokens, earrings and necklace, as a bday gift! They were also very helpful to me in terms of going around Delhi. God bless their family!

I have so many memorable experiences there, mostly from the people, both Indians and foreigners, whom I have interacted with, met along the way. I have so many photos too that I want to show to all of you at the same time! Please do check my photo blog if you have the time for some of my unfogettable sights there, and some of my thoughts about India.

www.lizranola.blogspot.com

I will post photos and info per week. I don't want to overwhelm everyone on the length. I'll get overwhelmed too just preparing them! Hope you enjoy!

My Scholarship entry - A local encounter that changed my life

keeponwalking — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:32:38 GMT

I started my year by staying in a farmer’s house in Ifugao, Philippines, last 2011. It has been my perennial curiosity each time I stare at rice fields from my bus window on the way to some province. And it all became possible through the SITMo (Save the Ifugao Movement) a group that aims to educate tourists through immersion in their natural farming cycle to aid revive their disappearing identity, the rice terraces. It is a progressive problem as the newer generations migrate in the city, leaving their own lands arid. Farmer Grandma Maria Galeon from SITMo was our host. She was accommodating, caring, a lover of natural environment, and an educator of life.
For days I lived like Grandma Maria. My legs burrowed the thick mud, shaped the rice paddies with my bare hands, and planted rice. I ate what they eat and did what they do. I won't forget the bat we ate, it's bitter taste and how it struggled as it's grilled alive. I was a visitor who couldn't say no to this hospitality. She treated me not as a tourist, but like a curious granddaughter trying to learn everything for the first time. I realized I was a student of history and good values. I was a student of what real hard work and perseverance was. And as Grandma Maria shared her sentiments on how modernity is affecting them, I thought how sad it must be for the elders to see the land that they and their ancestors cared for depreciate. It heightened my value for balance, simplicity and culture.
I wish to be more engaged in Ifugao someday, whether be an educator or an active member of SITMo. For now, I’m glad to have shown their importance through my pictures. And if life will lead me to more distant places, my stories of Ifugao will serve as a constant reminder of what I am here for—to remind people of a beauty that should never be lost. And I hope the places I’ll get to visit someday find in me a worthy traveler who’s always out to share and preserve their beauty exactly the way I saw and experienced them.