Our journey in the Philippines begins in Davao City, a vibrant and culturally rich area that remains off the typical tourist path.
Known as the “Durian Capital of the Philippines,” Davao City felt worlds apart from the fast-paced cities we had encountered earlier in Southeast Asia. The month prior, we were on placement in Bogor, Indonesia, working on a monitoring and evaluation report in partnership with IPB University.
A shared group project sparked our friendship, as an unexpected bond forged amid deadlines and discussions. Little did we know that a month later, we would find ourselves as roommates embarking on an adventure to design and conduct independent research in the Philippines in partnership with a local organization, the Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education.
Following our placement in Indonesia, we were invited to join a small cohort and accompany our professor on a rigorous self-directed study, facilitated by the global resource systems program in the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems. For two international relations majors, this was an irresistible opportunity. What we didn’t anticipate was how much we’d learn — not just about community-based research and engagement or environmental and cultural responsibility, but about ourselves.
Sharing food, sharing stories
We arrived in Davao City separately, but both found ourselves trudging through local airports, bargaining with armies of taxi drivers in an attempt to agree on a fair rate and arriving in the dead of night at our hotel.
With just a mere few hours of sleep and a packed itinerary, we got ready to meet with our guides from Pamulaan the next morning and toured Davao City’s highlights: the People’s Park, Davao Museum, Crocodile Park and other local attractions.
At some point, we drifted from the group in pursuit of a local fruit market and were eager to purchase local mangosteens, pineapples and durians — what we’d often refer to as “operation fruit market.”
The strong aromas of the various produce enveloped us as we moseyed through the market’s streets. It felt like a sensory maze — each turn offered a new colourful sight, sweet smell and lively sound. As two vegetarians traversing meat-heavy culinary cultures, tropical fruit was not just a treat, but a staple in our daily diets. After securing armloads of fresh fruit, we flagged down a traysikel, a motorized tricycle, to return to our hotel.
When we settled back into our room, we invited our cohort to join us in an impromptu ‘fruit party’ to share the literal fruits of our labour.
Our group turned it into a celebration. We divided our collection of tropical delicacies across plates between students and professors and sat around piles of fruit, sampling everything and sharing reactions that ranged from “This is amazing” to “I’ll never eat that again.” Durian was polarizing, to say the least.
People shared stories about their adventures too. We were reminded of how travel can often put you in a space where a need to adapt to new circumstances or uncertainty offers the opportunity to learn.
The mountains of Marilog Barangay
After our first few days settling into Davao City, we set forth for the mountains of Marilog Barangay.
Living in the peaks of Mindanao meant waking up to scenes that looked like something out of a dream. Clouds spread across the horizon, occasionally interrupted by mountain peaks, which created mesmerizing views at sunrise and sunset.
Our home base was at the bottom of a very steep hill. Each morning began with a climb equivalent to the Wreck Beach stairs back home to reach breakfast. The effort was almost forgettable in the face of such beauty.
On one of our first afternoons in the mountains, we were invited as guests to a traditional ceremony centred on the sacrifice of a bird as a spiritual offering. It was an opportunity to witness a closed practice passed down generations.
We also had the chance to trudge through the forests, which entailed encountering the well-known fire ants of the area.
These pesky bugs would unexpectedly appear all over us despite our long-sleeved clothing. With a sharp sting unlike any other we had experienced, we were forced to pick them off one by one to carry on with our walk and make it out of the deep jungle, clad in rain boots and construction helmets.
Back on campus, most of our workdays were spent at the Pamulaan Ecohouse, where we had the chance to try out local foods, participate in workshops and work on a balcony overlooking the mountains.
During our free time at Pamulaan, we learned the local process of making chocolate — from harvesting the pods to roasting and grinding the beans. The campus grew a variety of produce, including its own cacao beans that lended themselves to local dishes we tried including champorado, a Filipino chocolate rice porridge. It was refreshing to experience this process without the additives or fillers most chocolate contains.
Learning and unlearning
The culmination of fieldwork and our experiences at local agricultural workshops, markets, lectures and ceremonies inspired personal growth and cultural appreciation. Our time in the Philippines was challenging, yet rewarding, a process of learning and unlearning our own perspectives of the world through the totality of little experiences that were starkly different from our lives in Vancouver — from waking up to 35ºC heat to the endlessly bustling roads of the city.
Above all, the Philippines highlighted the immense value of cultural exchange — an opportunity to learn, grow and gain a better understanding of the interconnected histories, traditions and values that shape our world. This opportunity reminded us of the importance of humility and gratitude when engaging in cross-cultural exchanges, as well as the privilege of being welcomed into these communities and learning from their traditions.
As we approach the end of our undergraduate degrees, our trip continues to resonate in our research projects, travel plans and future aspirations. The experiences we shared forged a bond that will last a lifetime.
Looking back, it’s hard to believe we had only met each other a month prior to this adventure. No matter where life takes us, we will always have Mindanao.
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