On a circle island tour around Oahu , my host asked me “So, you grew up in the ocean?”
I recalled that funny conversation when I was searching for possible beach resort where we could hold our outing this summer. Having grown up “near the sea” made me less appreciative of the beach resorts being offered by the internet. For me, nothing is more beautiful than the beaches where I used to play as a child and the coastal area of the town where I grew up.
“…in the ocean?” I thought.
So I defensively said, “no!” and then I said “yes.”
I was not really able to comprehend what he meant by “in the ocean?” I explained to him that I used to live “near the sea”. I even demonstrated to him that from my house, the beach is just across the street. Being a technical writer that time, there was no space for metaphors or similar figures of speech.
Having been disoriented with the tour, I asked him which side of the island is the Pacific Ocean . He answered that we are in the Pacific Ocean , we are surrounded by it. He then pointed to the west for the direction of the Philippines as opposed to California Pacific Ocean .
I recalled that funny conversation when I was searching for possible beach resort where we could hold our outing this summer. Having grown up “near the sea” made me less appreciative of the beach resorts being offered by the internet. For me, nothing is more beautiful than the beaches where I used to play as a child and the coastal area of the town where I grew up.
I must admit, however, that I am very biased, afterall, nowhere else is more beautiful than the place that implanted the most beautiful memories of your childhood spent with your loved ones. In the about me page of this blog, I am Anahawnon, you will see how I claimed befriending the sea and made the beach as my playground.
The fact is that I am fearful that our beaches may not stay this way for long. For as long as I can remember, sand and gravel quarrying has been a common practice in Anahawan. In the 90s, I even remember the government allowed truckloads after truckloads of sand being quarried right from the central beach of Tagup-on while folks curiously watched. Until recently, people still treat the beach as a free source of construction materials. Though sand mining is not as serious of a problem in the Philippines as compared to other countries, I find it completely senseless to continue such activities in the face of climate change and rising sea level.
Hopefully, we can still save enough of our beaches to let our children experience growing up in the ocean, too. To learn more about caring for our coastlines, your may visit this website: Coastal Care.
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