letters to layag-layag

this is what greets you at the airport in zamboanga. an unfortunate truth among such beautiful people.

while i've only had a few lessons thus far, i get a great sense of pride knowing that the lineage of this art can be traced back to those who protected the philippines such as lapu lapu, the katipunan, and the WWII guerilla's.

we took the girls to jollibee for their first time ever. they were super excited, but for me, they made me remember how much fun it was to eat kamayan style (with your hands). i used to eat like this a lot growing up, but do it less and less as i get older. it's one of the few practices that makes me feel rooted to the islands...

it seems self-evident, but proper education isn't always emphasized in many places. the philippines was once a pioneer in education in asia, with many of the oldest universities built during spanish colonial times their. unstable governmental changes between spain, the US, japan, back to the US, and eventually self-governance left the country with much to rebuilt and a long road ahead of them..

zamboangueño warriors

sari-sari stores in layag-layag and zamboanga.

we spent the day with charlyene and nazra at their school. there are lots of students in each class, but they're all very focused..

riding bagong pag asa into layag-layag. this is the route many of the kids had to swim daily.

peter jordan, taking some portraits of layag-layag students wading through the waters they used to swim to class in which they now ride the boat bagong pag asa. 

some of the boys playing playing ball. half of the time, the ground is covered in water, but that doesn't stop them from having a good time.

some example of bahay kubo in layag-layag. each family was very warm and welcomed us into their homes.

seaweed is the main crop in layag-layag. in zamboanga, it is usually blanched and then combined with chupadera (green mangoes), calimansi, onions, and vinegar to make a salad.  

documenting their story was not only a lens into a different lifestyle, but a way for me to connect much deeper to a culture that i once considered a distant world away. i can't wait to go back and visit everyone, and to see the kids mature over time.

meet batman. he keeps the village safe from pirates.

it is a beautiful village. when the tide is high, they use a small bangká to get around. during low tide you can walk. 

these are a few of the friends i made while in layag-layag. i miss them already and it's only been a day.