Young Roots
Halo-halo season
By Jennifer R. Gregorio
Lyceum Northwestern University
Summer comes once again. Here in our tropical country, particularly here in our province Pangasinan, that means preparing ourselves to feel the hot breezes from the sea. And preparing our swimwear and salbabidas for trips to the beach.
I have always associated this season with family bonding, all those shared laughter during reunions at the beach. This is also a great time to take every opportunity to see the beauty of our own country. There is, of course, the very popular Boracay island, but why not visit the Enchanted Cave and Wonderful Cave in Bolinao or the Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos?
While having fun in the summer, we can also still make a bit of money through small businesses like setting up a small table in front of the house for selling fruit juices, sama-lamig, ice candy, or, of course, the most popular of them all, halo-halo! We can now find halo-halo in fastfood restaurants or even in some high-end dining places. But the roadside halo-halo we find along highways in the provinces is a classic delight.
For the handicrafts makers, it’s a good time for added production of pamaypays. And for the big businesses, shampoos and conditioners should be seeing an increase in their sales.
Friendships are also formed at this time of the year – new ones found, old ones revived, and current ones strengthened.
But a word of warning. We all have heard of the global warming phenomenon. One related effect is our vulnerability to more sicknesses, especially skin diseases from exposure to the sun, including skin cancer. So take caution, use sun block lotion. And protect your eyes too. Shades are not just for porma, they do help protect our eyes, which I think is our most important sense because this is what makes us see the beauty of the world. And don’t be a fool in the water. Use your common sense. If you can’t swim, don’t go in the deep parts of the sea or even a swimming pool.
Imagine if we didn’t have the summer season. Sure the heat can be so tiring sometimes. But I don’t think it would be nice not having summertime. We need this time to relax a bit, to make memorable vacations, discover new things, and enjoy a tall glass of halo-halo.
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