Cold February

Calamba, the birthplace of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal sits at the foot of Mount Makiling in Laguna, the southern Tagalog region of Luzon. It is in this now highly commercialized city that the Dominican Pre-Novitiate, the first stage of seminary formation in the Dominican Order, is located. I remember that during my stay in that seminary in the early 80’s, the weather is very cold during the months of January and February. We had to wear jacket or sweater even at noon time to keep ourselves warm. It was especially cold during the month of February. I thought then, that it must be because the seminary is actually at the foot of Mount Makiling, where it gets really foggy in the early morning before sunrise.

But how will I ever forget the very cold mountain breeze of Baguio City, especially during the months of December, January and February. It is even colder in January and February than in December. The cold weather turns from pleasant to uncomfortable at the beginning of the year. It must be really comforting to sit by a fireplace and just enjoy the company of friends and family. In the morning, when we step out of the house, thick fog covers the surroundings, and our warm breath turns into white mist in the cold air. The glasses on window panes of houses are moist, that we actually write our names or draw pictures on it.

In the Babuyan Islands, where I actually lived for three years, I have experienced the same cold weather there, very much like that of Baguio City. It is still rainy on the islands in December, and it begins to get cold at the start of “Misa Aguinaldo” in mid-December. Imagine how I have to walk on dark and muddy trails to celebrate evening mass at a chapel in the next barangay, about three or four kilometres from the parish church. In the parish church, during the dawn masses, I would see parishioners wearing winter jackets going to church, shivering from the cold morning sea breeze. But just like in Laguna and in Baguio City, it gets really cold in the islands during the month of February. I have to wear three layers of clothing (t-shirt, sweater and jacket), a thick pair of socks and use two layers of thick blankets to be able to sleep comfortably at night. One time, even with all the windows in my room closed, I cannot get some sleep because it was especially cold on that particular night. Not being able to bear the cold, I tried to set on fire a few chopped pieces of wood which I placed in a tin can of biscuits. In a matter of a few minutes, the smoke from the firewood filled my room! I tried to imagine a fireplace inside my room, but without the chimney!

In General Santos City, the weather here is generally humid throughout the year. Even last December, the weather was warm, as though it was not December. It was a good thing that there are a lot of trees in the space at the back of our house. It somehow helped to provide cool breeze especially at night and in the early morning. The dawn masses and the Christmas season passed by, as if it was not December, because it was not even a bit cold in the evening or in the early morning. In the latter part of January and towards February, the cool breeze started to be felt at night and in the early morning. Inside my room at night, with windows open, it feels like an air conditioned room on “low cool”, although it’s not as cold as Baguio City.