Volunteer Insights on Sagada

Sagada of the Philippines is fascinating, a collection of contradictions, nestled in the mountains, about 4,500 feet above sea level, with an energy that mountain lovers appreciate.  The air is thinner, and it’s easier to breathe.  A stark contrast to the overcrowded, polluted cities of Manila and Baguio; where upper respiratory infections are almost an epidemic, and people walk around wearing surgical masks.  Still, even here, whenever a jeepney passes by leaving a diesel fuel cloud in its wake, I find myself covering my nose and mouth.

We are living with the Igorot tribe, sharing space with pigs, roosters (did you know they actually crow at all hours of the night?), wild dogs, and people whose elder women still carry baskets of fruit on their heads.

Sagada Culture

The people of Sagada are shy, or stoic, or something that makes it a little hard to connect.  After all it wasn’t that long ago head-hunting was still active in these parts.  In other tribes, it was a matter of prestige how many heads a man collected; here in Sagada it was more about preserving boundaries and protecting land, family and community.

I kind of like that you have to prove yourself to them before they let you in.  It makes you respect it all the more when they do.

And just when you start to feel like they may never accept and open up to you, they insist you come to their house for dinner, or name their kitten after a casual suggestion you made after observing her personality.  Now, women are stopping me on the street to ask about joining my yoga class.

I love feeling like I have something to offer them.  One woman cancer patient staying here at the hospital, now 25 days into a 42-day juice fast, sent for me.  When I arrived, she just needed to have a good cry.  Imagine my surprise when she threw her arms open in search of a hug.

Sagada has so much to teach me.  As much as we are observing them with curiosity and wonder, I realize now they are observing us as well. The fascination is very much mutual.
Namaste,

Erica Boucher, BA, RYT, LMT, CHt
Yoga & Hypnotherapist, Life Coach
Skype No: 407-545-7877
www.ericaboucher.com