The

JOURNEY
Itself

Marivic D. Rupillo
Life's uncertainties are unpredictably unpredictable.
- MDR
Dear readers,

This is my first book, and it tells the story of my life. I chose to write this

book to share some of my own personal experiences. The route of life is

unpredictable and surprisingly unpredictable. Every time I consider how I

came to be in this world, I am reminded of how fortunate I am, despite my

life's unanticipated baggage. Life is priceless, unchangeable, and one-of-a-

kind. Because their emotions fluctuate and lead them to suicidal behaviors,

a person may have some heinous thoughts about ending their existence.

Here's the thing: whatever challenges you experience and whatever

circumstances you may face in the future, keep in mind that everything

happens for a reason. Just keep in mind that you are capable of overcoming

obstacles and moving on to the next stage of your life. There's a reason for

everything. What we go through can sometimes make us stronger, and it

can also make us brave enough to face the challenges that lie ahead. That is

the nature of existence. This is a life cycle.

 Chapter 1

I was born into a large family with a lot of siblings. We may be

impoverished, but I believe we live in a natural and ordinary way. My father

is a farmer, and my mother works on the farm with him. I may not recall

everything, but one thing is certain: we had a difficult time, perhaps

because we were impoverished. We are a total of 12 brothers and sisters,

but one of my sister died, so we are 13 in total together with my mama and

papa. The location where we used to live is inaccessible. It is situated on

the Calanan Mountain.

Calanan is located at the mountain's heart. We farm and rear animals such

as pigs, goats, carabaos, cows, chickens, and horses in order to exist. That is

our way of life. I recently learned from one of my mothers' stories that my

father used to be a drunkard. He drinks every day and, on sometimes, is

unable to return home because he is too inebriated. That was how my

father used to act.

Despite this, he is a loving father to us all. My father used to possess a gun,

but that was a long time ago. He stated that he purchased the firearms for
protection in the event of an emergency. As far as I recall, it was in the year

2005, and I was five years old at the time, when something dangerous

occurred, and not only my father, but the entire family was terrified.

Before, owning a firearm was strictly prohibited, and it so happened that

my father's possession of one was tipped off to the soldiers at the time. The

soldiers that came to our house in search of the rifle and bullets left our

house in shambles. My father was kidnapped. My father was kidnapped by

a squad of elder troops. They took my father with them and held him for a

week before releasing him. When my father arrived home, he was in

excruciating pain with bruises all over his body. He is unable to walk or

move. That was the very worst thing that could have happened. I began to

wonder what major fault my father had committed in order to receive this

punishment. He didn't even use the gun; the fact that he has one is the

reason why they ganged up on him.