John Willord V.

Munar
11 STEM B

The Happiest Moments of My Life

When we think about the happiest moments of our lives, several memories
come flooding into our minds. Our birthdays, holidays, parties, graduations, and several
other events just happened to be fun. So what exactly are the happiest moments of my life?
In the summer of 2004, my family and I did a tour from the bottom of the Philippines all the
way to the top and back. We went on a road trip spanning 3 months of summer vacation,
starting from the bottom of Zamboanga to ridding ferries to Visayas all the way to Bacolod
City and Mindoro. Spending time in Boracay to meet people in Batanes and going through
all the regions in Luzon up until the top of the Cagayan Valley. The trip was full of
excitement, day by day. In the morning, we would be in one region of Ilocos del Norte,
Albay, to see the Mayon Volcano in an area with a whole different culture and dialect. Seeing
all these different places was surely a blast! Seeing popular tourist destinations and
landmarks such as Mount Apo, San Juanico Bridge, Vigan City, Davao City, General Santos,
and the Chocolate Hills in Bohol If being asked, was I really happy during the entire trip? I
would reply with a thousand yeses. It was surely a summer that I just cannot forget. Meeting
so many people, seeing different cultures, landmarks, and food how could I ever forget
about all of these?

Fast forward to two years, summer of 2018 was the time when I left the Philippines
and set forth for a new life in Qatar. This summer I experienced several new things like
going to the sand dunes in Sealine and experiencing the feeling of a desert and sand, the city
life that was surely different from what I had experienced in Mindanao was all so new to me
and made me really say that this is indeed one of my happiest moments. But if I only say
that going to Qatar was my happiest moment wouldn’t that be far too general? Yes, it
would! So what exactly is my happiest moment here in Qatar? It was a time when I felt free
like never before, a time where I could see so many people enjoying the same experiences as
me, going out almost every single day in such a joyful environment where people and living
to the fullest. The time was November of last year, the time of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in
Qatar. This was a month full of laughter, joy, excitement, and happiness. If given the chance
to back in time, I would go back to this period of my life again to experience and relive the
feelings that I had felt during this period. It was a time when I met so many people who
came along for one common goal watching and enjoying the World Cup in Qatar. I went
outside almost every day, went to hotels, and parties, went on a cruise ship, enjoyed the fan
festivals, and watched several games with the masses. It was a time when I felt I was really
free, I would be outside from noon up until midnight with my friends, it was a time when I
and my friends weren’t restricted in going out because it was a time when we were all
eagerly and wanting to go out and make the most memories we had during this entire
month. The entire experience filled me with the happiness and joy that makes me now
ponder and question If will I ever be as happy as that version of myself again. At some
point, I did in fact doubt if I’d experience a fun time like this, but I was mistaken.
 In the summer of 2023, I went to Australia. The land “Down Under” and the land
that changed my perspective on several views of my life. Here, I changed my entire ideas on
my future college and future life that I wanted and had hoped for. I made the decision that I
want to live here and study here for the rest of my student days. That is the extent of how
much fun I had during this vacation. The atmosphere was different, and the sky and the
people were all so different from countries I’ve been to such as Qatar, Oman, and the
Philippines. Australia was just different, the way of life intrigued my interests and I was in
awe every day. I visit several famous landmarks in Sydney, such as the Opera House,
Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Sydney Eye. I traveled the entire city of Sydney by their metro
which really had me in awe of how the system worked. the busses and the mode of
transport were all so different as I traveled to different suburbs in Sydney. In contrast to the
fun I had during the World Cup in Qatar, Sydney was different. I was drowned in the feeling
of solitude, tranquility, and peace. The sunset that I watched on top of an observatory hill as
I gazed upon the view of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and the city skyline was all
too peaceful. During that exact moment I asked myself, will I ever see a view as beautiful as
this?

Fast forward a week after traveling to the state of New South Wales, we went to
Canberra the capital of Australia. This was the time for the first time in my life I experienced
snow. I can’t begin to think how excited I was as we traveled to the highest peak of Australia
to go to the snowy mountains of Canberra. Snow was not what I was expecting, I was
surprised and happy that my long-lived childhood dream had finally been accomplished. As
a kid, who was born in the mountains of Zamboanga it was always been a dream to feel the
touch of snow, lay down on it, and throw snowballs at friends. Time felt so slow, I stayed in
the snow resort for a short time of 3 days experiencing temperatures that I never thought I’d
feel. The feeling of freezing from the negative temperature was so fun, although it was so
cold, I smiled and laughed. I remember saying to myself, “I did it”. As I road on the cable
cart bringing me to the peak of the snowy mountains, I looked down and gazed upon the
view. I sat and put on my Airpods, playing my favorite music on Spotify as I got ready to
put on my Skis. The pure bliss of skiing down as the windy breeze pushes against me is a
feeling I really yearn to experience once more.

These events all are major highlights of my life and I am eagerly awaiting the time
that I will once again experience these moments and relive them. From the tropical resorts in
the Philippines to the brilliant city life I experienced in Australia, all of these are
extraordinary experiences for me that really shaped my way of thinking and how I defined
happiness. The feeling of being so at peace and just enjoying the moment on the spot is what
truly defines my happiest moments.