From Tourist to Resident: How Bantayan Island Became My New Home

Hello, travelers! I was not expecting that visiting Bantayan Island last month, which I had a series of destination features from the island on this platform, will be a foreshadowing for something. I came to Bantayan as a tourist and if you were able to follow through my trip, you'll understand and also see how beautiful life on the island is. From its culture to destinations, living with low expenses, and secluded places for peaceful retreat, this island never disappoints tourists from making it to the list of most visited islands here in the Philippines.

When I visited Bantayan last month, I already fell in love with its beauty and tourism. The famous Kota Beach, stunning Blue Lagoon, perfect Sandira Beach, and eco-tourism mangrove OMAGIECA, this island carries more than it is expected to carry. For once, I came to it as a tourist but dearest Hivers, I am now one of the people on the island. In fact, I am writing this while sleeping on its very land, away from the bustling city life in the north of Cebu. Why am I here? I found some work this month, got hired, and unexpectedly got deployed to the island I dreamt of living in after I visited it as a tourist.

Moving out from my hometown carries the emotional weight of leaving the culture and life I had there for so long. It was not merely moving out or packing things, but rather something more emotional and personal. Who would want to leave a life that became so familiar to me? But life is unfair and I have to survive, so I needed to find work. The process of moving out was out of my league. It was beyond my expectation when it comes to timeline and frustration. From packing things in the house, searching for available vehicle services, settling how to load my big things and stuff onto the ship, carrying them out from the island shipping area, traveling myself and my frustrated stuff to Bantigue, Bantayan, to finally putting them organized in my new home I am still adjusting to now. I am homesick, but life has to continue and I am writing this to cope. The process was long and energy-consuming yet I still see the positive side of moving out to another place to maximize my skills and career. In fact, I am confident it will turn into something beautiful, as I have my boyfriend with me who also moved out and now lives under the same roof.

Today is our first day on the island as residents and not as tourists. It is filled with left and right errands, organization of stuff in our new home, adjusting to our new environment, and most especially settling our payments for the apartment, groceries, and shopping items necessary for our new home. We are also busy searching for some sidelines today but we prioritized the part where we finally settled our things, organized the apartment, and then lived like how we used to live. I'm happy there is no trash and chaos in the apartment now and the only thing we should do now is work to survive.

We went to Bantayan proper today to buy groceries and necessities for our apartment. Last night, we had our initial shopping to buy needed things like a water dispenser and stove, and today the things we forgot to buy last night were finally bought together with groceries like vegetables and foods to store such as eggs and other necessities. The market here is cheap, but never underestimate its cheapness because the quality of what we buy here for a low price feels expensive in a good way. The local vendors here also suggest the best things to buy and are welcoming enough to show you the positive side of living here: the hospitality of the local Bantayanons.

While traveling earlier around Bantayan proper, I realized how simple yet peaceful the town really is. The roads are not crowded, the plaza feels calm during the afternoon, and small stores, cafés, and local businesses quietly continue their everyday life. We also passed by the municipal hall, beaches near the road, and different corners of the island that made me appreciate how laid-back everything is here. It may not carry the fast life of the city, but there is something comforting about how slow and peaceful everything feels in Bantayan.

As I end this blog tonight, I am still adjusting to this new chapter of my life. Everything still feels unfamiliar, tiring, and emotional at the same time, but I know this is part of growth. Bantayan Island welcomed me first as a tourist and now as someone starting a new life on its peaceful land. Maybe this island was really meant to find me at the right time.