Q: I see you’ve done a lot of traveling abroad. But you didn’t mention your trip to the Philippines a few years ago. Why is that?

A: I never considered it as traveling abroad.

That interview took place a year ago. And looking back, I find my answer intriguing. On the other hand, it’s also interesting when U.S. Pinoys ask: “O, kelan ka huling umuwi?” (When was the last time you went home?), or “Kelan ka uuwi uli?” (When are you going home again?). They pose these questions despite knowing that you no longer have a home there.

But then we do go back to the Philippine Islands.

And there are many reasons why.

These can be some of them:

To be in Boracay Island (again)

To visit family

To find humor in traffic

To shop at ostentatious malls

To watch nannies watch kids hide in plain slight

To enjoy the scenery

and more scenery

To see the province

To partake in “kainan sa kalsada”

To stay grounded

To simply have fun!

There are as many, perhaps more, reasons why not to go back.

So, why do we?

I don’t know.

Our roots?