The sembreak started mid-December, it was Holiday season and so for me, it was basically a Christmas break. The family had already set plans for Christmas and New Year's. For the first week of my break, my family didn't have any plans yet. All I did was hang out with my friends. When we hang out, we usually drink, skate, party or catch a movie. It sucks though that I'm always the designated driver 'cause it's tiring.

During the 2nd week, which was the week that had Christmas, the family and I went to the province in Baler, Aurora. We usually stay at our uncle's house beside the beach but this time we stayed at our grandmother's. It was days before Christmas so all I did before then was surf in the morning, bike in the morning, pig out, sleep and repeat. We went to a pre-Christmas mass then had Noche Buena at our grandmother's. I ate so much and gained a lot of weight but it was all worth the eat. We left at the 27th and it was such a hassle because I had to stay at the back of the pickup truck for the duration of the ride, it was full of stuff and I was cramped in. The family didn't have any plans 'til 31st of December so I had some time to hang out again.

During New Year's eve, we all wore red and mom prepared a large dinner. The Eve was nothing special, honestly. It was very quiet in our village because we're only one of the five families living there. We had a few fireworks though, played some music, had dinner and waited for the clock to strike 12. At 12 midnight, me and my younger brother still did the jump, believing that it would make us taller.

-Domingo, Camilo Miguel