Dinagyang Festival

What was it like to show up to my mom’s hometown, the city in the Philippines that I grew up visiting every few years, during its wildest celebration?

It’s kind of like having a cousin you saw from time to time growing up. All your memories are of playing hide and seek or driveway basketball, childhood good times. Then you connect with them as an adult and go out for a night and you realize, ah yeah. You go into party mode now.