A Trip Home for the Summer

After visiting Pappa and his family in the States, we packed our bags again and headed to my other home country — the Philippines, to reconnect with family and friends and remind Seraphina that this is her home too.

Spending time with Tita Coconut and Tito Boconut in Taal

I lived in the Philippines for twelve years, back when I was modeling and competing in pageants, and it’s where so many of my closest friendships were built. Even all these years later, I’ve stayed close with so many people from that chapter of my life, and it means the world to watch Seraphina get to know them too. The Philippines is home for me, and I want it to be just as much of a home for her.

Seeing our family is always a highlight of our trip back home

We traveled around the country, celebrated lolo’s 85th birthday surrounded by three generations of family, and spent some time fixing up our condo in Makati.

Greatest girl in the world, the lovely, the one and only CHAO

One of my favorite parts of coming back is always our building’s security guards. They’ve been there since before Seraphina was born, and over the years she’s given each of them her own nickname to match her favorite characters — Tito Spongebob, Tito Jerry, Tito Angel, and Tito Elon Musk. The fact that they go along with it, every single time, still makes me laugh.

Between the markets, the malls, the treats, and the family reunions, it was a summer full of the kind of memories that remind us why we get to call two very different countries both home.