Belle's Page

My favorite Filipino food in the world to cook is lumpia - a small, delightful package of savory goodness made of chopped vegetables and meat filling encased in a thin, pastry lumpia wrapper. Lumpia is a staple at every family gathering and party, and it takes several different people's efforts to make the delectable savory snack. The process of making lumpia is always a big family ordeal and involves every single family member to get done. Growing up, I have vivid memories of waking up to the delectable aroma of the savory lumpia frying, and going downstairs into the kitchen to find my mom, aunts, cousins, and grandmother preparing dozens and dozens of lumpia rolls. I was fascinated by the buzz and banter that overwhelmed the room - my mom, aunts, and grandmother gossiping loudly in Tagalog with each other on the latest news and my cousins arguing with each other over who got to cut the vegetables and who was tasked with the monotonous job of separating the lumpia wrapping...

Every year, during labor day weekend, my entire extended family meets up to go camping together. Truthfully, the conditions during our camping trip are not the best. The lake is always extraordinarily murky and the weather is guaranteed to be unbearably hot, but none of that matters when I am surrounded by the feeling of love, support, and safety my family brings me; with them, I feel the most sense of belonging. This yearly tradition is a time to bond, share laughs, and spend quality time together. With this trip, come some of the most special activities to do together. We take excursions on a boat out on the lake, surrounding ourselves with the beauty of the sky and the earth. However, the most stunning aspect is the shared love you can feel. We share every meal together, tell stories over the campfire, and play board games. This pure and interrupted time together makes me feel at peace with my place in the world. This feeling of peace and sense of belonging goes ...