Taga-Davao ka kung...

Ever heard of the line: "Taga-Davao ka kung naka-adto naka diri (You're from Davao if you've been here)."

It’s one of those statements that sounds harmless enough until you realize you’ve just been disqualified from being a Dabawenyo because you’ve never set foot in a particular place.

I was born in Manila but I have been raised and living here in Davao City since 1988. My father was assigned to work here and, years later, decided to stay and make this place our home even after being reassigned elsewhere.

Apparently, knowing its streets, speaking Bisaya, being able to sing "Tayo ay Dabawenyo" by heart, and having lived through 38 years of its sunny mornings and rainy afternoons are still not enough to qualify you as a true Dabawenyo.

Every now and then, I’ll see a place on social media and my first reaction is, “Asa ni (Where is this)?”  Only to find out it’s been around for the past decade. And then there are all these new cafes, restaurants, parks, recreational spaces, and other places that keep popping up. I've never gone to these despite the hype.

So when friends from other cities ask for local recommendations, I end up recommending the same places everyone knows because those are the only places I know too. Or the places I knew growing up not knowing if they withstood time and still hold the same charm. Or more often than not, I do not recommend anything at all.

Museums? I'm ashamed to admit this, but I've never been to a single one of them. Historical sites? Do we even have one? Philippine Eagle Center? Yes, I've been there once when I was seven or eight. But that's it. I heard the matcha and coffee scene in Davao is one of the best in the country, but where do I go?

Philippine Eagle Center. Circa 1992-ish.

I think that’s the funny thing about growing up in one place. When something is familiar, you stop being curious about it. You have your usual routes. Your usual restaurants. Your usual hangout spots. You know where you’re going, so you don’t really look around anymore.

While I've been flailing around how proud I am to be a Dabawenyo, here’s a truth I’m not particularly proud of... 

I'm a tourist in my own city.

But maybe one day, I will visit those museums. I will explore the historical places I’ve somehow ignored for decades. I will try the new places instead of automatically going to the ones I already know. Basically, I need to start exploring Davao like I’m visiting for the first time.

Because clearly, I still have a lot of Davao to discover.