Mula sa pagiging campground operators sa ibang bansa, may mag-asawa ang nagdesisyong iwan ang kanilang trabaho at tumira sa Pilipinas.
Si Kenn Lacsinto ay isang Pilipina habang si Jeff Wilson ay isang Canadian.
Nagsimula sila sa long-distance relationship at kalaunan ay nagdesisyong magpakasal.
Bagama’t well-travelled sila, binabalik-balikan nila taun-taon ang Baler, Aurora.
Kalaunan ay bumili sila ng 300-square-meter property na tinayuan nila ng mga bahay kubo.
Nais kasi nilang i-promote ang buhay-probinsiya at magkaroon ng sustainable living.
Sabi ni Jef, iba ang karisma ng Baler at ng mga locals.
“They’re just really stoked on surfing and hope to have everybody out in the water with them…” aniya sa interview ng OG.
Dagdag pa niyang kuwento, “Just really laid back. Everybody seems to just love the life around here. Everyone is just happy and content.
“The whole vibe around Baler is unique."
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SIMPLE AND SUSTAINABLE living
Sa 300-square-meter property, nagpatayo sila ng 20-square-meter na bahay kubo, 16-square-meter yoga kubo, at 16-square-meter A-frame bahay kubo.
Mayroon ding outdoor dining space at outdoor kitchen.
Ang tanging may air-conditioning unit ay ang main bahay kubo.
Nagpaliwanag si Jeff kung bakit mainly ay open space ang kanilang mga kubo,
“We wanna keep it very minimalistic, sticking with the provincial life.
“We didn’t wanna overcomplicate things with the builds.
“We wanna build something that we could maintain and sustain.”
Dagdag niya, “Another part of the design is we wanted a lot of open space.
“We wanted people to be outdoors. We wanted to have that feeling that you wanna be outside.”
Minimalistic din ang rooms at wala silang TV.
Ang kanilang property ay tinawag nilang Duon Baler na kanila ring ginawang Airbnb.
Bagamat isang foreigner, tila nahumaling na rin sa buhay probinsiya si Jeffrey.
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Paliwanag niya, “We want to spend time outside. Getting back to the provincial life.
“Bahay kubo is so traditional in the Philippines, it really exaggerates that provincial life.
“So that was our first purchase was a pre-fab bahay kubo.”
Gumamit din sila ng maraming kawayan at nipa.
Ang kanilang yoga kubo ay magandang lugar para makapag-relax sa umaga at puwede ring maging cinema pagdating sa gabi gamit ang projector.
Nagtayo rin sila ng chicken coop at sa ilalim nito ay ang composting section para sa natural na pataba sa kanilang mga pananim.
Ang kanilang iniinom na tubig ay mula sa deep well na nililinis nila gamit ang Berkey water filter.
Ang pinagkakaabalahan ngayon ng mag-asawa ay palaguin ang kanilang garden at magtanim ng mga gulay at mga prutas.
Payo ni Jeff sa mga may gustong gawin sa buhay, “If you really wanna do something, if you have a dream, you just have to go for it.
“It’s amazing what you can learn as you go, rather than sitting back and waiting for the right moment.
“Theres never gonna be right moment. Today is the right moment,” saad niya.
“So I would suggest to anybody thinking of following their dreams, just start. Starting is the hardest part of it.”