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Pursuing Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Studies has only ignited my love of traveling. Because ever since I started college, we have subjects like Geography and World History which broadened my understanding of how vast and diverse our world really is. We often discussed different places, the people who live there, and the fascinating history of various parts of the world. That's why I've become interested as well in visiting museums and ancestral houses since pursuing this course. I use my fondness of traveling as motivation to persevere and do well in school. So that, I'll be able to secure a stable job in the future and visit the places I only once saw in pictures or videos during our discussions in class.
Since I became interested in visiting museums also, I started following the Facebook pages of various museums in Cebu City, I usually saw their posts and became very updated on their events. Until one day, I saw a post from the Casa Gorordo Museum announcing that they'll be having History Mystery Online Trivia Game for this year. They posted one question every Thursday and Friday starting August 9 to August 28 and the answer to each question will be posted the next day. The first three people to send the correct answer via private message would win the "INATO: Philippine History in Object special tour ticket" at Casa Gorordo Museum.
As an individual immensely curious about history and culture, I saw this as an opportunity to be at Cebu City again and experience visiting to a museum without worrying much about expenses. I was excited to learn more about Cebu's history as the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines, understand the Spanish and American colonial impact in Cebu, see various artifacts that have witnessed the past, some were even older than our grandparents.
Every time they posted a new question, I immediately sent my answers through their Facebook page. Yet, despite my efforts, I started losing hope as the page wasn't responding to any of my messages. I couldn't help but feel sad thinking that tickets were simply not meant for me.
Finally, the last day for the game came. On August 28, 2024, the last History Mystery question was posted, in which the first three people to send the correct answer will win the grand prize which are the special tour tickets and will receive gifts as well from the Casa Gorordo Museum Shop which will be announced on August 30, 2024. Despite slowly losing hope, I still tried to send my answer through their Facebook page so that I wouldn't have any regrets. To my surprise, they replied, telling me that my answer was correct, and I was one of the lucky winners for this year's History Mystery Online Trivia Game. Right after that, they posted our names on their Facebook page as the lucky winners who will receive special tour tickets and gifts from the museum. My heart was filled with immense joy and words could not describe the happiness I felt at that time.
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When the scheduled day came for us to go to the museum, I used the small money that I had been saving for our fare going to Cebu City together with my sister since our parents couldn't afford to give us money for the trip. We traveled early in the morning and arrived there by 10:00 AM. As soon as we walked through the gate, it felt like I was transported to another era. The old house was surrounded by lots of trees and plants which gave the place a peaceful and refreshing ambiance. The well-known house was once the home of the first Filipino Archbishop of Cebu, Juan Gorordo, and now it was converted into a museum.
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As we entered the house, we were welcomed and assisted by a female guide inside who's very friendly and is knowledgeable of the history of Casa Gorordo and of Cebuano culture. The museum offers a glimpse into what life was like for the Ilustrados in the past. Inside, there were different rooms filled with a variety of artifacts such as paintings, antique furniture, ceramics, and religious relics. My eyes were immediately captivated by the antique paso of Santa Veronica, which I learned that it has been with the house for a century. As we go further, I was amazed to see a variety of small models of the mode of transportation in the past such as the Cadillac series 60, a car commonly used by known politicians such as Sergio Osmena Sr. There's also a small model of the Cebu Land Transportation Bus, which I find it amazing because the bus was entirely open, very different from today's modern buses.
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What stands out for me the most was the life-sized Tartanilla (carriage), a mode of transportation I had only heard about from my grandmother who used to study at the then Cebu Normal School (now Cebu Normal University) and often shared her experiences of riding the Tartanilla, which was a common mode of transportation in urban areas in the past. I liked how our guide discussed the artifacts in detail. The female guide also explained that Cebu's transition to christianity was smooth because our ancestors were already practicing animism when the Spaniards arrived, as a result, the Sinulog dance was blended with old spiritual practices and the influences of Christianity. Additionally, I saw a variety of woods, such as Haligi, which were commonly used in constructing houses in the past.
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Then, we went to the second floor of the museum, and the first thing that caught my eye was the living room with old furnitures. We went inside the rooms, where I saw family pictures, antique mirrors, combs, and a jewelry box. Also, I saw the bathroom with an old style of a bath tub. In one of the rooms, I saw a portrait of the well-known Juan Gorordo as well as Leon Kilat who was a well-known Filipino revolutionary leader in Cebu.
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Of course, I'll never forget the long dinner table with candles and utensils at the museum. It made me imagine a family sitting around the table to share meals and talk about interesting stories.
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After the tour inside the Casa Gorordo Museum, we then informed to go to the Casa Gorordo Museum shop. I was given a bag filled with souvenirs from the Casa Gorordo Museum such as a keychains, a t-shirt, a photo of the museum outside during nighttime, and a book titled Casa Gorordo in Cebu: Urban Residence in a Philippine Province by Resil B. Mojares, which talks about the rise of urban Cebu and the Gorordo residence itself. Moreover, I was given a small book featuring pictures of museum's artifacts with descriptions, such as an image of a gramophone— a music player in the early 1900's that reminds me of today's Spotify.
Indeed, this experience was one for the books. There's so much learning of history and culture in just a day. As a student pursuing Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Studies, I firmly believe that to be able to understand the world today, we have to look back and reflect on our past.
Muchas gracias for taking the time to read my Casa Gorordo Museum tour. I hope this inspires you, dear Hivers, to visit museums and appreciate the history that shaped who we are today. Have a FEVY-ulous day!
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