Outside city limits

There are people from the provinces who dream of living and working in the big cities, but more people are moving out of the hot and congested urban metropolis into more expansive and refreshing surroundings. One such former city dweller is documentary photographer, filmmaker, and painter Nana Buxani.

Last year, 2019, she decided to leave Quezon City to move to Antipolo, eventually finding a two-bedroom house on a 4,000-square meter space complete with fruit trees, a vegetable garden, and spacious studio for her creative work.

*^{Nana’s Antipolo home bathed in the morning sun.}*

“We have rambutan, guyabano, mangga, cacao, sampalok, bananas, okra, kalamansi, sili, kaffir lime, galanggal, kamatis, and many more,” Nana enumerates — and it’s perfect because Nana is also an exceptional cook. She is likewise able to plant some vegetables like alugbati, camote tops and kangkong, while enjoying the affordable prices of food and other basic items in the local market.

The house itself has big, old windows that offer a view of mango trees and, sometimes, rare birds. “There are many different birds here, also crickets and fireflies at night,” Nana says.

The wide-open spaces, the silence, and the cool, fresh air are conducive for creation — artists like her can definitely thrive in this environment. The big space offers Nana the inspiration to make bigger drawings and paintings. The atmosphere nudges her to spend a lot of time reading and making art.

But before finding this perfect spot, Nana had to move through several houses and put up with the usual urban problems like lack of parking spaces, narrow streets, flooding, humid weather, and costly home rental fees. It’s enough to drive anyone out of the noisy city and into the peaceful embrace of rural towns.

If you are thinking of moving to the countryside or province, the property website www.onthemarket.com suggests renting a place first to experience a complete immersion into the lifestyle and realities of the new space. This way, you will know what you are getting into before you make a commitment to buy that countryside property.

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Article and Photo originally posted by The Philippine Star last September 25, 2020 and written by Aimee Morales.