EXCLUSIVE: Juliana Gomez Talks About Quarantining In Ormoc, Leyte
She loved her simple life in the province, but she missed the city life, too, and is now back in Manila
If you follow Juliana Gomez on Instagram, you’ve probably come across her picture-perfect posts—from her days at the beach to her chill moments in their lanai at home. Juliana, the daughter of Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres, had been spending quarantine in Ormoc, Leyte, where her dad currently serves as mayor and her mom, the congresswoman of the fourth district of Leyte.
Like a lot of us, Juliana has turned to Instagram to chronicle her life in the new normal. She documents her days baking, cooking, taking care of plants, reading, playing sports, and often pays tributes to her parents on special occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and their respective birthdays. She’s been making her own batches of ice cream (her favorite flavor is cereal milk) and even taking care of a chicken (call her Delilah!).
Quarantine life in the province had been wonderful, but she also missed city life in the past eight months and is now back in Manila.
We caught up with her a few days before she returned to the city. Read more about Juliana's life under quarantine in the province in the gallery below:
Juliana Gomez on the provincial life
Juliana Gomez on the provincial life
Pastimes
Throughout the lockdown, she's been reading books (you can spot "The Song of Achilles" in one of her photos!) and she has binged a couple of shows, from "Cable Girls" on Netflix to "Modern Love" on Amazon Prime. “I’ve been watching 'Outlander' as well,” she says.
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Lockdown chef
"Lockdown turned me into a chef," she says in jest. When the quarantine was implemented back in March, Juliana found herself browsing through the cookbooks in their home, and her curiosity led her to experimenting in the kitchen. She cooked pasta but realized she's more interested in baking. She first started baking cookies and moved on to bread. But what she got really excited about was making ice cream!
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Whipping ice cream
"I was so excited about that," Juliana says. "We just had an ice cream machine at home, but it wasn't being used. So I just Googled a few recipes. And then it turned out great. So I just kept making ice cream. And I started experimenting with different flavors, although they're very basic. It just feels good when what you make tastes good. And everyone around you also likes it." Her favorite flavor is cereal milk, but she also tried making ice cream using Earl Grey and it has become her mom's favorite.
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Mental health
Taking care of our mental health during these challenging times is of utmost importance. For Juliana, she gets to do that by playing sports. Juliana shares, "I still play volleyball occasionally. I fence. I tried to run because I hated running before. But now I have access to an oval, because that's allowed here [in the province]. So I've been running a lot. It relaxes you also. It allows you to not think, like you're just doing it, you're not really thinking about anything else. So I guess working out helped me a lot during this quarantine."
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Adulting
Juliana turned 20 last September, and she admits that she’s beginning to feel the pressure of being an adult. “It’s the first birthday I spent in Ormoc. All my other birthdays were in Manila. I was surrounded by friends and family and it was just a simple dinner but it was so much fun. I mean, I was excited about turning 20, because that made me feel like an official adult,” she tells Metro.Style.
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Family time
She also reveals that she’s starting to have an even clearer grasp of what being an adult is like, but also says that being in Ormoc surrounded by her family made her feel younger. “It makes me feel like a child again,” she says. Juliana enjoyed the time she got to spend with her family, away from the trappings of life back in the city.
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Bonding with her parents
“When I’m in Manila, we spend so much time apart,” Juliana shares. “My dad is based in Ormoc. We don’t really see each other. When we do, I’m tired from school and training, and my mom is tired from work. We don’t get the time to bond.”
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Being a student and an athlete
Juliana, who’s taking up Public Administration in UP Diliman and is currently in her second year, has a clear goal for herself. She has no plans to enter show business, and is currently focusing all her energy trying to be a better student and a better athlete. She's coping with online schooling just fine, and she feels fortunate to have gadgets and an access to WiFi, knowing that many don't. But of course, Juliana points out that it still feels different from being in an actual classroom.
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Goals
“It sounds cliché, but I really want to push the boundaries,” she shares. “I want to make my parents proud. I’m doing it for the people around me but I’m also doing it for myself. I’m really taking the time to train hard, to be my best to mentally and physically. I’m trying to get stronger every day, so I’m very motivated.”
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Connecting with nature
Most of all, Juliana knows how lucky she is. Not everyone is afforded the privilege to spend the quarantine the way she spent hers. She's grateful to have had an easy access to open spaces and even got the chance to go on quick escapes to the lake, the beach, or the mountains near their house in Ormoc. She hopes for the upcoming year to be gentler and kinder on everyone.
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Wishes for 2021
“I look forward to a gentler time because 2020 has been rough for everyone. It’s been really tough all around in different ways. I mean, you have a pandemic, you have typhoons, you have earthquakes. A lot of businesses closed, a lot of people lost loved ones. It’s been a terrible year, so I really hope that 2021 is better to everyone. It can be a nurturing time for everyone to recover, for everyone to bounce back.”
Photo Credit: @gomezjuliana
Check out exclusive interview with Juliana's dad, Richard Gomez, below:
Photos from @gomezjuliana
Top Stories
Metro Beauty Picks Of The Week
BEAUTYMar 14, 2023
