Aside from my academic and professional journey, I love experiencing mom life with my two (gen alpha) daughters, and am avid with the #tracyandersonmethod #TAmily.

Ever hesitate to ask someone about their tattoos? I used to wonder about the etiquette too. Here’s mine: In August 2023, I was traveling with a large group of family but had decided to meet Apo Whang-Od, a mambabatok, a traditional tattoo artist, from the Kalinga tribe in the Philippines, to try to get my first tattoo. She also happens to be the oldest person featured on the cover of Vogue and a living icon who is redefining beauty standards. My entire 36-hour visit to the remote village was mostly spent traveling – by planes, cars, taxis, motorcycles, and a final stretch on foot—after my travel companions backed out due to a monsoon. It was an exhilarating whirlwind, reminding me that the stories behind the ink are as compelling as the art itself.

Bamboo stick with a pomelo thorn, soot mixed with water, and another stick to tap the needle.

A 16-year old grandniece gently etched in the arrows – direction of life. 

Tips: Don’t show any pain while the 106-year-old artist tattoos an area close to the nerve, unbespectacled; apply antibiotic ointment only once out of sight; pay significantly more than the standard $6 fee; the armed guards at the base of the mountain are friendlier than they look; prepare to explain why you’re traveling alone; practice ethnographic methods, including active listening and strategically asking questions, to carefully navigate village politics around the commodification of tattooing and the role of tour guides.