My Journey in Province

Simple yet full of happiness, this is how I describe my life in province. I was born in province with dreadful past. My siblings once told me that our father hurting our mother and he never became a good father to us.

When our parents died, our relatives took responsibility for us. We grew up with our uncle and aunt. We were lucky that they are very kind and took good care of us. I was raised in family that had a simple life, my auntie is housewife while my uncle is an albularyo and working at the farm. I always accompanying him everytime he had work.

One time my uncle needs to find ingredients for what he called lana, we traveled mountains just to find mysterious leaves and branch of trees. First, we pack our things then went at Lawigan. I feel ashamed while riding at jeepney because I have no slippers. Some passengers looking at me but it is normal to barefoot. We went at house of my uncle's friend then they talk a while, after that we take a leave.

We went back at house then eat food, after we finished, my uncle told me to bring lots of water and wear slippers because we're going to travel at mountains. I feel excited then I pack everything, we walk almost 4 kilometers until we reached our first destination.

The place was so familiar to me because it is our farm, I saw high coconut trees, greeny banana trees with ripe fruits and reddish flower. I was amazed even though I already got to this place many times. While I'm the top of mountain, I saw beautiful scenery of wide oceans, at the top, I can see our whole barangay. I always tried to yell loud hoping that someone could see me but I'm too far.

After that my uncle called my name, we will start another journey now because he finished to get one ingredient. He advised me to get fruits to eat becuase it's gonna be a long journey. I saw lots of fruits around such as mango falling from high trees, star apple but I can't climb a tree, bugnay or little cherries and my most favorite, atis which I saw a lot.

While traveling, I can't feel any hunger because I eat fruits everytime we passing through. I can't feel any boredom for the reason that my uncle telling me stories about his childhood and his scary journey.

Honestly,I feel terrified in his stories because it really happened to him, I was more scared because we're passing through the forest and I feel like someone watching us that we didn't see. I feel scared but my uncle advise me not to feel scared because it can attract elemental creatures. I strengthen my spiritual self, I'm also confident that any unusual things that will happen can be prevented because I'm with the most brave person in the world, which is my uncle.

After a long walk, we reached our second destination, the place is so familiar on me because it is the way to Iraya, we stopped at big tree then my uncle told me to stay away, he will perform prayer to the tree, even though I can't understand the prayer, I knew that it was a prevention for elemental creatures living in that tree not to hurt him and he asked permission to those creatures to get a small branch from that tree.

In our province, big trees known as balete believed that there are creatures living such as kapre, nuno, diwata, it is forbidden to cut down or hurt the tree or else you will face the terrific revenge of elemental creatures.

The trees in our province was respected due to belief of elemental creatures. My uncle always asked permission to enter everytime there's a big tree nearby. I also believe that big trees serves as portal for elements to travel in human world and their world. I'm afraid everytime I saw big trees with scary form, I always avoid passing that way, if I have no choice but to pass into that tree, I asked permission to pass then run fast.

Back on our journey, my uncle finished getting a small branch from tree, I'm worried that elements living on that tree didn't grant my uncle's request and they got angry because of my uncle's action. In our province, if elemental creatures starts harming it means that the person disturb creatures living in that place. I already saw how elemental take revenge when my sister pee at side of coconut tree. My ate didn't realize that there's someone living in that place that she disturb, my sisters leg got paralyzed and she can't walk.

My uncle was good at knowing the illness of the patients, he look at what happened on my sister then he knew that my sister disturb the house of nuno. My uncle advise to offer food and ask forgiveness in place that my sister urinated. My uncle conducted prayer and ritual on that place then asked forgiveness after that we placed food beneath the coconut tree. After a couple of days, my sisters leg cured and she started to walk again.

That's it for this night. If you want more stories of my journey in province, tune up and wait for my next article. I have lots of experience and stories I want to share in you. Have a good day and keep safe from threat of CoViD-19.