The only motivation I got during my crisis is to look at my resources and will say, "The day will come when we will make money and we will get out of this poverty".

Back then, my family doesn't own a single land and house. I grew up in the family where poverty really hits us hard. I still remember when I was four, we are renting the house and pay ₱1500 per month. It's quite cheap today, but before it has a huge value before. My mother and father are working in a manufacturing company in PEZA. They are just your ordinary employees since they don't attend college when they are young.

We are moving to different rental houses. At young age, it's difficult for me to adjust to every environment I am in. New friends. New neighbours. New place. New road. Everything is new. When my mother gave birth to my sibling, that is the start where our life becomes poorer.

Moving to farm

When I was five years old, we moved to my grandparents farm. It's very far and you only see the entirety of the farmland. How wide and beautiful it was. When we moved there, I was shocked because we have no electricity at all. I used to play video games back then with my father. I used to watched movies and kid videos in television. I used to laugh watching comedy shows. And that day, it went all gone. Just gone.

The only source of light we have is what you call 'gas lamp'. The gas was inside of the bottle and there's a clothe in the middle. Then you will light the very top and then boom, the lights on. We have four or five of them in house to light the whole house. At first, it was difficult because I didn't used to lived in that kind of very shadowy and dim places. I'm scared whenever I go to comfort room because it's very dark.

What's the biggest challenge I faced living in farm?

There are numerous challenges and problems I encountered. Whoo! I'm quite teary right now as I am writing this because I just remembered all the hardships I went through. Alright, the biggest challenge was to buy foods back and forth. Yes. Foods. We have no neighbour at all. If we want to talk to neighbour, we will walk around half kilometers just to go there. It's around 40-70 minutes walk, you know.

I listed some of the problems, challenges, and hardships for you to know my life well.

• As I said we have no electricity, just the gas lamp or gasera.

• I walk around 60-100 meters before I reach a cemented road.

• I have no access to internet to research my assignments.

• I do not have playmates.

• Our source of water comes from hand water pump or 'poso'. It's so old, older than my grandparents.

• I cannot watch TV.

• We used firewoods to cook, sometimes when raining it's so hard to lit the wood.

• I woke up in the morning just to water our vegetables and plants.

• When I'm going to school and it's raining, my pants are so dirty because of splashes of mud. (nakakahiya po talaga pumasok na putik ang pants ko sa laylayan hanggang tuhod)

• We washed our clothes by hands. No washing machine.

• I'm always chased by cows. Like always.

Pardon me for mentioning it all. I know you just want to skip reading this article, but this is very personal for me. And that's why I want to share it to everybody.

What's the happiest moments in my life living in the farm for 9 years without electricity?

If you are curious about this question then let me answer it. Although I'm in the situation where my life was in the deepest. I leaned to cope and adapt. In fact, I'm very thankful that I went through all those experiences and hardships. Why? Because then I realise that my worth is not based on what and where I live. My worth is accepting the facts of my life and use every resources I got to get out of that poverty.

To tell you the truth, I'm not boasting or anything. It's all just in God's grace that I actually had tumultuous amount of blessings before. What are those?

• Although we have no electricity and Internet, I became part of star section in all grade from 1st grade to 10th grade.

• I was picked to compete in Radio broadcasting for journalism.

• I became president of my class since 7th grade up to now. (unending blessing and glory to Him)

• I received scholarship.

• Even if I don't have playmates, my sister and I became so close until now.

• I knew all the processes and procedures done in every part of farming including vegetation and herding animals.

Life Update

We have now our very own land which measured for about 100 square meters. Our family now owned 500 squre meters which is undeveloped now. Our house is not complete yet, but we're saving money to finish it up. Sooner, the dream house I always wanted will become true and that's because I believe in the power of Him. There's hope for hopeful. There's miracle for faithful. There's love who loved.

You know what, life is not unfair. God is not unfair. He put you in that situation because He knew you can overcome it. The rewards is always at the end. You cannot receive the rewards in the beginning.

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Blog #11
2/6/22