My Tasks before that Siblings won't Need to do Today

I believe if you have been reading my articles you would know by now a little history about my life and my current status.

But for the sake of my new readers let me give you a little overview.

I am the eldest of 4 and been a breadwinner since then. Here in our country once you are the eldest people has so much expectations from you. You gotta be the PERFECT "ATE" or sister because if not then they would assume your siblings would follow your lead.

I was pressured and afraid at the same time because God! Life already sucks!

As an eldest I got so much tasks because I well yeah, I am the eldest!

FETCH WATER FROM THE TABAY/POZO

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Fetching water doesn't really look that hard not until you gotta lift two buckets at the same time. We have neighbor who owns both of these just a couple of meters away from home. I have to fill in a barrel or two so I could continue doing the laundry.

Way before, I would bring the unwashed clothes near the well or water pump then I go home only when I am done but there are times that I won't be able to do that because while washing the laundry I got to watch my siblings playing too and then cook or prepare for their meals.

This is the same thing as getting water to drink. I'd have to lift some gallons of water. The best thing before is the water is just FREE! Now we gotta pay for it.

Today, my siblings can just turn on the faucet and voila! As for the water to drink we would ask one of our neighbors to fill in our 10 gallons then we would pay him. We now drink mineral water. We before we drink straight from the water pump and if you ask if its clean? I believe so because if not then I would be dead by now as we were drinking such since I was a child but with the growing population and many new faces in our place we decided to really go for mineral water. This is also for the sake of our babies.

COOKING USING SUNG-AGAN/GINABAS

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Way before this has been a challenge for me because I find it hard to make fire using ginabas or woods, really. My grandfather would always tell me I am stupid because I tend to fail this task which makes the rice half cooked or some of it not cook at all.

So when we had a stove or butane I was so thankful because I could finally get off from breathing all the smokes coming from that burning woods.

I get so busy on 5PM that's exactly after class and about dinner time as I am the one who needs to cook rice while waiting for my Mom to arrive to prepare for anything that we can pair with rice.

IRONING CLOTHES USING PLANTSANG DE ULING

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Way before I have to use this type of iron to make sure my uniform would look neat especially the pleates of my skirt.

Sometimes I use this to dry my uniform especially when its raining that it would not totally get dry with just hanging it.

Now my siblings has this flat iron operated by electricity that they can use anytime they like.

...end thoughts...

It is really hard to be poor, you know. You gotta go with whatever that you can afford even when it is hard to use it.

But I must admit that remembering these things makes me appreciate more what I have now.

It is really hard to keep on struggling in finances. I have so much to regret about how I handle mine and really, I hope I can do something but as part of our culture and what our parents got used to once you are an eldest the responsibility is very heavy. You are torn between the love of your parents or family to the love of pursuing a freedom.