Going back to childhood days what was your most memorable memories?
Each and everyone I supposed has many experiences and memories, positive or not to tell.
I would like to share my childhood days. I particularly born, raised and grew at the foot of the mountain in one of the towns in Ifugao. Where, there is no electricity. So our father made a lamp using empty bottle with cover filled with kerosene and a strand of cloth. It is similar to a candle we buy from the grocery. A typical village with few houses. Others were made of nipa hut, and some were made from woods and concrete.
Our house was a small, four cornered-house. It was a 2-bedroom,a small living room and dining kitchen. Our toilet and bathroom are loacted outside. We do not have any appliances. Thus, we cook foods using firewoods. We only have a small radio with battery were my dad hear news and other events happening in the county.
Simple living was our way of life. My mother was a public teacher in a primary school and my father was a politician turned farmer (you can read my article about my father entitled, Fatherly Love).
Growing in an urban area is quiet. When is already dark, it is expected that everyone is home. We sleep early like 7 or 8pm. It is already late when you sleep at night. Then wake up at 6am during school days.
Growing older, my family does not have enough money to buy our family needs. My mom's salary is not enough for a big family like mine as we are 8 siblings. Every end of the month, my mom would go to the grocery in neighbouring town to buy our basic needs. We are already contented when she brought us bread and milk. Sometimes, she buys fish, hotdogs that we enjoy as it is not as often that we eat those.
My childhood days I say was an easy one. No complications. I have a lot of neighbours to play with. We play a lot of traditional games like shatong, patintero, sungka, (you can ask Google about them and how to play), Chinese garter, hide and seek, catch me if you can, and many more.
One more we used to do is climbing fruit trees like cotton fruit, pomelo, mango that we enjoy eating under its tree.
Another exciting activity also was we go to our grandmother's farm to get vegetables like string beans, malunggay, sweet potato leaves, and other wild plants that are edible we see there.
But the harder part is me and my siblings pound our rice to remove the rice hulls before cooking them. It takes hours to finish at least 10 kilos
See? Who could say that childhood is boring before. No gadgets, no problem.
We also use to swim in the river while having a picnic. Catch fishes, get vegetables and fruits for our lunch and desert.
Looking back to what I used to play and do before aside from helping our father also in the ricefields while enjoying the mud,cleaning the paddy were all worth it.
If I you can only bring back the olden days to let the generation today experience these will definitely help them know how simple, unique and traditional way of life. Introducing to them what life was before.
I believe there are still urban areas who have the same living as what I experienced but mind you, it is full of happiness and contentment.
Today, almost we are on the process of automatic. Technologies are working for us. Children are into gadgets.
I am looking forward to introduce my son as he grows up where I came from and how I lived my simple, but easy childhood life.
Thank you for your interest in reading.
Share your childhood memories also.
