"Pandemic Survival"

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Avatar for Xzeon
Written by
4 years ago

Time check 2:52 am PH time

This is somewhat another feature of my article regarding our life here as a farmer in our locality. I may wish you to read it again till the end and discover another story behind the picture i just shared.

If somehow you happened to visit our village, you may find many houses from the top view if you are standing beside the national road and look down to our small territory 😊

A shot from a waiting shed overlooking our village

Another shot from different position and angle

If you try to zoom in the picture you will find similar rusted roofs wherein you might mistook for a house. Most foreigners who pass by and took photos of our village thought we have lots of little houses. But the truth is, those little houses are our granaries.

A granary for storing our rice crops, dried peanuts, dried corn and millet

This granary can store our rice crops for how many years. Even decades. Yes decades! How? Well, our grain has a unique quality that a weevil can't infect and we can store it up to how many years. In fact, our granary is still storing our grandfathers' rice crops from their generation until now. Amazing isn't it.

On the contrary, the taste quality of the rice will vary from its newly harvest aromatic and sticky to a bit rough and dry taste. This is due to the added years of storage. The color will change also from light yellow skin to gold while its rice when milled will become yellowish also.

One may ask why we stored our crops for so long and not consume it instead. The answer is from our ancestors also, they taught us to save for our future. According to my uncle in-law, long time ago, the folks didn't have rice to eat but instead they survive from crops from sweet potatoes and their viand is a "kalap" another relative of beans family, they only eat meat from their game when they luckily hunt something.

Kalap is a family of monggo, it has the different unique taste that comes out the longer you boil it. ( i haven't cleaned it yet✌️. I just took photo for the readers knowledge) @Z_graeden gave it to me and that was only left when we cooked some of it few months ago.

When a foreign minister first came and introduce the rice seeds to our ancestors, they treat the grains like a precious gold. They began creating terraces of paddy field using piled rocks as a support to plant the seeds and when they harvested their labor, they stored more than what they consume. They stick to eating sweet potatoes and beans and eat their rice in some occassions only. Its like preparing cakes on birthdays only.

When they began to produce some more, they thought of building storage room for the rice as it will make their homes so crowded not with people but with rice crops🤣. Because houses long ago are also small and the size is 5 times the size of this granary. One part of it is an open storage for their sweet potatoes. It is the time when they invented our granary.

(terraces are for the mountaineers who do not have flat or plain location for their paddy field and gardens)

Rip-rap support made from large rocks to create a wall and support for the soil and mud for the paddy field

(This part of the story i enjoyed most). 😁During Japanese invasion, our women ancestors fled into the higher part of the mountain and hid themselves leaving some of their companions behind in the village. Those who were left witnessed how the invaders got puzzled on how to open the granary and keeps circling it because the door is not visible and the walls are the same🤣. They can't open it because the folks cannot understand their language even they ask for assistance🤣. So it was left untouched. When the invaders left the folks have something to eat after a long absence and not active planting their food.

The walls of the granary should be fit and tight so that rodents can't enter. But it needs checking from time to time because mice have sharp teeth and can gnaw the wood if they do it repeatedly. So with the roof because they used dried grass as their roof before not like the picture i just shared using galvanized roofing. The rain might enter the roof and may cause the upper part to get wet and rot.

So you see,In here, we can survive even in this pandemic because we stored enough for our future thanks to our ancestor. We can also produce our own vegetables from our backyard and emply lots not only during pandemics but its our habit. Addition to that is our character. We know how to control and discipline ourselves. Since the pandemic started, fortunately we don't have cases of COViD19 in our village. People are discipled and our health workers implement strict procedures within the community to keep our place a safety haven. There are cases in our town due to some individuals who came from cities but it doesn't rise to the number of 10 since the pandemic started. This is not to brag but i'm only sharing and I thank God for that. ❤️

I hope you enjoyed reading the article guys and gave you some information regarding the place i live and how we live.

Time check 3:49 am PH time. Am retiring to bed again😁

Another entry to Daily Trends Photo essay event from @Dolores

Heres the other part of this article. Mind if you visit.

https://read.cash/@Xzeon/to-the-fields-we-go-b0a08b6c

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Written by
4 years ago

Comments

Minor Awards bonus has been sent! Congratulations! ☺️❤️

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4 years ago

Thank you 😊

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4 years ago

This is really so amazing

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4 years ago

Saan yan? Coz I felt like I found my sanctuary💕

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4 years ago

Its from a barangay of Mountain Province po. 😊

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4 years ago

Wow. Ang ganda naman jan. Sana makapunta ako jan someday

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4 years ago

Someday 😊. When Covid go away.

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4 years ago

i really want to stay in your place for a while..want to experience your daily lives,want to know more about your culture and norms. Last but not the least whenever i read your article i learn some new vocabulary..

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4 years ago

😊😊😊 I'm glad you like it. Our vocabulary that is not included in Webster 😁

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4 years ago

Ahh if only i could do this in the city too but everywhere i look, it's all concrete and uigh polluted soil that i don't even think any plant would survive that kind of soil condition

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4 years ago

Its the difference between cities and provinces.😔Even the air you breath is so unsafe, Waters seems contaminated.

Use cans instead or any empty plastic containers for a small garden. Fill it with your peelings. And with feelings 😁

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4 years ago

Yeah but i can't imagine myself living in the province, really. Feels inconvenient for work

My problem isn't the containers to plant in but the actual space on where to put them where they'll still get enough sunlight

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4 years ago

Its a problem then.. I can now imagine your place.. Concretes everywhere.. And your work.. Oh its difficult looking for jobs nowadays. Its hard to give up that job in a city and prefer to live in a province specially when your work doesn't suit the workplace. I understand..

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4 years ago

Yup. I have small herb plants on the window though. But then i wanted to plant more food

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4 years ago

But you can't.. 😁 Only in your imaginations.. ✌️

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4 years ago

😭😭😭😭 imma plant food when i move to the other house by October

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4 years ago

What do plan to plant then? 😁

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4 years ago

I wanna plant tomatoes and peppees because i eat those a lot ;-; if i could plant potatoes there, i would

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4 years ago

You can do that still.. Just use your initiative.. 👍

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4 years ago

I want to give a tip to this article but I want to be fair with the other participants. If I give this a tip, it would look like I have favoritism haha and the fairness of @Dolores' contest will be compromised 😅

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4 years ago

I won't mind.. 👍 I want enjoy this event to be fair also. 😊

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4 years ago

True.

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4 years ago

Wow 😯😯 Your place look so tahimik, parang ang sarap manirahan , tapos yung nga granary, all I can see is GREEN ,🤩🤩 what is kallap po pala kaya? 🤔

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4 years ago

Kallap looks like monggo beans but much more elongated 😊

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4 years ago

Ahhh, that's the first time i heard it 😅

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4 years ago

I think i will include it in the picture. 😁

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4 years ago

Hehe, I will wait for that madam, 🤩

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4 years ago

I updated it... It looks the same as mongo but darker. 😊

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4 years ago

Ay ganon pala itsure 🤔 Ngayon ko lang talaga nakita 🤔 Thank you for sharing it to us po 😍😍🤩 And happyyy ber months 😍

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4 years ago

am really entertained reading it,how you put things together.. I have a stored draft of the tradition of storing that have caused us to survive this pandemic but its too magulo gulo😂...am reAlly proud of your right ups..

In adddition to this, unlike our lowland brothers who are also into agriculture, we store our rice crops and we consume store bought rice so that when time comes when one is gipit na gipit, atleast meron xang pagkukunan ng ilalapag sa mesa at yun ung nsa granary.

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4 years ago

Yes thats true... If we can afford to buy rice, we buy, we store for some situations like what we are experiencing today.

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4 years ago

I am thinking how to make a continuation of my article before this one then because of exhaustion i slept early and just woke up 2:00 in the morning with ideas floating in my mind... So even my eyes are still drooping i grab my phone and tried to type all my ideas and presto.! . Its good it was put into places with the photos i wanted was stored in my gallery😁

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4 years ago

you did great,really..how was the result of the contest,anyway ?

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4 years ago

As I reading this I had a goose bumps hehe. I so proud of the people in Mountain Province. Thank you for sharing these culture to us. I remember when the EQC start, I heard the news that the mayor of Sagada refused to accept the relief goods because he said that people of Sagada can provide their own needs even if we are facing pandemic. I am so amazed on their style of living. I am amazed how they preserved their culture. I love people from the moutains 💞 I also remember carrot man 😄

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

may I have some corrections in this, carrot man is from mountain province also just from another municipality.and not Sagada but Sadanga

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4 years ago

The result will be on sept. 5

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4 years ago

a okk.. best of luck..

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4 years ago

Thank you... I haven't find you online most of the time.

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4 years ago

Huh? I only mentioned Sagada because I saw the news that their Mayor refused to accept the relief goods coming from the government. I didnt say that carrot man is from Sagada. I said I also remember carrot man because carrot man discovered on Mountain province but @xzeon corrected me that carrot man is from another province but he is also an Igorot.

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

😁I think there theres a misunderstanding about sadanga and sagada and the word "province" i mentioned. I suppose to say that carrot man is from different municipality😅.. I was about to confirm you again about that but i was inactive for sometime and when i came online. So much notif i forgot to check my articles, The mayor is from Sadanga. While carrot man is from Barlig, both are municipalities of Mountain Province. ✌️🙏 Sorry for the error. I might be thinking other things that time 😅

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4 years ago

Its okay. Good thing z_graeden corrected me hehe. Siguro tiga Mountain Province din sya hehe

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

She's my lil sister not by blood but by friendship. She's my neighbor also 10 houses away, and i'm her affiliate😁

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4 years ago

Oh, magkakilala pala kayo hehe. Kaya pala 😄

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

Yeps mommy🤭😁

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4 years ago

ok a mis understanding, my apologies.. carrot man is from natonin, mountain province..you're right, he was discovered in mountain province and that was the municipality of bauko.. regarding the mayor who refused relief goods, it was the mayor of Sadanga and not Sagada... 😊

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4 years ago

Oh really? So I mistakenly heard the news hahaha. Thank you for the information 😂 Parang Sagada kasi talaga rinig ko hahaha. But Sadanga is also part of Mountain Province?

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

Sadanga po tlaga yun😁,yep another municipality ng mountain province

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4 years ago

Buti nabasa mo comment ko hahaha. Mali pala rinig ko sa balita 😄 Thank you thank you

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

much much welcome po

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4 years ago

🤣🤣🤣 Yes carrot man, though he is from another province, but we are all Igorots. And about the mayor of Sagada, i'm glad you heared about it. Yes, he knows that we can survive even without those relief goods, there are more people who needs the goods than us. We can still afford to buy our own. 😊

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4 years ago

Yeah I heard it on 24 oras hehe. It is an inspiration to many people that saving is so important. So when emergency comes, we are ready. Its also an advocacy to do gardening as it will help you to at least sustain your daily need and if there's excess you can sell it pa.

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User's avatar Yen
4 years ago

Exactly 😊. Not only for self consumption but also for small business as well. 😊

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4 years ago

The article is very long but it's worth the read. It's like I'm reading a chapter from an 'Araling Panlipunan' book 😅

Are you or your in laws perhaps part of an indigenous group? Based from your story it's like they are part of a distinct indigenous group.

I'm actually amazed with your way of living - disciplined, industrious, thrifty. WOW. I can't believe that in this fast changing modern world, there are still people who sticks to the basics, just like how it was before. I'm curious about that storage room and now I'm interested to see those in person. By the way where is that place located?

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4 years ago

Yes we are part of the Indigenous group of Bontok. If you browse in Google you will find its different features about it.. Every village /barangay has its own local language. Like us, we have our own. We are from barangay of Talubin. ❤️

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4 years ago

We discussed about indigenous groups back in college but I never heard about yours. I might as well make a research about it and write an article hahahaha. Just kidding! I'm glad that I've met people like you here in read.cash and learn valuable things from you which I can share with my students in the future 💕

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4 years ago

You try and make one.. 😁

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4 years ago

wanna read more about it? try to go over my 1st published articles.. hope @xzeon would not mind me interrupting 😁

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4 years ago

I won't mind.. I love sharing our culture and the beauty of the place we live.. Its my pleasure if you have other ideas to share. 😊

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4 years ago

haha would you mind giving me the link instead?

Are you from the same place?

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4 years ago

I am @Z_graedens' affilliate and we are both young moms, 😊 but much older than her. Our house is i think 10 houses away😁.

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4 years ago

Woah! See I got it right! I'm really amazed. I would love to visit your place one day.

And kudos to you young moms ❣️

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4 years ago

😊You are much welcome to visit our humble place and, Thank you! I think its also worth reading @Z_graedens article featuring hot spots in here for travelers like you. I couldn't just find the link.. Slow net it is so i have a hard time scrolling her page. She'l drop it soon when she's done with here chores 😁 Me i'm watching our crops being dried.. Maybe if i have time and goid ideas i will give a feature in it too...

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4 years ago

Well, I really hope to go and visit 🤞. I think it will be awesome and I want to see those granary houses in real life. I got too curious after reading the story about the Japanese invasion. You know I've been telling my siblings about your story this morning and they're amazed by it too, we even told each other that living there would be perfect for our dad 😂

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4 years ago

Really! Sure.. If this pandemic will soon gone off.. You can visit in here.

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4 years ago

Really... 🤣🤣🤣 You may find your partner in life in here😁 to live permanenty. Actually there are some lowlanders who were saved during the pandemic, they are carpenters.As they learned how we live, though they are just temporary resident in here they live like us. They said they are fortunate to be able to live in here before the ECQ. They didn't feel worried about the pandemic at all. Its true they can survive if we are industrious and know how to save.. (but they don't save😁) Its only that they recieve daily jobs thats why they can buy what they want. Surely they can't work if they are in their hometown. 😊

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4 years ago

You may find your partner in life in here😁 to live permanenty.

hahaha I'm still adamant about being single for the rest of my life 😂

But if I will be given the chance to live in a place like that, I would be happy to. As long as there's electricity and internet connection, I'll be able to live haha But I will make sure to bring some people to live with me. I'll probably invite Myt.24 and my cousin 😂

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4 years ago

Everything is well i can guarantee except for the net🤣🤣🤣.

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4 years ago

Parang ang lamig po dyan sainyo😄

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4 years ago

Yes sis.. Peaceful sya at very generous ang mga tao dyan, wag lang abusuhin😁

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4 years ago

Aww that so nice to hear. You'll be safe because everyone treats each other as family;)

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4 years ago

Yes... There are even times when some foreign Catholic ministers who came and adopted by some senior parents in here... They cried when its their time to leave ang go back to their own countries. So you see as long as you live the way we live in here and you will survive like us. 😊

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4 years ago

Aww that's quite heartbreaking but also sweet

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4 years ago

It is.. 😊 They visit in here from time to time.. They planned to come again by december but because of this pandemic... 😔

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4 years ago

It is! If only not because of this pandemic, they will visit again in December.. 😊

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4 years ago

Ang ganda ng lugar sobra, pati ang paligid parang ang tahimik.

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4 years ago

Yes sis.. Tahimik talaga pero may itinatagong kulo ang mga nninirahan dyan😁

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4 years ago

Hehe kahit saan naman may ganyan, importante napanatiling maayos ang kapaligiran

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4 years ago

tama ka, wala akong masabi sa ugali ng mga tao maliban na lang sa nabanggit kong basura😁

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4 years ago

Very good info

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4 years ago

Thank you brother... Are you doing good?

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4 years ago