Childhood Life in the 70's

Time Flies so fast, technologies, travels, and gadgets that was not even thought of by ordinary people is now at hand. Many discussions about economy as to which is easier -- the old times or now?

Many says it is easier before as the price of commodities are very cheap compared to now, then there is the usual answer that it is easier now as even the beggars own a cellphone (in which I agree because when I was young we don't have even a black & white television which nowadays you can see some motorized peddlers with flat screen tv to entertain their customers while eating. But that is not the reason why I wrote this, but to give you a short glance how is life during my childhood;

1970

A not so peaceful time politically, rallies are everywhere in the city but in suburban areas where we live, and me being 10 years old then has no interest with whatever is happening around, what all we care is what and where to play. My place was a military reserve area and we are considered as squatters that time. Those days you have to give an offering to the Army Captain before you can construct a small room attached to an existing house or else they will confiscate your construction tools and equipment.

At night, that same room that was constructed will be carried by men to a nearby lot and in the morning the army captain will just scratch his head but another offering and that house will not be visible to them or they will not visit the area for at least two weeks to let you finish the exteriors and roofing. For us kids is more fun as we have free foods and candies as look outs while the houses even without genders multiply so fast.

We don't have gadgets those days and we just make our own toys from can of sardines and milks with bottle caps as wheels, and an old tire is more fun to play. At night when the moon is bright we always play "patintero" in an unpaved streets and sometimes "taguan" or "tumbang-preso" and after that we will go to a nearby "poso" (deep-well pump) and drink directly from it without fear of any harming bacteria.

In the morning we search for fruit bearing trees like santol (cotton apple), aratiles, mango, sampalok (tamarind), etc. or just go to some streams and rice fields to get some kuhol (edible snails) and bamboo shoots for our moms to cook and we used to swim and catch small fishes and shells at Laguna de bay just less than a kilometer from my place. When it rains most of us can be seen at a small canal racing mini boats that we created from a stick of ice drops or sometimes twigs or even leaves of bamboos.

Those times we drink in one bottle, use one spoon and sleep in the fields without fear of getting any virus from anyone. You don't need to run after any public transportation just to go to school or to get home. No traffic and almost everyone obey the street law. Houses in the city doesn't need air conditions because it is not congested and the wind flows freely inside your place. And in those times even you are a kilometer away you can still hear when your mother shouts and call you and you will run like hell to get back home.

Those were the days my friend, and i thought it would never end...