I remember when my father cooked dishes for lunch or dinner. He could cook delicious dish such as fish, taro plants, papaya with " Malunggay", and even young bamboos with " tigabang" and shrimps. All he could add for these was a coconut milk. In my village, it was free to take and use others coconut fruit as long as it fell down from the tree and you didn't pick it direct from its tree, ofcourse. Another choice was by getting permit from the owner of the tree if you wanted to have even just a coconut and pay it later when the dish is cooked. I and siblings usually gather some coconuts and placed them under our house or hearth for further use. This was because it was not so easy to find coconut nearby if many want to have it too. I mean, everybody like dishes with coconut milk - it is a food tradition in my country.
14. Eating Safari, boy bawang, cheese curls, cheese snacks, etc.
If I earned a peso, I became so happy. It was not because I earned it but because I could buy cheese snacks from it. Boy bawang was one of my favorite as a kid. By that time, it costed only a peso. Another option was lemon candy or we called it "dolce lemon". It was a small-rounded colorful and sweet candy that whoever can buy, it was the cheapest candy in the village - it costed only 25 cents. It means that you could have 4 pieces of this candy if you have a peso.
13. Planting and harvesting peanuts, sweets potatoes, taro, etc.
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| Taro crops |
12. Planting rice in the mountain
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| Photo from: www.flickr.com |
Rice planting is really famous in my country and every one can do it. You don't need education to do this, just some rules and tutorials from the experted adults whom have grown up with rice's planting. There were planting in the ricefield but I preferred planting in the mountain as we called it "panggas" because you don't need to bowed so much, the geography was slided and not so flat; as well as you could find shadows of trees if it's too warm. There were drinks and delicious foods available and you could also earned some money from doing it. This is one of the "bayanihan" or unity works that people usually do in my village. It was fun doing this work eventhough it hurted in my back and everybody's backs. But this can may be a good training if you want effects whole over your body.
11. Going to school
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| Photos from: www.dreamstime.com |
Going to school with my neighbors, friends and cousins were the unforgetable experience in my childhood. We woke up early, prepared our lunch box and went to school together. We usually sang on our way, playing and even laughing together. But everything ended up when something terrible happened, "autolibon" became famous. This was usually a dark-windowed car that picked-up kids on its way and sell her/him to others who lives far away. This was also famous for sewing kid's mouth until these bad persons delivered them to the authority who should used them as "daga" which means that these pity kids should be killed and used their bloods for building bridges and buildings. This was only a speculation that affected my childhood - it became every child's fear.
9. Climbing and picking guava, black palm, mango, etc.
Big pails, baskets, plastic bags, etc. were only some of the things I and my neighbors always taking with us every time we should go to the mountain. What were we doing there? Well, guavas were one of our favorite that time and they were free to get them in the mountain. We ate them, sold them and even exchanged them to papers which we could use in schooling. It was not so difficult picking those guavas from their plants because most of them were not tall enough to be reached. Other wild and common fruits which we traditionally climb every year was called black palm or we called it " duhat or lumboy". This fruit was small, approximately like small grapes, and the color turned dark violet when it's ripen. When you eat this fruit, your tounge will turns violet or blue. It can also stains your clothes if you're not careful enough bearing them. It was really fun climbing black palm trees together with my cousins and neighbors. If you want to eat this fruit, you must learn how to climb a tree first. Fruits have their seasons every year. So when the other was ending, we climb the next seasoned fruit. Mango is also famous in my country. Actually it was one of my favorite during my childhood. There were 3 types of mangoes in my village - they were carabao mangoes, mangga, and indian mangoes. Indian mangoes were our favorite because these were the cheapest if you want to buy this and you could find them everywhere. Just slice this fruit, and dip it into vinegar with salt - yummmy!
We ate these fruits, sold them and even exchanged them to papers which we could use in schooling. We enjoyed climbing them and sharing with families!
We ate these fruits, sold them and even exchanged them to papers which we could use in schooling. We enjoyed climbing them and sharing with families!
8. Gathering woods in the mountain
Yes, I've written it right. Do you think it's only for adult? In the early age, I and my siblings had been trained doing this task - to gather woods for cooking foods. In the Philippines, almost of the cooking is done manually in the hearth through the use of woods. So it is almost everyday one should pick woods for doing this. It was not easy to gather woods if you're alone that's why after we climbed the trees for their fruits, we usually gather woods on the way home. That's a good idea, isn't it?
7. Catching frog in the ricefield
What am I doing with the frogs anyway? It was not just a frog, it was a ricefield's frog. I don't really know how it should be called but we usually call it " bug-ongan" in my village. We catched this directly in the ricefield, cleaned it and grilled it on the fire. It tastes like chicken.
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| Photo from: www.davidhegner.com |
What am I doing with the frogs anyway? It was not just a frog, it was a ricefield's frog. I don't really know how it should be called but we usually call it " bug-ongan" in my village. We catched this directly in the ricefield, cleaned it and grilled it on the fire. It tastes like chicken.
6. Picking water spinach and taro plants in the ricefields
Water spinach or " Kangkong" is a common vegetable in my country. You could find this everywhere - besides the ricefields or even besides the river. They like growing up in the mud and watery places. This is one of my favorite veggie in my village because it is easy to cook, free to pick, and it is healthy. Just like "kangkong", taro plants or " gabi" also grows up in the mud and watery fields. This vegetable is delicious if cook with coconut milk. Most of the Filipino people who always eat this would really miss the taste of this veggie if they stay abroad.
Water spinach or " Kangkong" is a common vegetable in my country. You could find this everywhere - besides the ricefields or even besides the river. They like growing up in the mud and watery places. This is one of my favorite veggie in my village because it is easy to cook, free to pick, and it is healthy. Just like "kangkong", taro plants or " gabi" also grows up in the mud and watery fields. This vegetable is delicious if cook with coconut milk. Most of the Filipino people who always eat this would really miss the taste of this veggie if they stay abroad.
5. Washing clothes in the river
Is it really possible doing this? Yes, it is. This is actually a tradition in my village especially on the weekends, when the dirty clothes fulled up the sack. We usually gather and put our dirty clothes in a sack and wash it in the river. Washing in the flowing river is easier than washing in the pump. It is because you don't need to worry about the water you need to use for washing, just dip the clothes directly on the river and start the washing and brushing. In my childhood; I, my siblings and cousins usually invite each other to wash together in the river. Then we didn't need to carry all the washed clothes home, instead dried them on the plants, grasses or even stones on the side of the river. It dried faster when they spreaded there under the sun.
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| Photo from: www.wordpress.com |
Is it really possible doing this? Yes, it is. This is actually a tradition in my village especially on the weekends, when the dirty clothes fulled up the sack. We usually gather and put our dirty clothes in a sack and wash it in the river. Washing in the flowing river is easier than washing in the pump. It is because you don't need to worry about the water you need to use for washing, just dip the clothes directly on the river and start the washing and brushing. In my childhood; I, my siblings and cousins usually invite each other to wash together in the river. Then we didn't need to carry all the washed clothes home, instead dried them on the plants, grasses or even stones on the side of the river. It dried faster when they spreaded there under the sun.
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| " Sensoro " |
4. Fishing in the river and sea / Helping with the netfishing
Oh, how I miss this. Fishing can be done by using water's eyeglasses, fish nets, fishing sticks, etc. The common method that's easy to use was a stick with a nylon tied on it and a hook with an attached earthworm, and ofcourse netfishing. If you want to have all fishes you've catch, then it is best to use the first method. Netfishing as we called it " sensoro" is the common fishing in the sea wherein many persons need to help draging up the net by the help of something. It may be took upto 3 hours doing this.
Oh, how I miss this. Fishing can be done by using water's eyeglasses, fish nets, fishing sticks, etc. The common method that's easy to use was a stick with a nylon tied on it and a hook with an attached earthworm, and ofcourse netfishing. If you want to have all fishes you've catch, then it is best to use the first method. Netfishing as we called it " sensoro" is the common fishing in the sea wherein many persons need to help draging up the net by the help of something. It may be took upto 3 hours doing this.
3. Picking snails, catching small crabs, etc. on the river and rice field
I still remember when my hand was beaten by these small crabs that we called " Katang" and " Kalampay". These are two types of small crabs that live in fresh water, the only difference is that Katang lives in the river while Kalampay lives in the muddy water, mostly besides ricefield. There were also snails, neither in the river or in the ricefield which can be eaten when cooked. This special snail is called " Awis" in my dialect. Awis and kalampay usually can be found in the same area. It's hassle to eat this kind of food if you're not grown up doing so but like me and my childhood's batches, we liked eating this!
2. Playing with my cousins
There were lot of things I and my cousins usually do during our childhood. There were many different things we're crazy about. Playing was one of our enjoyment. It was not just about gathering woods and climbing fruits in the mountain but ofcourse spending time together in playing. Running ( lagsanay ), swimming, family reunion or we called it " Balay-balay", Passing through lines or " Garabay", volley ball and black magic were only some of our favorites. It was unavoided with it comes to fighting most of the time but it was just a part of being immatured. It wouldn't took too long and everybody were friends again, as usual. Really fun!
There were lot of things I and my cousins usually do during our childhood. There were many different things we're crazy about. Playing was one of our enjoyment. It was not just about gathering woods and climbing fruits in the mountain but ofcourse spending time together in playing. Running ( lagsanay ), swimming, family reunion or we called it " Balay-balay", Passing through lines or " Garabay", volley ball and black magic were only some of our favorites. It was unavoided with it comes to fighting most of the time but it was just a part of being immatured. It wouldn't took too long and everybody were friends again, as usual. Really fun!
1. Bathing, swimming or jumping in the river and sea
Why is this my number 1? It is because I miss doing this. I grew up in a place where the sea is about100 meter away from our house which means that it is too near to walk. When it is too warm, it feels really good bathing in the sea's cold water. As you can see in the picture, those are my relatives, we dressed up when we're bathing. This is because we're concervatives and we couldn't afford buying those bathing suits. Otherwise, we didn't have any problem because we're enjoying the water.
We were not dependent with just the sea because there was no place to jump in it. Therefore, river which located about 200 meter, was one of our options that time. By the way, we called it " Suba ". In the river, there have stones and the water was deeply enough for jumping. We usually stand up on the stone besides the river and start the jumping. We did this everytime we should wash our clothes there.
Being a child is the craziest and the happiest moment in life. So, treasure and enjoy it while you're in this stage because it only comes once. Every memory you've gathered in the childhood last forever but it is not that easy to recall. Life changes but memory remains!
We were not dependent with just the sea because there was no place to jump in it. Therefore, river which located about 200 meter, was one of our options that time. By the way, we called it " Suba ". In the river, there have stones and the water was deeply enough for jumping. We usually stand up on the stone besides the river and start the jumping. We did this everytime we should wash our clothes there.
Being a child is the craziest and the happiest moment in life. So, treasure and enjoy it while you're in this stage because it only comes once. Every memory you've gathered in the childhood last forever but it is not that easy to recall. Life changes but memory remains!
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