I was really touched from the comments I received from my fellow bloggers: Noemi, Annamanila, and momoftwo and inspired me to post this next entry of my humble beginnings.

Before I write my post, let me show you their comments first on the article I wrote in my blog entitled “Our Association’s Projects.”

Noemi: that’s a very noble project. We are also setting up a scholarship fund in memory of my son. Hopefully it will be launched soon. UP tuition fee for college has increased tremendously so we hope to help deserving college students.

Annamanila: Mabuhay ka Belle for giving a slice of yourself through this outreach project. That is giving back to the larger community and society hindi ba?

When I retire I also plan to have this outreach project .. details na lang later. But it has something to do with senior citizens and IT. :)

momoftwo: Belle, this is really a good project. I really admire your generosity. You inspire me to do something similar. Maybe in the future.

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Warning: This is a long post

I came from a very poor family in a small barrio of Bagumbayan. My father held a menial job on a wage that exempted us from paying taxes( I was not too sure on this), raised a family to be counted in poverty statistics. When I reached grade three, my father decided to retire from an auditor job he had held for so many years. My younger brother was in grade 1 at that time. I did not know if my father had given much thoughts on his decision of retiring early but I thought it was a lousy move. How would we survive on a meager retirement salary? How would my father afford to send his younger children (my brother and I)through college? I was not sure if those same questions had crossed my parents’ mind or if they had resorted to bahala na attitude (come what may attitude), as usual. As my father had repeatedly said, “ang tawo nabubuhay sa pasilikad sikad” (people somehow survive through endless kicking.)

It was an extremely hard road for us without a steady income for many years. My family had to endure so many hardships just to put food on the table. This may seem astonishing to you, but I learned at an early age the art of “supnit”, I learned to fish in the swamp using agahid (fish net), I learned to plant young rice plant in the muddy fields (such a back breaking job!), plant and harvest camote, make tiniklad (nipa shingles), harvest rice in the wee hours of the morning, , and so on and so forth. Consider yourself lucky if you were spared such arduous life . Just the thought of it brings me tears. It would surely break my heart if my daughters were to endure such difficulties.

While other kids were enjoying the tricycle ride to school, I would wake up early in the morning to give me an early start for a three-kilometer walk to school. The only good thing about this that I just realize now is it has kept me in shape and I was free of any ounces of fat in my body. You see, not even fully aware of walking benefits, my exercise regime has started back then. Imagine walking twice a day in a scorching and humid environment. There were times when I arrived school late or just in the nick of time when the flagpole ceremony was about to start. I didn’t care how I smelled, nor looked. I did not seem to drive my classmates away either..hehehe…dai man ning nag sabi ning isog isog diyan sa ako (no one had dared ask me to keep a distance because I stank).

For our lunch, my brother and I would split up a small fried galunggong (fish) and a generous serving of rice. You think you were the only one who had been through a rigorous life? I was not exempted from it either. You know how much effort was put into coming up with the money to buy that little galunggong (fried fish)?

Allow me to show you. While my brother and I were working on our assignments at night under a flickering lamp light, part of our time was directed making “sinilapid” (rope), 60 yards to be exact, and had to be finished that same night so we could get our allowance of a pathetic one peso the following day, to be split between my brother and me. It was a choice on whether we should spend the money on transportation or for food. Of course, it would be logical to reserve it for food so we had nourishment to get through the rigors of the academics at school.

Now, If you were on our shoes, would you have done the same?

On our way home, if we had managed to save some change, we would stop at the last corner store in Bato and would buy bukayo (grated coconut sweets) for 25 cents. I could feel that my body was hinting for some food to get ready for that long and blistering walk home. But the problem was, part of the time, there wasn’t any change left. Every penny was spent on our food or was used to buy some needed school supplies. I had no choice but to endure the hard walk home, sometimes alone, since some of my friends and cousins took the easy way home—riding on a tricycle.

More often, we arrived home insanely hungry! After I sat my belongings on the table, I would zoom right to the kitchen and look for something to eat. Most of the time, there wasn’t any food but steamed rice. Frustrated and famished, I would resort to “dulay” for some refreshing glass of cold water, followed by another glass….gluk gluk. Sometimes, I would turn to my mother begging for food, with my longing eyes. Out of pity, she would quickly get ready for dinner that was usually made up of rice and an unknown dish. Often, without a choice, I would settle for rice and sugar or bagoong (shrimp paste), enough to help me sustain the night preparing for my assignments, and simultaneously working on “sinilapid”. Hehehe..up until now, it may strike you with wonder, but I am still on this kind of diet, though with few modifications, and with plenty of vegetables.

This routine had lasted through fourth year in high school. I was surprised I was even considered to be in the honor roll. The faculty members had to deliberate on whom, between my friend and me, were best suited for the Valedictorian. Huh? Was I that good? I was even criticized by one of my teachers for not seriously showing competitiveness or rivalry. Why should I? I knew that I excelled well in the field of mathematics and sciences but due to my lack of learning foundation at home, I didn’t do as well in language and history as you can see in my writing, but then how in the heck I made it to the top? Sheer luck perhaps?

I took the highly coveted UP entrance examination in Diliman in Manila. It was an overwhelming experience for a probinsiyana girl (promdi, or province girl) like me. I was going against the elite, urban, rich, and privileged kids. Some of them, perhaps, were daughters and sons of you. I did my best and applied the knowledge I gained from my 4 years in high school in Bato RDHS. A few months later, I recieved a letter that I passed the UP entrance examination and I was offered a full ride scholarship, including a monthly allowance, mainly because I came from a poor family and possessed a few good brain cells. I was elated! I was in tears! I was thankful to God for choosing me and one other student from Virac. Only the two of us from Catanduanes qualified that year. Must be sheer luck again and of course, lots of help from up above.

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