I just want to share my experience during my childhood and reminicing the hardships I, my siblings and friends finished our elementary days.
Me and my siblings
"Cook-a-doodle-doooo" said the rooster followed by the shout of our mother saying "Wake up, the sun is rising, go cook rice and dried fish for breakfast" Then my younger sister go to prepare the rice to be cooked while I go to make a fire using firewood. While my other sibling go to take a bath. after taking a bath she will be looking the rice then I go take a bath also then next my youngest sister. We have to be get ready to go to school before 5:30 AM. Our school is located at the top of the mountain. We have to walk an to reach on time. Well, actually it should be 40 minutes but we enjoy playing or gathering guava fruits along the way.
During our elementary days and highschool days, there is no electricity in our place and no LPG to use for cooking. We use firewood to cook food and we use gas for lamp. When you wake up in the morning, you will discover your nose is balck due to the smoke of the lamp.
How about my friends?
But thinking about my classmates that time how they go to school everyday,knowing that their place have a lot of creeks and rivers. I remeber that some of them have no umbrella. They use a big plastic bag and make it as rain coat. I am still lucky coz we walk in a Farm to Market road and we have umbrella and rainboots or slippers. We walk a rough road while my friends and classmates and schoolmates, they have to cross rivers, creeks and bridges. They walk an hour or more to reach out our school. It really hard for them that time.
But seeing most of my elementary batches, they are successful professionals and business owners today. Some of them had not finished their study but they are successful farmers. They even have their own cars and houses. Some of them are OFWs in other countries.
**Some catches **
This photo was taken at one of the far flung sitio here in our barangay that some of my batches has to cross just to reach our school on time.I took the photo during our enumeration last May 2014. This was the time I really fought my fear to cross that bridge.
This is also one of the far flung area in our Barangay. It will take 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach the place. In that place is also cold unlike in our sitio that is quite hot. In this place, only few neighborhood can be seen. Me and my companion stayed for 2 days to conduct the enumeration survey and geotagging of houses last May 2014.
Imagine how far the places where little kids had to walk across the bridges, rivers, and creeks to reach the school everyday.
But what I realized, despite of that scenarios everyday, this children never give up in their dreams. They pursue their destiny with full courage, hope and faith.
What I am today, I really appreciate all those experiences coz it really prepared me to fight the battles of life. Many times, I fail, I cried a lot but still keep pressing on. Just like that bridge, it need a full courage, full trust and faith that I can go to the other side without falling to the river.
Just like that scenic view, it need patience, courage and effort to walk and reach that place.