| By Inday Vinas |
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| September 23, 2009 01:28 PM EDT |
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Helo everyone! Kumusta ka? I am happy to see that my first post about my bahay kubo hut was very popular. I think many people found it because they were looking for a story about a vacation. But my little nepa house was real hehe.
My readers are very important to me. I hope I don't write too many negative words here about my hard life. I want you to enjoy my writing!
My Kano friend tells me sometimes that I need to think about "the big picture." He means I should dream about a good life in the United States.
OK, fine. But for many of us here in the Philippines, this is not possible. I can wish if I want, but the only reason I want to go to US is to get a job and help my family. I know salaries in US are like 10 salaries here in the Philippines. I also know it is very mahal (expensive) in US, so is not so easy there either.
Here is a picture of where my family lives in the province there in Samar. It is very beautiful there. If you are not lazy you will not starve because you can get fish from the sea and fruit from the trees. But you cannot wish for more than that.
You see many bahay kubo houses there. But you know people just sleep on the floor there. Some are concrete and some are bamboo. This is no problem, but it is very hard for Kano when they visit!
My wish talaga (really) is to build a CR (toilet facility) for my parents. Is only 15,000 pesos ($300) but that is a lot of money if you don't have! Sometimes when I visit I can leave 2,000 pesos there for my family. This helps them.
There is not much work there. Sometimes someone will need my bros to go to the bundok (mountain) and work for a few days. But no "steady job" as you say in the US.
So it is funny to me if I see people reading about bahay kubo because I think they want a nice vacation. They see travel brochures. They don't really want our life here in the Philippines lol.
OK so let me tell you about all the fun things we do. Because we have a lot of fun even if life is hard. Our families are so big we are not bored. I have more than 100 relatives in my barrio there in Samar. We gimik and we gossip a lot!
We can always go into the sea there in Samar. All of the islands protect us from waves. The water is always very warm.
Many times we play cards, too. We play tongits. (Editor's note: a three-player game sort of like rummy.) It is fun and fast. I won 12 pesos from my sis and coz yesterday hehe. Big money!
Sure, come to the Philippines. Maybe you will stay in Boracay or some resort. Maybe you will find vacation bahay kubo place for 3,000 or 5,000 each night. Maybe you will even have aircon.
I hope you visit my beautiful country. We like to see visitors and everybody knows we offer very good hospitality here in the Philippines. You can eat adobo manok (chicken in picture) or baboy (pig), and pancet. Maybe you have sisig yum yum if you are near Manila. Don't forget to have halo halo for dessert!
But our lives are different, not the same as yours. I am sorry if I am complaining. Not really. I just want people to understand how life is here really. What you want to do is up to you! Bahala ka!
Salamat for your reading po. I like to write and my wish is I help you understand life here in the Philippines. Ingat ka lagi! (Take care always!)
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