of cousins and childhood

To say that we had a happy childhood is an understatement. Together with my siblings and my cousins we had a totally ecstatic childhood. We grow up in a neighborhood where everyone knows each other, where the church was a stone’s throw away, where the national highway was right in front of our houses and at the same time, the mountains, the rivers were just as close. It all added up to the thrills and excitement of our younger years. The fact that our houses are adjacent made us extremely close to each other. Oh yes, at times we all knew the fact that the olds have some differences but it never affected our relationship in any way. We all shared the zeal in our studies. Studying had been such a fun for us and our elementary years saw us reaping honors. In between school time, we enjoyed playing “balay-balay”, turo-tinda, taraguan, patintero, luksong-tinik, Chinese garter, siato, and many more. We would often go to the rivers and wash clothes at “tolong bobon” or bath at the “sagurong”. At times, climbed all the way to the mountains and look for “bayawas, santol, pili, and baligang”. We have been so active in the church activities as well. Many times we were those “cute little angels” during the Easter. We joined “Flores de Mayo” and church presentations, we look forward for the 9 nights “prusisyon” especially the “katapusan”, and we have reached even the farthest house in the community as we accompany the visit of Our Lady of Fatima to each house. It was so normal for us at a young age leading the rosary, and yes, how excited we were for every merienda that the house owner will prepare for us. Christmas was a favorite time of the year. Aside from the Christmas gifts from our godparents, we would eagerly wait for Auntie Pipin’s “padara”. We would organize our caroling and got so overwhelmed of how much we will have after. The “simbang-gabi” would mean counting all the tithes after the nine days since Father Beloy would ask us to do that. And to our delight, he would give us the loose coins. On Christmas Eve and New Year, we would have games and back then, it was such a big deal winning a box of Pretzels and a big pack of “chicheria” The fun usually heightened on summer. We would play all day or watch films on the betamax. We would go and watch at “baraylan” and spend nights on the streets playing. And then, we would walk kilometers up in the mountain for the fiesta in our Aunt’s place. There was one summer where we studied musical instruments playing, the older ones with the guitar and us, “banduria”. But you bet, I am not really inclined with music; I only learned to play pieces that the teacher taught. We all shared the same fears for snakes as there was from time to time in our Lola’s house. And we couldn’t go out for days if there was “naligis”. I don’t know but hit and run was so rampant then. Of course, the “kapay”, and when we see even in a distance those men in penitence wearing red during Holy week it will surely send us inside the house It will be a novel if I will continue to write what we all went through. But I am just so glad about the fact that we continued the same closeness up to this day even if we lived miles apart. I wouldn’t want my childhood the other way around even given the chance. Or belong to any other clan. Ours was never perfect but I shall remain proud to have all of them in my life. And we will carry on to the next generation the good things we had in the past.