Oldest Recreation
Jean has a passion for teaching. She had set her mind eversince she was young that she will be one, even if her siblings wanted other careers. Even after persuasion from her closest friends to join them and study nursing, she remained true to her dream and went on to enroll in UB Teacher's College. And after graduating top of her class ad passing Teacher's board with distinction, she fulfilled her dream of becoming one.
When she was still teaching in the Barrio, she liked to counsel parents and families whom she thought would benifit from one. Though most of these families would shy away from her thinking she's "too beautiful" or "too fair" to be their friend(I can't imagine the inferiority complex of these people). But this doesn't stopped her from doing so. She would stop in one of his student's house once in a while after class and talk to the student's parents.
One time he dropped by Mario's (one of her brighter student, and a very helpful one) house. It's a small hut made most of Coconut lumber, loose abaca and broken bamboos. Mario has 6 other siblings who were solely fed by the father who is a "mananaka" or "manananggot"(in bisaya), a coconut farmer, in english.
Noticing that the youngest, an infant, was being fed with kalamansi juice instead of milk, she asked why, and the mother answered that she had very few milk in her breast, and there's no money for them to buy milk.
Jean then asked the father why he bred so many if he cannot buy milk and support all the kids with their basic needs.
The father answered: " Ma'am we're very poor. We don't have television or radio or other form of entertainment like you guys do. This is the only recreation I knew, aside from having tuba(coconut wine) with my buddies."
Hearing this narrated by my wife, it amused me so much... An amusement that left a very bitter aftertaste.
When she was still teaching in the Barrio, she liked to counsel parents and families whom she thought would benifit from one. Though most of these families would shy away from her thinking she's "too beautiful" or "too fair" to be their friend(I can't imagine the inferiority complex of these people). But this doesn't stopped her from doing so. She would stop in one of his student's house once in a while after class and talk to the student's parents.
One time he dropped by Mario's (one of her brighter student, and a very helpful one) house. It's a small hut made most of Coconut lumber, loose abaca and broken bamboos. Mario has 6 other siblings who were solely fed by the father who is a "mananaka" or "manananggot"(in bisaya), a coconut farmer, in english.
Noticing that the youngest, an infant, was being fed with kalamansi juice instead of milk, she asked why, and the mother answered that she had very few milk in her breast, and there's no money for them to buy milk.
Jean then asked the father why he bred so many if he cannot buy milk and support all the kids with their basic needs.
The father answered: " Ma'am we're very poor. We don't have television or radio or other form of entertainment like you guys do. This is the only recreation I knew, aside from having tuba(coconut wine) with my buddies."
Hearing this narrated by my wife, it amused me so much... An amusement that left a very bitter aftertaste.
posted by Rey at 1:40 PM
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