Look at the faces of my kids when they see me come after them. I know how happy they are, but I know what is running through their minds. It must be like this: “Yes! Mama is here,we cannot wash these dirty clothes anymore, I’m tired already, and Papa keeps on nagging us. “
I woke up with my family not around, my husband is not there either, as are my kids. So I asked my mother about their whereabouts, and she replied that they were in the spring, washing all our dirty clothes.
They wash all these dirty clothes and put them in sacks; there are lots more, but I haven’t taken a picture. It became many because I don’t have lots of time to wash since I go to school every weekday, and after school I go to the barbecue. And it's not good for my hands to get wet if they are exposed to heat for hours. During Saturday, I comply with all my assignments, and if I have time, I wash our dirty clothes and sell barbecues at dusk. Sunday is my only free time if I don’t have tasks at school to comply with. That is why our dirty clothes get bulgy.
It was my husband's day off, and I have lots of tasks to complete. I think my husband felt pity for me and decided to wash them for me, even though I know he is tired because he is just a worker in a sari-sari store and he lifts many sacks of rice, animal feed, and soft drinks for the customer. How sweet he is by doing this; he doesn’t know how I appreciate it. That’s why he has my heart always. He is not handsome, but he is such a hard-working man. I think he brings our kids so that he can watch them while I’m asleep.
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I walked for several minutes on this road to get to ‘tinubdan. This road is not like this, it was plain soil and rock. I was glad that our barangay officials saved enough money to construct this road made it like this.The term "Tinubdan" is what we call our spring, where we fetch water or wash our clothes when there is no running water.
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This is Tinubdan. Before, when almost everyone didn’t have a faucet, almost all the people in our barangay went here to do their laundry or fetch water so they could use it at home. I remember when I was younger, and my grandma is still alive, we used to get here. She washed dirty clothes for other people and paid her after she'd done all the laundry. And me, wandering around, but I helped her also, but she complained that the stain on the clothes didn’t get, so she let me play in the water or stray around.
This is my daughter washing her own clothes. She keeps on complaining, and I felt pity for her, but when she grows up, she will thank us for letting her know how to do some work.
I also help my husband to continue what my daughter is doing to get things done efficiently so we can go home; it's almost 12:00 o'clock in the afternoon. They look so tired and hungry.
After the laundry was done, my husband got the clothes, which he hung up on the steel so that the water in the clothes would lessen and it wouldn't be too heavy to carry home.
He took a bath after, take advantage of the free flowing water.We can really save up if we do our laundry here.
And I notice that even at night, Tinubdan will be approachable because there is a solar light.
The smile of my daughter knowing that her laundry is done and we’re heading home. I love that smile.
I also noticed how beautiful the surroundings of Tinubdan were. I can hear the birds chit-chatting and singing their vocal chords loudly.
My kids are like heroes wearing capes, hahaha. Actually, that is their towel; they have not brought dry clothes with them. They felt cold, so I suggest they wrap it around their bodies so they feel warm.
My husband is carrying all the wet, clean clothes and heading home. I know it was too heavy to carry. I used to lift that much before when I was younger. I was at the back coming after them.
Last pose before we went home.
Thank you for reading my blog, and I hope you find it interesting. Have a good day, everyone.