I would say I had a happy childhood. I was able to experience a variety of things, be it good or bad. Although we weren't rich, my parents were able to provide me with my needs... and at times, even my wants.
Although it was small, we had a place we could call our own. In the photo above, you could see me standing in front of our little house. We also had a nice little garden with ornamental plants and a bunch of orchids.
Beside this small house was my grandma's house where some of my aunts, uncle and cousins lived. It was a very nice place to grow up in.
Taken inside my grandma's house which was beside our house...
We lived a simple, yet happy life. Sure there were challenges here and there, but we were able to go through it together. My mother grew up in this place... my grandma and grandpa worked hard to build a house for their kids to live in.
I was even given the chance to study in an international Christian school back then. The school was a bit pricy, but we received quality education and could experience a lot of different things. The photo above was taken in a floating hotel where our recognition day was held back then. The students in our school had a school bus with steward who would help us carry our heavy bags full of books. It was a real luxury for me.
However, a few months before I graduated elementary, we lost our house.
My grandma originally had a verbal agreement with her cousin who owned the land where our houses stood that we could live there forever... but that cousin died and her kids now have the ownership of the land.
They were aware of the verbal agreement, but since it was just verbal... and they needed money for their vices, they sold the land... and we lost everything.
My parents asked the buyer if we could buy a part of the land even if it's in the farthest from the road. Well, they agreed and we slowly built a new house including my grandma's. It was painful to see our previous houses demolished, but it couldn't be helped.
We spent days and nights in a small area of the underconstruction house. The buyer of the land also started building a commercial building in front where our previous houses once stood. We all thought everything was OK... We could endure a life with no electricity and wait for the new house to finish. We, my family and I, even helped in the construction.
When we were about to start building up the second floor, the new land owner said that he can't give us a road right of way. We were shocked and all so drained... if we take legal actions, it would take a lot of time and money... so we ended up giving up. And guess what happened to the house we started building? They continued building it and made them into an apartment. We couldn't even get a full refund of the money we lost from building the new house... some of the materials were loaned from the construction store and others were donated by friends, so we couldn't show them the receipt for a refund.
My parents and I ended up renting an apartment while my grandma and cousins decided to live with other relatives for the time being. We waited until my elementary graduation to decide what to do next. I had several options... since I graduated valedictorian, the school could give me a scholarship for high school, but I'd have to convert my religion. Another option was to go to a competitive public school and pay less... I passed the entrance exam, but I thought the daily expenses would be a problem.
My father was working, but because of so many loans for our previous house and the supposed to be new house, his salary was really low. My mom, due to stress of what has happened, experienced a nervous breakdown and her already bad health turned to worse. Having witnessed all these, I thought that I shouldn't be greedy and proposed a plan to my parents.
What if we go back to the countryside?
Our daily expenses would be less... I'll try to earn a scholarship... and the calm environment would be healing for my mom. And so, we did.
This is the only photo I had in high school that I could find... xD
We lived in a small hut in the countryside. I successfully got a scholarship at a private Catholic school because of my previous achievements and I also got the highest score in the entrance exam. I only had to pay Php80 ($1.40) for the computer laboratory, but even that, I sometimes couldn't pay... so my friends would chip in for me.
From the luxurious school bus with steward in elementary, I walked an inclined road to and from school with a backpack on for 25-30 minutes in high school. The environment was so different and people would say depressing... but I took it positively. I enjoyed the new environment and learned how amazing it is to just live a simple life. Walking to and from school with friends under the rain was so much fun. We'd just leave our bags in school and soak in the rain.
In my previous school, I met a lot of local and foreign students and each class only has at most 25 students. On the contrary, my high school had at most 50 students in one class... but it was quite fun. There weren't a lot of foreigners as in my old school, but there was one exchange student at one point.
The weekends my mom and I used to spend at the mall turned to me spending time with her at the park... or at the beach. Sometimes, my friends come over to eat some coconut and other fruits. My mom's mental and physical health also improved. It didn't matter that we only lived in a small hut beside a corn field... it was the best time of our lives!
Well... that was until a typhoon destroyed our hut, but that's for another story. Thanks for reading! <3