THE COUNTRYSIDE

I grew up in an environment of endless rice fields, grazing carabaos, goats, duck, nipa hut and the simple life.  But everything changed since I stayed in the city.  Like my fair skin turned light, from kinaray-a to hiligaynon and I learned to show dirty finger.  A hamlet boy became a sophisticated city lad then.  As far as I could remember, I just went home two times a year- only during New Year's eve and holyweek.  Not to mention that it takes 2 hours from the city to the province and vice versa.

It's just lately that I learned to fully appricate the countryside.  The simple kind of life is what I go back to when the stresses of life start getting to me speaking of my work.  Viewing the scenic mountains ridges,

and gently slooping hills

while on the way of bumpy road, make the trip feel thrilling and exciting.  Once you are there, you really feel you've left the city.

The childhood memories flashed like when I was seven years old and rode carabao around the farm.  I even had my own pig named Moonyen but eventually sold after six months.  Besides carabaos and pigs, we also kept and still have chicken, goats, cows, dogs and a cat.

It's fun harvesting fruits like:

banana- (saging in tagalog)- (scientific name:  Musa paradisiaca)

star apple- (kaymito in tagalog)- (scientific name:  chrysophyllum caimito)

avocado- (abukado in tagalog)- (scientific name:  persia Americanan mill)

sugar apple- (atis in tagalog)- (scientific name:  Anona squamosa)

Guava- (bayabas in tagalog)- (scientific name:  Psidium guajava)

Black plum or javaa plum- (duhat in tagalog)  (scientific name:  Syszygium jambolanum)

Chinese orange- (kalamansi in tagalog)  (scientific name:  Citrus microcarpa Bunge)

Kamatsili (in tagalog)- (scientif name:  Pithecolobium dulce Benth)  (no english name)

Ginger lily-  (kamias in tagalog)-  (scientific name:  Hedychium coronarium)

Jackfruit-  (langka in tagalog)-  (scientific name:  Artocarpus heterophylla)

Mango- (mangga in tagalog)-  (scientific name:  Mangifera indica)

Melon tree- (Papaya in tagalog)- (scientific name:  Carica papaya)

Tamarind- (Sampalok in tagalog)- (scientific name:  Tamarindus indica

And wee still have a native wood fired lutuan.

I would like to retire in the countryside.