mot juste

I had the luxury of trying both seaside and hillside living. For your information, I resided on a hill and grew up there. We got the home when I was in grade school. Adjusting to a new abode didn’t happen overnight. As they say, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’

The address was quaint. A Malunggay tree, apple guavas, coconuts, tamarind, and palmeiras. The mornings were cool and invigorating. From my window, I saw our city waking up to another hectic day. I had a view of the gulf beside my hometown. The road to our village was quite steep. You had to be switched on to navigate a short stretch.

By around six, the sun was up. We had our full breakfast, got ready, and faced another school day. The academy offered a sturdy foundation. I’ve detailed the experience in my memoir. I drank coffee every morning. I slept early, tired from a long day. Allow me to share a few excerpts.

On high ground

‘Due to these typhoons’ effects, we only stayed in the old house for a short while. We have since moved to a newer dwelling on the hills. Elevated and with a bigger plot, this was a step up. The exterior is concrete with adobe finishes. Meanwhile, the interior has a heavy timber touch, including walls, floor, and balustrades. The house has six rooms on three levels. There are two verandahs: one beside the living room and one upstairs. Our abode has a distinctive shape; not square or rectangular as is common over there. For instance, the kitchen is laid out in a pentagon. The new place also offers sea and city vistas as well as a bird’s eye view of the famous Mayon volcano. With the added altitude, we fared better against the floods. This was a neat and tidy home where I started my writing career.’

Stranger than Truth

‘Growing up in the Philippines, you learn to separate the hoax from the genuine. The local radio station would announce that there was a tsunami coming. One time, I was sitting at the school car park when the place became a demilitarised zone. Every car was gone as a result of another tsunami alert. As one of the vehicles pulled away, Jeb (James’s younger brother) said ‘See you in the next lifetime.’

There have been a few instances where residents have sought shelter in the hills. They believed that the water will not reach them if they move to higher ground. They brought their cars and kids, some belongings, and their radios. Snacks were a must and some even had coolers in tow. I was surprised they didnt bring their suitcases. After a few hours, and with no evidence of a calamity, they quietly slipped away. This was a learning experience.

On beaches and resorts:

‘Another time, I had finished battling a killer exam when he beckoned me outside class.

“How was the exam?”

“That twisted our minds,” I replied.

After a few minutes of chit-chat, Sir Alinlangan told me that he heard my dad’s family owns a beach resort.

“That’s true.”

Come summer, the place would be used for the teacher’s team building activity.

We frequented the resort while I was in primary school. We would arrive early, before the tide appeared. The resort was large, situated on three adjoining properties. The spot was half an hour’s drive from home. The area had many retreats, all beachfront estates. The place usually hosted family occasions like birthdays, fiestas, reunions, engagements, etc. Relatives and family friends would converge on the honeypot. My dad has an extended clan with many folks from his mother’s side. The get-togethers presented a nice way to reconnect and relieve stress. The cool air, blue skies, and the sea gave the place a tranquil quality. Up ahead was this green island, Rapu-Rapu. Dogs roamed around and tagged along with you. Small boats lined the waterfront, which fishermen operated. The locale had multifarious fishes and one was practically unique.

The last time I went there was for auntie Gloria’s birthday bash. After lunch, I recall this guy telling Uncle Fredo that his friend works as a marine treasure hunter.

“I don’t buy those treasure, treasure,” my uncle avowed. “When one of those hunters finds something, they could easily keep mum, bribe others, and walk away. Their boss would never know.”

A few of us laughed along. The villa situated in the estate had a third floor; the second floor had two rooms. My cousins would sometimes hang out in one of those air-conditioned quarters. The upper floors were perfect for “jamming”, Filo slang for casual conversation. The gate to the resort was always open to family and friends. In many respects, the retreat is our second family home.

Auntie Sony

‘When I was a child, my mom would bring my sister and me to this barrio. It was a seaside town that was far from our area. My Auntie Sony, my mom’s first cousin, managed a large family farm there. We would stay for a few weeks, sunbathe on the beach, and eat fresh food. We sojourned with our two older cousins. My great aunt likewise called it home. I wrote about this setting on my blog.

The house was cozy, situated in the middle of the property’s forty acres. We would often explore the countryside. My aunt had fifteen dogs, dozens of workers, and huge stretches of rice fields. She also owned a sizeable number of cows, buffaloes, chickens, and pigs. We would see her early in the morning and late at night. She came home to watch the news after a long day’s work. She always had something to read, be it a newspaper or magazine. She adored me the same way she loved my mom. Indeed, aunty Sony became a second mother to both of us. To underpin auntie’s consequence, she was chosen as one of my godmothers during my baptism.

As a child, I was quite demanding. I ordered fried chicken, pork chops, and congee. Looking back, I should’ve appreciated the simple life. The fish was caught fresh from the seas, to be consumed in an instant. The eggs, straight out of the chickens’ bellies. The beach had no crowds as it was part of their land. The nearest neighbours were far off. You couldn’t just hail a bus if the countryside didn’t suit you….Her workers made jokes in halting English. I guess I was too young to value these precious moments.

Moreover, my aunt introduced me to this twentyish guy. I think his name was Alan. He and I would go on expeditions, once with his girl cousin my age. We’d go to the shore. When I enquired, he told me that somersault was the word for that. He admitted that he used to do backflips but was rusty. We talked about dogs, and he asked me if we brought our canines to the beach. I retorted that I wasn’t sure if they could swim.

“Most dogs can swim,” he reasoned. “You just bring them to the water and instinct will take over.”

We even took a boat to this islet where we saw a cow roaming. He told me that the animal probably ran away from town. While on the boat, he caught a jellyfish and placed it in a container with water. He then got rid of it, sharing that it would die if removed from the sea. Years later, when I tried Aunty Sony, she told me that he had a big family of his own.’

Rejoinder

These days, I am far removed from the hills and seaside. No doubt, these experiences have shaped me. The settings may have changed but I’ll always cherish the kindness of family both near and far.