A PILGRIM'S FOOTSTEPS

Where I came from can be a question when I arrived at one place and those persons I had first met seem to be wondering why I'm at this place Let me tell you this, I cannot even explain why I arrived here where everything is totally different, to my amazement I don't know what to say. Originally I came from the Far East and my dream was to reach the Northern Hemisphere. But it is a long story before I could come here. Can you imagine a tiny village where there was an only one rice and corn mill where people brought sacks of their newly harvested rice and corn loaded on carts pulled by their beast of burden the carabao that tilled the soil where they planted the rice and orchards where they planted the corn. The community had only one elementary school and there was no church building but the mass was held in a nipa thatch used as a carabao stall because it was only used once a year during Easter Mass impeccably cleaned with coconut midrib brooms as the dried dung was shoveled and disposed= The Holy Mass was held on Easter Sunday and people came to attend in their best attire. The host of the Holy Mass was my family. My mother arranged our house so that the priest and his choir would have their dinner after the Holy Mass. She prepared a whole pig and paid a Cook to butcher the pig and prepared seafoods the big prawns, salt water fish also fresh water clams and fried fish. Whatever left of the food was serve to a bunch of people my mother invited to come and enjoy the party. I need to mention about the dessert, newly picked bananas ripe from its bunch. The numerous rice cakes cooked in fresh grated coconut was the most enjoyable food eaten by the visitors. That was one of the busiest day in our house. Most days were spent indoors during rainy season but my mother would still go out on market day selling groceries at her stall bringing me along. I wondered why people exchanged their vegetables with our groceries like toilet soap, sugar, petroleum. detergents or canned goods like sardines or soft drinks. Money was scarce so my mother also accepted live chicken for our consumption. When I go to school my classmates that was in the elementary grades brought young coconut to be their lunch and would exchange it with boiled banana or boiled root crop. That was the life situation before. Going to school barefooted or a wooden slipper or "bakya" would suffice then entering high school the wooden slipper was change to plastic sandal locally called "smagal" literally meant "smuggled" coming from Taiwan entering the Philippines. As young as I was wearing them is necessary to protect my feet. The highlight of my high school years was some kind of intriguing when we don't have money to buy movie tickets we bore a hole at he corner of the fence to enter then we watched it free. Weekly I went home and back the next week bringing my pot, rice in a container, vegetables that I have to cook everyday. I couldn't remember if I have dairy or protein maybe dried fish and eggs. I didn't join any sports being a little skinny, even walking was hard so I'm only a spectator during boxing bouts and the town fiesta celebrations. Another athletic meets I had watch volleyball, softball and the gymnastic performances. We were three friends. I didn't attend the Prom having no partner but my two friends had. They were popular. I came from the village I didn't lived in town besides I pledged to myself not to get acquainted closer to the boys, I had a high ambition to finish my studies hearing some of my classmates have boyfriends and girlfriends. On my last year in high school I met the best woman in the world who invited me to her house and lived with her until my secondary school graduation. She asked me to take care of her plants when she was away to buy bales of tobacco to sell in the market. She was a neighbor of my former landlady. How kind she was that I could eat with her and don't bring my foodstuff at all. I took care of her plants very well that she allowed me to bring home the extra plants she had grown, roses and cactus of different varieties. My mother was very happy too. They couldn't believe what she was doing even sewing my dresses up to my graduation dress attire. Can you believe that? Going to college was a bit problematic. No one had to support me. What I did was to enroll at the capital town of my province and rented my room bringing my food stuff again. I could remember how I got my protein supply, there's everyday market where I could buy. I after classes riding on a "calesa" horse drawn carriage. I visited my relatives in the a nearby village where they are located in every street. There I could not pass their house being hospitable to let me in and had some coffee with the favorite rice cakes. I had experienced to be selected as Miss Valentine having my cousin as an officer of the Singles Organization. Then I was serenaded. How about if they come to visit you. I ignored but there was one whom I met and could be serious about his feelings and asked that he could come with me to know my parents and see my place. I don't remember how I was able to avoid him but I arrived home alone that day. At my senior year in my bachelor's education courses practice teaching was held in the village. In that year I enrolled in Arts and Crafts, the ladies bag that I designed was recognize by my instructor. Came Graduation Day my mother attended transferring the tazzle of my toga to the other side to show I had graduated. The next thing to do was to enter the teaching profession. The Department of Education required to take a Teacher's Selection Test and if I passed I could start teaching right away. Of all fortunes, I'm very fortunate to be on top of the list to be entitled for a permanent position but the District Supervisor didn't give me the privilege to teach in a complete elementary grade school but I was assigned to a newly opened one teacher multigrade school. That was my dilemma. A new teacher to be Teacher In-Charge which was a permanent position considering I'm new I didn't experienced to be a Supply Teacher wherein the other examinees fall on this category if they got a low grade. That gave me a little bit of relief. On the other side it was a big question mark for me. I found out the community promised to build a schoolhouse, the temporary classroom was made of nipa leaves coming from the marsh land, inside was mud floor. There were almost 50 pupils of different grade levels I, II, III and IV. Could you imagine how I would teach these pupils with different subjects and different grade levels? I survived several month going back and forth not going homesome weekends to look into the progress of the school building The community officials were really cooperative and work hard to do what had to be done. My wits almost came to an end when the School Division Supervisor came for a visit and reviewed my accomplishments. The community garden was put up. Water sealed toilets were installed. The school building was almost done, Households had their backyard gardens. "I feel tired and exhausted", that was my report to the Supervisor. "Are you crazy" she blurted.. "Where will you get your money?" With that remark, I was awakened. I continued to do my duties to the small village as a pioneer teacher. The schoolyear was almost over when a four wheeler was seen entering the 'sitio' smaller than a village running through the feeder road until they reached the Community Garden and the almost finished schoolhouse. To my surprise I was transferred to the village where I grew up and my former teachers became my co-teachers. I led school pupils in school contests in folk dances and gymnastics. There the School Superintendent had cheered. We attended Teacher's meetings at different schools around the district riding on a motor boat or the full load jeepneys. What was done during the schoolyear will be the same for the next schoolyear having thought to move to the urban area, to Manila, capital of the Philippines. School buildings were huge, two stories with thousands of children coming to school daily. I was assigned in the upper grades. Specifically in Grade Six. My co-teachers declared I was good in English, but was it a joke when they assigned me to teach and a class adviser to non-readers. Yes non readers because I was good in English. Were they right? If you want to get a salary increase or higher position you must take advanced courses in your career. That's what I did. I took these non readers in my research work as my respondents and undertook an actual school research in reading. Were they able to read. I could tell yes when it was approved by the School Principal, added to that I was on the roster of becoming an Assistant Principal. I had dreams to go and work abroad, with that I found my employer, without the knowledge of my co-teachers I didn't tell them at all that I was leaving. They only learned when I didn't come back when I was supposed to after my leave of absence What were my footprints left? My teaching career and how many pupils have learned how to read. That was my consolation. Upon arrival in a foreign land where I was totally a stranger, it was like I fell from a tree when I learned to go back to school again before I can teach. My expectations crumbled but moving on was a must in order to survive. Doing menial jobs, giving the best of the best until the opportunity knocked to enter the manufacturing industry. In my own way to have discipline about loyalty quality of work prove me that a laborer could work with company president, general manager, human resources manager and operations manager. If you follow my pilgrim's footsteps what have I accomplished?