Malayo ba ang Nueva Ecija? (Is Nueva Ecija far?)

This was and still the common questions of my office-mates when we talk about each other's personal lives. And I would say, no, it's not far. And the follow-up question would be, "so how many hours will it take to get there from Manila?", and I would answer "the shortest would be 3 and a half to four hours if you take the NLEX-SCTEX-Zaragosa-Sta.Rosa route", and they would all like have their eyes and mouth wide open and say "4 hours???!!!, that's far!!", and defensively, I would answer, "of course not!"

This scene reminds me of an article written by one of my schoolmates in Youngblood before, she said that "it is ironic that 'probinsyanano/as' know  a lot about Metro Manila, but Manileno/as know nothing or maybe a little about the provinces". Mainly because, our elementary textbooks taught us a lot about Metro Manila, we have seen what Luneta or Intramuros looks like even if we have never been really there, but when it comes to Nueva Ecija, all you could see is a textbook artist's interpretation of what Nueva Ecija looks like, and for most books it's just a plain and boring rice field stretching through the horizon and almost meeting the sun.

This night, I had the chance to talk with one of my office-mates. She asked me where in Nueva Ecija I live, and her next statement made me smile, "So nagigising ka sa amoy ng siga o kaya sa ingay ng mga hayop?", and a big smile suddenly drew in my face. In that moment, I missed being a probinsyana. I missed waking up with the sun shining on my face, with the smell of dried leaves being burned by the old 'kapitbahay', of the endless 'tiktilaok' of the chickens, of the continuous barking of our dogs and being able to aroma the fresh morning air from the leaves, plants and smoke while having a cup of coffee and hot pan de sal on the 'kubo' outside the house. Although it's not that long since I have arrived in the Metro, a part of me still wishes to go back home every night, counting the days until weekend when I could finally go home to the plain and boring rice field- the very place where I spent practically all my life with joy, simplicity and contentment.

"Nakaka-miss sa probinsya, alam mo yung palay, ilalagay niyo sa lata ng Promil tapos lalagay niyo sa siga, tapos after 5 minutes, may rice pop na kayo", she added, and again, my smile grew even bigger. I realized the simple things that were very ordinary for me may be special to someone else, that the experiences I had, which I used to think were nothing special and just normal, are something that most people long to experience. The sari-sari store you go to when you're hungry, when you don't have enough load to text your friends or when you need manila paper for your report is very rare. In the metro, your sari-sari store is Mini-Stop and 7-Eleven. The carinderia or canteen that you always spend lunch and free time with will be the fastfood chains closest to your office,like Jollibee (if you are lucky enough), McDonald's and for some cases, Yellow Cab or Burger King. The single jeepney ride from your home to your school, which is about 10-20 kilometers apart that usually last from 30-45 minutes will become a 1 or 2 hour ride, with two or three jeepney rides, and most of the times, 30 minutes of walking. The 'oink-oink' of the pigs or the 'tiktilaok' of the chickens in your backyard will be replaced by the honking of the jeepneys, trains, buses, trucks and motorcycles on the street. The aroma of fresh air from the plants in the morning will be replaced by the highly-aromatic mixture of gasoline, smoke, 'pawis' and sometimes, the smell of the person next to you in a jampacked bus, train or FX.

It's Thursday, one more day and I am going home again, I am, after all, a probinsiyana. :)

Flores de Maria

Sa mga probinsya, kadalasang dinaraos ang Flores de Maria/ Flores de Mayo/ Santacruzan tuwing Mayo- isang Katolikong selebrasyon at pagpupugay sa Birheng Maria sa pagbuhos ng ulan at pagbuka ng mga bulaklak matapos ang mahabang tagtuyot . 

Ilang Santacruzan na ang napanood ko dito sa barrio namin, pero kahit minsan, wala sa deskripsyon ng Flores de Mayo ang tumugma sa mga santacruzan na ginagawa dito.

Noong bata ako, dalawang beses naging kasali sa sagala ang ditse ko, noong bata siya at noong binata dalaga siya bilang si Reyna Sheba. Hindi ko ma-appreciate ang santacruzan noon, bukod sa gumagastos ang ermats ko sa pagbili ng daylight na isasabit sa balantok ng ditse ko eh dyaheng magbuhat ng balantok ng ditse mo habang tinitingnan ka ng crush mo na Constantino.

Subalit sa kabila nito, nagsaliksik ako kung bakit nga ba ginagawa itong malaking pagkakagastusan na'to. Bongga naman pala ang fiestang ito dahil ayon sa deskripsyon na ibinigay ng iba't-ibang libro at website, punong-puno daw ng bulaklak ang mga balantok o bisikleta para sa mga bata, magaganda at isinasabuhay ng mga napiling dilag ang kanilang inirerepresinta at gayundin si Maria, ang mga damit nila ay hindi nirerentahan sa Polly's Gown ang Barong Rentals kundi sinasadyang ipatahi upang bumagay sa mga katauhang inirerepresenta nila gaya ng mga Reyna, may mga bitbit silang kung anu-ano gaya ng krus, anchor at pulang puso, at hindi pamaypay na abaniko, karton o sopdrinks.

Katatapos lang ng sagala dito, sa totoo lang- hindi ko matatawag na isang selebrasyon o pagbibigay pugay sa Birheng Maria ang naganap na sagala dito sa amin-maingay ang mga tao hindi dahil nag-no-nobena sila o kumakanta ng Ave Maria kundi dahil nagsisigawan sa tuwing nababatak yung mga daylight, umiinom ng sopdrinks ang mga reyna, naka-coat ang tie ang mga konsorte, wala sa tono ang mosiko, at higit sa lahat-walang bulaklak!

Hindi bale, kapag ako na ang kapitana dito siguradong bongga na ang santacruzan. CHAR!

P.S.: Walang mga litrato dahil sa sobrang bilis maglakad ng mga sagala e hindi kakayanin ng shutter speed ng gigicam namin. 
Kung nais mo ding malaman kung tunay na Santacruzan ba ang nagaganap sa barangay niyo, dumalaw dito. :)

When it rains, it pours... then I am on the moon.

I started commuting independently at the age of 13- I was a freshman in a "science high school" somewhere in the crowded streets of Cabanatuan City. Back then, it only takes 8 pesos for me to get home in a jeepney ride.

Commuting has been a part of my life for the past 7 years of my existence or should I also count my elementary days when twenty something pesky little kids with our bags that are usually bigger than us filled with inches thick of books are jam-packed into a jeepney back and fourth to our homes?

I have seen how the roads that I used to pass by every single day have worn-out until rocks start to show. I have seen many repairs and damage, repairs and damage, repairs and damage......repairs and damage over and over again.

Just recently, DPWH and Malacañang asphalted the road from San Jose City to Cabanatuan City. It was like the ones in SCTEX, mind you. And if only cars have feelings, I am pretty sure they are very happy and comfortable passing by in one of the major roads in the province.

Then rainy season came and heavy rains poured out.

On my way to Cabanatuan one time, I was thrilled by what I saw, a part of the newly asphalted road adjacent to a private hospital and a college is now gone and all I could see are mud and rocks, how could that happen? I don't know.

A moment later, looking at the poor roads, it was as if the jeepney landed on the moon in front of again, a hospital and a gasoline station. Just imagine the craters of the moon, and I think I don't need to say a word anymore.

We painstakingly passed by the "craters", and as much as the driver wanted to make his passengers feel comfortable, he just couldn't.

And the passengers, particularly the old ones are starting to shake their heads, and get angry at the driver, as if it was his fault.

All the while, I sat quietly, looking at the potholes and just thinking that it was a giant sungka board and the "bato" are the cars. Silly.

I was supposed to take photos of the road in case you don't believe me, but I was too afraid that my mobile phone would fall off the bumpy jeepney and go straight in one of the potholes when I try to take a photo.

It was like we are riding on a car pimped by MTV with hydraulics ,just like the one that Ling-Ling's mom owns in the film Hot Chick.

As of this writing, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Nueva Ecija is investigating about the issue calling the attention of the district engineers responsible for the asphalting of the roads. Good thing though, the roads are still covered by a one-year warranty period from the contractor.*

I just hope that there'll be no more potholes and craters come May 2010.


Read more about the issue HERE.
*Excerpted from the Nueva Ecija Journal.

Breaking

A few weeks ago, my aunt came home from Canada for my Lola's birthday and the blessing of her new home.

It was happy seeing her again after long years, together with my cousin. We recalled countless stories on how my cousin wept and screamed with anger when he finally knew that they will be flying to Canada to follow his mom and have a better life there. We just laugh it off today.

I remember those days when members of the family have to leave and we'll send them off to airport. It was a heart-breaking moment, seeing tears running down their eyes and giving their final reminders to the ones who will be left in the country.

We were always the ones who are left- the ones who sends them to the airport and being reminded.

My dad wants us to go abroad to work and maybe, find our luck there. Though he didn't insisted us to take up Nursing (thank goodness), he encourages us to apply for a job abroad. "Wala ng pag-asa dito" he would always say.

Well, I am starting to believe him now, but that doesn't mean that I will leave.

I guess, I'd still be sending a few more relatives to the airport, be constantly reminded about the concerns here and would prepare the celebrations when they return for a visit.

******

Pagbati sa mga kapwa ko Novo Ecijano sa pagdiriwang ng
Ika-113 Anibersaryo ng Unang Sigaw ng Nueva Ecija!
Mabuhay ang lahi ng matatapang! :)