As I told you in an article earlier this week, Feyma, the kids and I were down in General Santos last week for the wedding of a niece. Before going to the wedding, we had a chance to visit with some family members for a while. I got a chance to talk with one of my nephews, DJ. I did not know DJ well, we have not spent much time together. DJ is eight years old. I think that in the past I have only met him once or twice, and never really had an opportunity to talk with him.
DJ lives in the bukid. What is the bukid? Well, it is the mountain. It is the Bisaya term for a very rural area, usually in the mountains. Anyway, DJ lives in Barangay Patag, in Malapatan, Sarangani Province. I’ve only been to Patag one time, and I don’t recall meeting DJ there, although it is possible that I did.
Anyway, being able to speak Bisaya now, I had a nice conversation with DJ while waiting to go to the wedding last week. I asked DJ if he would want to come and visit us in Davao. He immediately said “YES“. Ha ha… I didn’t really intend to invite him to come with us immediately, but that is how he interpreted my intentions, so I readily agreed to let him return to Davao with us after the wedding.
DJ is a smart kid, and he is not shy at all, which is something that I like. Since coming to Davao, DJ has experienced a lot of things that I believe are quite new to him, and he likes it, it seems. One thing that DJ always does is that after dinner, he always asks us if we can buy some ice cream! I asked DJ if there is ice cream in Patag, and he quickly told me that there is none, or at least it is very rare to get ice cream there. Well, I can assure you that DJ has not missed a single day of having ice cream in Davao! He is not shy about asking for it either! I have enjoyed seeing DJ enjoy these little luxuries that he is not used to having.
DJ has a habit that every morning when he wakes up, he comes to my office to talk with me for a while. I get up early, and go straight to work in my home office, so I am usually deep in work when DJ wakes up, but by that time I am usually ready for a little break, so I don’t mind. Each morning, I ask him how his sleep was. He tells me “Lami” – ha ha – “delicious“. Ha ha… a little different answer than I would expect, but it’s cute to hear.
One thing I have been doing a lot lately is cooking. We recently built a new barbecue grill with brick in our back yard, and I have kind of gotten into barbecuing as a hobby, so DJ will often see me outside cooking something on the BBQ grill. He seems to enjoy eating whatever I decide to cook too!
One morning, when DJ awoke, he came to my office to talk, as is his regular habit. We talked for a while about different topics. After a while, I told him:
“Sige, magtrabaho na ko.” (OK, I will work now)
DJ responded:
“Magluto ka na ba?” (Will you cook now?)
It dawned on me that DJ thought my job was cooking! You see, really, I make my living using a computer. I operate a number of websites on which I earn my money. I sell products, and I publish information on the Internet. Through these efforts, I am able to earn my living. But, I realized that in DJ’s world, he would have no way of understanding that a person could actually make money by using a computer.
So, I set out to explain to him that I actually do my work using a computer, and idea that was obviously hard for him to understand. As I explained it, he asked:
“Nagdula ka ba sa komputer?” (do you play on the computer?)
No, I told him, I don’t play, I work. But, it seemed impossible to make him understand the difference.
Later that day, my wife asked DJ what I do on the computer, just to see what he would say. DJ responded:
“Gitanaw niya ang mga pikture sa komputer.” (He looks at pictures on the computer.)
My wife and I just laughed.
Thinking about this exchange, though, it really made me realize how different things are in the city compared to the bukid. It’s like we are on different planets. I wonder what it will be like in Patag 20 years from now, or 50. Will computers simply be a part of everyday life then?
“I wonder what it will be like in Patag 20 years from now, or 50. Will computers simply be a part of everyday life then?”
That’s an interesting question. Is texting part of everyday life there now? If yes, computers may not be far off. Dependent on cheap wireless bandwidth. 5 years, 10? But if they can’t afford texting now, may be a long way off.
Hi Gary – That is an interesting question/observation. The fact is that they do text in Patag… but the interesting thing is that the signal from the cell providers there is very weak, and it can be hard to communicate from there because the signal is not reliable. So, it kind of leaves your question in a gray area, don’t you think?
Yes. And of course it’s speculation. I expect signals, bandwidth, and data pricing will continue to improve – hopefully rapidly. I think Philippines in general is behind the curve in mobile data usage, but I expect things will catch up. Once kids in Davao are updating their Facebook pages using their smart phones / tablets (not talking wifi) as much as they’re texting, places like Patag will have a chance.
Hi Gary – The biggest problem for a place like Patag is that it is very remote, and there are not many people there. So, a cellular company will have to spend significant money to put up the towers and such, and there are only a few hundred people in the area, so it would be hard to recover the cost. However, I do agree with you that things like coverage and such is certain to improve over time. In fact, over the past 10 years I have seen a huge improvement in this area, and I expect it to continue.
I think I’ll have a bowl of ice cream and ponder that (it’s never too early for ice cream 😎
Have an extra scoop for me, Gary! Ube, if you don’t mind! 😆
Wow Bob;
I also saw DJ on FaceBook, have you opened him an account yet? Good lookin’ little guy, by the way!
Hi Paul – Ha ha… I’m not certain if DJ has a Facebook account yet, but it won’t surprise me. All of my other nieces and nephews who come to visit always leave with a Facebook account already registered!
Yep, DJ is a cute kid, smart and inquisitive too!
Hi Bob and Gary, Signals? Bandwith? I think I’ll go out on a limb to say that Patag will be pretty much the way it is right now…
DJ sounds like a sweet boy who despite his lack of experience in his young life still knows what he thinks and can speak his mind. I think he and I would get along well. “Lami” is my favorite word too to describe sleep in a soft bed with screens on the windows in a quiet tropical house, when you might be used to a more rural barangay setting.
From my experience, the town in Cebu that I’m familiar with hasn’t changed very much at all in the many years that I’ve known it, and that’s the way I like it. Considering myself a “city person” in America, I love the timelessness of this small town. I guess one could call it ‘bukid” too. To me it’s almost like a parrallel universe to anywhere else that’s hectic and full of industry. Maybe it’s easy for me to say because I’ve experienced both worlds, but there is something to be said for a simple, less cluttered more old fashioned way of living. Maybe someday DJ will go on to find adventure in a more developed place than his hometown, but if he decides to come back, he’ll still recognize his old barangay…
I hope DJ has a nice visit and eats a lot of ice cream and has many new adventures! This experience will be a special memory for him that that I’ll bet he won’t forget. It was kind of you Bob, to share some time and invite him to a different world than he’s known. I wonder though, if you and Feyma will be able to part with him going back when the time comes! lol
Hi queenie – Your description of life in a small town was nice to read, very interesting. Yes, I think you and DJ would get along just fine. I enjoy our little talks every day, and I have enjoyed having him here at the house for the past 8 days. I am not sure how much longer he will stay, maybe a few more days. His Mom will be coming to Davao soon, and she will pick him up. She has to buy school supplies here, so she was coming here anyway. I will be OK when he leaves, but I am sure he will be back to visit again in the future. Now, though, the one that I almost can’t allow to leave is DJ’s sister, Nicole. She and I are really, really close. I enjoy all of my nieces and nephews, though, and I enjoy developing a stronger relationship with each of them as we are able to spend time together. They are some fine kids, and I will enjoy watching them mature into adults.
Signals? Bandwidth? What? I’m just eating my ice cream.
Some places are timeless, and you’re probably right…
Gary, ice cream is hard to come by in this town too.. have some ube or macapuno for me too!
great story Bob, what a wonderful gift to see your world thru the childs eyes…and vice versa.
I have a feeling DJ will have some great stories for his friends back home…..something tells me you will see him more often.
Thanks, brian, I agree that seeing your life through the eyes of others is a wonderful gift, and it also allows us to learn things about ourselves that we would not otherwise even notice.
Hi Bob – Fascination and awe with computers is not limited to “mountain or rural” barangays. I have small cousins up here to whom my laptop was their introduction to the 20th Century. Yes, it’s all about looking at pictures. Each one would ask me, in turn, to show them a picture of this or that.
With their curiosity aroused, they’ll hopefully take further steps into realizing the potential that a computer has for them.
😉
Hi Paul – I can only imagine the reactions you got. You know, I left out part of the stories. Feyma asked DJ what kind of pictures I look at on my computer, and he told her that I look at pictures of girls! Ha ha… Feyma gave me a quick look, and I explained to her that I was showing DJ some pictures, and some of those pictures had girls in them. I can’t help it if DJ focused in on the pictures of girls! I don’t notice those things! Do you? 😉
Heck, I have to change tabs on my browser from the one showing LiP to another simple one whenever “someone” is in the room nearby and a WoWPhilippines ad or other pleasant ad appears. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve had to explain that, “Yes, she really is a Dentist in Davao”!!
😆
Ha ha…. I can only imagine!
What? There are pictures of girls on the Internet? When did that happen?
😯 That’s what they tell me, Tom!
BUSTED !!!!
😉
Great observations Bob, priceless in fact.
Thank you jonaky!
Hi Bob
As a Gran, Lola and adopted Tita I found that if children realise you enjoy their company the language barrier becomes something funny. We were in the mall with the younger ones and I said a skirt was too big. She thought it was funny that too large in English and water in tagalog are the same.
Enjoy the childrens company – they grow up too quick.
Marjorie
Hi Marjorie – Ha ha… yes, I always get a kick out of the word tubig, and joke about it. Languages are a very interesting topic to me, and I enjoy exploring the differences in the languages.
I saw an art display in Manila a number of years ago, one of the paintings was an open spigot with barely a drop coming out. The title was “Too Big Problem”.
Hi Gary – The first time that I ever came to the Philippines, in 1990, I met Feyma’s family. Over my 2 or 3 weeks with them, I kept hearing them mention “too big” and I was kind of offended, because I thought they kept talking about me, saying that I was too big, or too fat! It make me feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t until a few years later that I learned they were really saying “tubig” which, of course, means water! Ha ha…
Remember that they are only a kid once Bob .. enjoy the moment, I do 🙂 Phil n Jess
GREAT advice, Phil!
Us older people remember when a television was something that few had. We were the first in our neighborhood to have one and everyone gathered at night to watch Milton Berle. It was hard for us to imagine how that picture could come through the air into our home. Space travel was something we only thought possible from comic books. Little did we know that one day we would be living close to Johnson Space Center and everyone would have a television even in color. I am sure the same will happen in the most outback provinces in the Philippines one day.
Hi Tom – Yes, I am sure Patag will advance, not much doubt. But, it will probably always be behind to some extent.
I am sure DJs visit will be a most entertaining, amusing and educational time for him. It sounds like this is one of those times learning the language has made it rewarding and worthwhile for you Bob.
Pictures on the internet ? If it were not for pictures on the internet, chances are I never would have come to The Philippines to visit.
My regards to DJ from half way around the world.
Hi Bob – Thanks, I’ll pass along your regards to DJ, I am sure he will be amazed.
Yes, since learning to speak Bisaya, it has really opened a lot of possibilities for me and helped me get more enjoyment out of life! It’s one of the best things I ever did.