Well, I will write about my growing up years in our farm. As you know in the small town it’s hard to buy even just a simple thing. We didn’t have a decent marketplace I mean grocery store. Even to buy meat my parents had to travel 2 hours just to go to the big city at that time. The road from our farm to the nicer town was not good, lots of potholes. Usually we would ride horses to go to that town. At that time our farm had no electricity. During night time we used lamps with kerosene in it. We really were in the boonies it seems, compared to what we have nowadays.
For my parents, my mom would go to General Santos (used to be called Dadiangas at that time) once a week. Buy what she needs for her sari-sari store then some stuff for our daily needs. For the meat my parents always have chickens, pigs and ducks. They will butcher during dinner time like one chicken or duck for us to eat that night. At that time I will always watch my cousin or my sibling kill the chicken, sometime I will help them hold the chicken so that it’s not moving while their butchering it. At first it was hard watching the chicken, but I got used to it later. Really for me that was my eye opener that I would really have to study hard to be able to have a good education and could lead to a better future. For some people they are just satisfied to be a farmer. Nothing wrong with that, but I just wanted to be different than the other people there. I want to venture outside the box as what they say. So during my high school days I studied in General Santos to start to be independent. Later in college I went to Cebu City. I was thankful for that choice because if not for that it would be hard for me to be away with my parents when I went to the States then.
My childhood in the farm really taught me a lot in life. I was so thankful for my parents and siblings in helping me go through with it. I think I’m a good helper. I also help my parents work on our coconut trees and corn fields. We have tenants, but my parents would want us to work so that we would know how to run our farm. Honestly, it did help some of my siblings because that’s what they’re passionate about. I’m proud of them for that. Just not for me though. Sometimes now I told my kids about it. They think it’s cool that I grew up in the farm and have the animals to take care of. Hmm, I don’t think my kids can really handle living and taking care of lots of animals in the farm. Maybe I should let them try. That will be a good story next time. 😉
How about you? Did you grow up in the farm and far from the city? Maybe you should share your experience to all of us too.
Mabuhay!
I remember the first time that I went to General Santos City to visit Feyma's Family. I had just met Feyma like 4 or 5 days before that. My first full day in GenSan, when lunch time rolled around, Feyma's older sister chased down a chicken and butchered it. I think Feyma helped with that if I remember correctly. Delicious lunch! 😆
Hi Feyma, yes, it also happened to me. I grew up in a very little provincial village in former West Germany. I remember, what it means to have farmers, cornfields, horses, cows, goats, ducks, chickens, forests, lakes and rivers with cristalclear water inb our surroundings. My parents and I also lived poor but very happy in parish priest house. It was after World War II. Also in Germany it was not the easy-go-lucky time. I guess, because we "live with God" helped a lot…
That's for sure. I did help in that lunch preparations. Amazing my dear you remembered it. 😀
Hi Klaus – Wow, I didn't know you grow up in a farm. You turn out good person though. 😉 It's a pleasure knowing you, Rose and Mutti.
hi feyma i grew up in small towns and farms in minnesota,i helped to raise chickens , pigs ,turkeys ,sheep goats and milk cows, i also helped with the butchering. i picked rocks out of the fields .pulled weeds , baled hay and straw and tended the gardens ,i worked for the farmers when i was a teenager . mirasol , (my fiancee) also grew up on a farm in the compostella valley ,her brother and papa still have farms there. my fiancee and i will be getting married there in davao in january 2008, we will be opening a small store in buhangin very soon. yep i know that farming is very hard work.
hi feyma, i am one of your regular readers here in state. i liked reading your stories. i never leave any comments because i have a 19 month old baby and always wanted my attention. but this story, i just loved it. it brougth me back memorries. i also grew up in the farm without electricity. only kerosen. we are also far from town. i have 6 siblings(5 girls and 1 boy). i remember we had to ate supper early and went to bed before dark because we don’t have lights(out of kerosen). we could not go to town because of the typhone.
money was never been easy for us when we were growing up. my parents did not have big farm. we had to work so hard on our farm and sometimes helped the neighbores farm for a little money so we could afford school. it was a little tough for us. 2 of us made it through college, 3 siblings went to manila after high school and got marreid early. my brother did not want to go to college so he went to manila to find a job to help us out. he helped me through college then i went abroad and helped my younger sister as well. my brother is now in u.a.e. and i thank him for everything. to bad though, he never had lucks about the girls. by the way i am from leyte.
Hi Ken – Congratulations and good luck to you and Mirasol on the opening of your store. More power…
Hi..I like reading your story about growing up on the farm…Feyma…When I was a kid I grew up among many who had farms and loved going to them to see all the animals and everything else…most of the farmers were small farmers and raised milk cows..and then milked them morning and nite 7 day a week..365 days a year…so they worked hard and yet I think most were happy…that was many years ago…I had a cousin that his parents had a big farm and I used to stay with them some times and we were to little to do much work..we were 6 and 7 year old..but we had lots of fun and I have never forgot…they also raised chickenens and sheep and cows and garden and much more…and my aunt had a old Monarch wood cook stove…and I remember that stove to this day..homemade bread and pies and cookes that come out of that oven still to me were the very best and the homemade ice cream was out of this world…hahahah…
I started to remember some of this when I read your fun and nice story about you growing up on the farm…so it broght back some good memories of things for me during my childhood…
I often wonder if some times if that life was better in some ways…it was a lot more work..yet I know the food was much better than what u can buy now here in the states…and there was nothing in it to make it last for ever..hahaha…and so forth…
I also remember when I got to be a little older…maybe 13..14 or so that in summer would work for farmers helping them with their haying and such…was hard work and to me the best part was the big dinner at noon that some of those farmers wifes would fix for the workers..wow..so many good foods and all from scratch…no open box and boil water type thing or pop into mirrow wave..Just the real thing…and I have even eaten a few as you menitoned freash chickens that were killed that day and cooked that day and to me are the best….most of the chickens you buy here in the states now taste different..not any were as good as probably your chickens there now even still do and what they used to taste like here years ago….
So..was fun to read about your life growing up on the farm and great that you choose to do something different and look where u are now from making that choice….
I grow up in Illigan City , my parents was very poor , but i go to school,
and when our hut was high in the mountain , i sleep in my aunties
house band store.
Sometimes it was hard , get up early , clean the store and then go to school.
Later when i married Anton , he pays for a small house to build for my parents , so now they live in Hinaplanon illigan. But my sisters still live in the mountains.
As now. i live and work in The Netherlands , 2 years ago we payed for the house to renew, It has electric now and water and shower.
It was beautifull , when we saw it on our last holiday's July 2007.
And as for my husband Anton , when he retire he wants to go live in
iligan , so maybe i go back to iligan and that after 23 year.
Hi Dan – I know what you mean. I think living in the farm it's more relax and laid back and stress free. 😉
Food is fresh, like veggies just pick from the garden before cooking… I guess we just all reminiscing our times in the farm. That probably is the good life. 😆
Hi Sandy – I'm glad you like the column. Honestly, I think the hardship that we experience before made us the way we are today . We really tried so hard to work our best to make our life better.
I thank you for reading and welcome to our web magazine.
Hi Conny Zanders – Diblusan – Thank you very much for reading. Good for you that you guys help out now in your area in Iligan. I guess lots of us now do what the movies said before "pay it forward".
Maybe will see you when you guys retire. 😆
Enjoyed your story Fema
I grew up on a dairy and beef farm in teh Missouri Ozarks myself. Fondly remember endless days of hauling hay in the summer and the huge meals mom would make for us (a necesity with the hard work we were doing). Filling silos with silage and of course cutting wood for the winter heat, often in the cold of winter itself.
Part of the time I was growing up we had chickens and I well remember butchering them too. Of course when I was a little older I spent a lot of time hunting squirrels and we had to dress those, and deer then later wild turkey when their was finaly enough to hunt.
I being the dependable child I often ended up milking the cows too.
I realy think its the best way for kids to grow up good food hard work and good ethics. Hope I can find some way for my future children to live something similar.
Hi John H – I'm glad you enjoyed reading my column. I know it brings back memories to all of us that grow up in the farm.
Thanks again for reading.
hi feyma! I did not exactly grow up in a farm though the back of our house are farmlands already of tomatoes and eggplants and melon. What I like about it is that you get a lot of fresh vegetables for FREE! The neighbors are really nice. I remember if one of the households do not have oil or soy sauce or onions, they just call out to the next house and ask if they can ask for some. Life was uncomplicated.
Hi Cathy, same for me, even living in Germany during that time (1950s): Life was uncomlicated.
Hi Feyma,
I stumbled on this site by accident. I enjoyed reading your post. I grew up in davao (malita) and have fond memories of growing up on a farm —out, out in the boonies. If I were to go back in time, it would be to those times.
Bebot
Hi Cathy – That's one thing I like about the farm you can asked your neighbors for something that you don't have at the moment. They don't even ask you to pay them back. Good memories though.
Hi Bebot – I'm glad you had fun reading our column. We've been to Malita just early this year. We also went to the Little Boracay there. Lovely place. They had good road now from the turn off near Sulop all the way to Malita.
Hi all
I to grew up on a farm. I worked as a tomato picker, worked in very large chicken houses , worked in cows pigs and horses. I lived in the country, I think you call it the provience??? in Philippines. My Father was a plumber and carpenter so I learned that later. I have lived in the center of a small town here in Arkansas for 15 years where I have an upholstery repair shop. I really miss the country life at times. Sure would be good to have the perfect mix of both. I wonder if it would be possible to have that on the outskirts of Illigan City?