(Ma/Pa/Ka)Hirap

Pagbalik namin ng Maynila after 1 year in Pangasinan, mahirap pa rin kami.

I can say, mas mahirap na kami.

My dad still did not have a job.

My mom was looking for a job.

Nabuhay kami sa sustento ng mga magulang nila.

Utang sa mga kamag-anak.

Sangla ng mga alahas.

Utang sa mga malapit na sari-sari store.

Daily allowance was a fight.

School projects was a fight.

Daily food on the table was a fight.

Those were really, REALLY tough times.

Grabe!

Even fresh meat and veggies were too pricey for us. I kid you not.

We had days where we had mackerel with potatoes and/or sardines and miswa as meals.

And I would like to recall the summers I used to spend with my better-off relatives.

Kasi sa kanila, I felt like a prince.

Yung tipong kakain ako ng Koko Krunch na hindi magsisisi kasi makakakain pa rin ako nito the next day.

Yung tipong bibili kami randomly on a weekday night ng Quickly.

Yung tipong magyayaya sila sa Glorietta ng weekend after lunch.

Yung tipong hindi ka mahihiya sa estado ng buhay niyo.

As a kid growing up, you would always wish for a better life, or for a better wording, a more comfortable life.

Galit na galit ako dati sa mga magulang ko for the reasons above.

SOBRA!

Part 2