Growing up, I was surrounded with wonderful people, my parents, Daddy Casio & Mommy Minda, my grandmother, Nanay Sana, my aunt, Mama Lina, and my numerous relatives. With their love, caring, and guidance, I owe it to them the woman I become today.

Born, the sixth of nine children,I was baptized a year later during the Saint Agustine Fiesta in the city. Growing up with four brothers, four sisters, and numerous cousins. I was never lost for playmates. Our humble house was always filled with laughter and activities. After dinner stories on my parents, aunts, and uncles experiences during World War II was the highlight of the day. My Nanay Sana was always the iniator on war stories. Mama Lina was the best story teller of all. She'd always put humor to her stories, that even the most painful experience during the war turned into a comedy. I admire my Nanay Sana and Mama Lina for being so brave. Their lost their husbands during the war. My grandfather Tatay Cecilio, was not able to survive. He was captured by the Japanese! Mama Lina's husband died also. Mama Lina was still a young widow after the war, but never remarried. She dedicated herself on helping her younger sister (my mother) take care of us.
Stories on ghosts and fairies were my favorites, too. Mama Lina believes on ghosts and fairies, and she could see them!

I grew up a tomboy. Playing with a slinghot, going fishing, flying kites, playing with marbles, and climbing coconut trees were more fun than playing house with my sisters. I was told I was the "favorite child". I could not really verify it though, I was too busy growing up.

School time offs were always spent working at my Aunt's farm in Bukidnon. I had to help my parents harvest corn and coffee. I have done the backbraking, hardsweating tasks until I was 18! I told my mother I would never work on a farm when I get my own job. I would never marry a farmer!

Elementary education in my little school in Cugman was focused on reading and arithmetic. My first grade reading was all in Visayan. Our books were in Visayan. I was bored. I thought I would be learning something different from what I have been doing already at home. I was already a fast reader in Visayan because we always have a copy of the "Bisaya" magazine every week. My mother would never miss to buy a copy when she makes her weekly trip to the market. I was reading my older siblings' English books. I was having so much fun reading! Sometimes, they'd be all over the house, looking for their books. I was fond of hiding a book in my pillow.

On my second grade, I started to learn Tagalog. I was having a hard time speaking it. I was more adept to the English words due to my love of reading. We didn't have any Tagalog books at home and my brothers and sisters didn't have any from school. In the summer when the school books were all turned back to school library, we were limited to reading the Bisaya magazines and an occassional Bulletin Today. I would say that I learn more English from the magazines at my Godfather's house, Daddy Touso. Daddy Touso was also my mother's older brother. He had three sons and a daughter. My cousins are much older than me. My male cousins have all kinds of reading magazines stored in the loft. They didn't know that every time we'd visit them, I'd sneaked up in the loft, and read until I could no longer bear the heat and humidity. The loft was only a few feet below the galvanized roofing. Reading with sweats pouring down on your face was not really fun, unless you are desperate to read. I was! I could have borrowed those magazines to take home to read, but I knew that they would not let me borrow those magazines. They were off limits to little girls. I'd be in big trouble if I ever mentioned I was in the attic in the first place.

There were countless comical moments in my childhood. I could vividly recall of my slippers being stolen in school while playing jacks. I was in fourth grade, then. I had to go home barefooted! Walking home in an excruciating heat was not fun at all! What I did was I skipped and hopped from one patch of grass to another, to sort of cool down my feet. I arrived home with blisters! There was also a time when the "chicken thief" stole all our chickens, and used our door mat (our door mat was an old burlap sack) to put the stolen chickens, and as a bonus, he also took all our slippers. I had to wear my Sunday shoes the next day, and two weeks after that, until my Mom was able to afford to buy a new pair of slippers for everyone.

The most painful time of my growing up, was when my older brother, Alan died. He died at the age of 25 and left two sons behind. He had a painful death of being hit by a bus while crossing the a 4-lane highway. He died of head injury. I was really devastated! I was away in college in Misamis University in Ozamiz City when he died. The family was trying to get hold of me. They sent telegrams, but I never received them. My cousin Roy had to travel from Cagayan de Oro to Ozamiz City to tell me the bad news. I was shocked and numbed! I was able to come home to be at his burial, but my heart sunk afterwards. I mourned for his death for several years. His sons are all grown up now. They are handsome men who both have my brother's personalities and his wonderful qualities.

Daddy Touso!
Nanay Sana!
Daddy Casio!
Mommy Minda!
Ganggang
I know,
you are looking down at me
from up there....
IN HEAVEN
with
GOD!
Thank you for all the memories!
I wil see you someday!

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