My Home

I was born in Ilocos Norte and was raised and spent my first five years of school in Bulacan. When my father decided to try his luck in Middle East, we had no choice but to move to my grandma in Uson, Masbate. At first, I was very disappointed, I don’t want to leave Bulacan and to start another life in far flung rural area in Masbate. I was only 10 years old at that time. I cried a lot when I first heard of that news. Leaving Baliuag for me was leaving my friends behind and the memories of my childhood.

It was summer in the year 1995 when I first set my feet on the ground of Masbate. What laid in my eyes were my worst expectations, no TV channels, frequent brownouts, dialect that I didn’t understand and living with my strict grandma. It was hell beyond my expectation.

My first couple of weeks in Uson was misery for me. I felt that I was out of place when I am with a group because I do not know what they are talking about because they keep chatting using the local dialect Masbateño. At first day of school, it was just like I was in the middle of a police interrogation because my classmate kept bombarding me with silly questions. But as days passed, things had change. I was able to learn the local dialects and started to befriend my classmates.

Though I got hard times on my first days, but I was wrong with my first impression. I found my most cherished friends in Uson. In that place, I discovered so many things about myself. Living with my people in Masbate was a life changing experience. I learned a lot from them. In their simple way of life, I learned the complexity of life. I got to know the root of my existence.

Living in Masbate gave me the chance to meet some of most important persons in my life. My most favorite teacher in my whole damn life was my class adviser when I was Grade VI, Ma’am Vilma. I was very impressed on her. She was very good in her craft. Thanks to her because she was the one who encouraged and honed me to become a writer. She was the one who coached me when I won my first inter-school academic competition. She is a great inspiration to me.

I was also able to meet my friends in Masbate. Among them are my best buddies, Eduard, Angelo, Dan and Biboy. I also met a good friends like Lorelie, Sharon, Ave, Ginalyn, Carmen, Mariane, Ivy, Bhel, Marlo, Rey and Jesser. Each one of them had great contribution on my personal growth.

Uson, also had a great part on my education. It was lucky for me to be able to spent my secondary years in that “rural” area, because if not, maybe I was one of those students who spent their time in an entertainment hub brought by urbanization rather that attending their classes. I experienced the life of a vistanian. Though it was only a small school, but I learned a lot from my alma mater. I graduated, though without honor because of my tardiness, but I was the very first Vista Editor in Chief who hailed from Panisijan.

Shortly after graduation, I returned to Bulacan to pursue my tertiary education, but the feeling was very different. When I was a little tyke I don’t want to leave Bulacan, but that very time, there was pain in my heart when I left Masbate. I really wanted to continue my studies in Masbate but my father wanted me to be with them. But even I am in Bulacan, I continued to live the standard of being Masbateño and I am proud of it.

Maybe someday, when I am old, I want to spend my last remaining years in Masbate. I want to live there and visit the places and remember the days I endear. I am going to tell my children that once there was a little boy who hate to live in that place but eventually learned to consider Masbate as his home.