It is sad that the media,t.v and movies shows more of American lavish,rich city lifestyle and hardly show the american country living.When I arrived here 6 years ago I was happy as a clam.It's not because I finally arrive in America but because I finally reunited to the person I wanna spend my whole lifetime with and the moment I step on his parents home(I live with my soon to be husband parents before we got married)I look around and sigh "What a quite ,beautiful place.I think some people back home would maybe cry when they realize how isolated the place is and all you see is the cornfield and soybeans field and hardly see any neighbor.For some reason I hardly miss home part of it because this place remind me of the place in Bohol where I grow up.The corn remind me of my parents and grandma's cornfield back in the island .It's like living in Bohol without your neighbors.Soon I meet my neighbor here.They were just like my neighbors back home.They welcome me like a princess .They give me lot;s of warm cloths for the winter.One farmer even give me Mama rabbit which I find really sweet of him.The rabbit give birth to 7 bunnies a week later and it keep multiflying.We live in the country sorrounded by small towns.Everybody knows everybody.When I got married almost 3 months after I arrived here people pouring in on our reception wishing us goodluck.
My husband called himself Promdi.Yes we are Promdi.People in big city think we are hillbillies.I remember talking to a filipina in New York and when she know I live in the farm she said something about")so you live in the Bundok kawawa ka naman.Taga Bukid pala husband mo.When some filipina friends in the city visit my place they always made a comment about.Ay Raquel kung ako magpuyo diri,magsegi siguro ko ug hilak or basin mabuang ko,or di gyud ko kaantus magpuyo aning lugara nga kamingaw ba.I sure can't stand living this kind of place in the middle of the knowhere one pinay friend say.I always find their comment hilarious.Maybe it just depend on someone personality.Maybe depend where you grow up too.
What I like most about this place is the people around me. The farmers and the people living in the country are the true american.They were very humble.They sure remind me of us Bol-anon.They were kind and hardworking people.People knock on your door here bringing you food or some farm produce even people stop by and give us meat.When they see you on the road they always wave their hands and always have big smile on their face and ask How are you today!They were always helpul.I had many trips of my kids in tot to macdonald and I always find someone offer me help to walk with me and hold my children hands towards the car,sometimes carry the infant carrier for me.Every summer we grows vegestable and sweet corn and we always bring those produce to the city and give it to the filipino friends.I even grow batong here and tangad even Opo.Whats funny is my mother inlaw love growing tangad as her ornamental plant and even camote too she think its as beautiful vine.Would you beleive they sale baho baho here and they think its a flower plant heheheh.After I give birth I always find my neighbors here knocking on my door bringing gifts for my kids and most of all they always bring dinner for me and my family because they think I am busy to cook dinner and just got home from the hospital.We are close knit community here.Everybody help everybody.Aside from that most people living in my area are devoted catholic.We always observe the catholic tradition here,the feast days and the holy day of obligation.I always go with my mother inlaw every wednesday and we do the Eucharistic adoration and the rosary.My husband and I and the children always pray the family rosary everyday.It's okey to miss the meal than miss the rosary.People go to church here every sunday,what sad is that we dont have station priest around.One priest in 3 parishes.We keep praying for more vocation because the priest here is getting old ,retiring and dying.
My husband always feel happy when we had filipino company.We invite our filipino friends mostly bol-anon and cebuano to come over to our place and we make lechon for them.My husband had cousins who is a hog farmer so we purchase pig for them for only 15 dollar 40 lbs.We usually purchase 3 pigs so one for lechon and the two pigs for bring house.They voucher(ihaw) it here and cut it up and divide.The only thing my husband don't like about our Pinoys visitors is they want to voucher the pigs itself with the sharp knife.American don;t like us handling the knife it scares them let alone let him hold and rustle the pigs while this brave pinoy try to stick those knife on pig neck and save the blood.It;s surely gross him and beside he think they were torturing the poor pig.We sure have our own fiesta here in my place complete with lechon and kareoke.My husband and few american neighbor like our dishes except the dinuguan and the fried fish with head on it.My inlaws said that the fish eye keep looking on them.Our feasta start when my husband mention to one filipina in St. Louis that we had pot belly pig(sure look like our bisaya pig) and one day we got tired of feeding him.Note; we only feed the pig with table scrap and corn but the pig just keep getting bigger and bigger so we decided we will get rid of him.We name him Arnold.We publish Arnold on the paper for adoption and a kind hearted guy adopt him.Pot Belly Pig is a pet not food at least thats what american think.We voucher the white breed pigs for lechon it was good.My husband prefer to shot the pig with his handgun than torturing it slowly just like what we do when we ihaw the pig.We never had feasta this year,we are to busy and in the process of moving in in other house, still on the farm.After Arnold we become poster parents to countless pot belly pigs ang give them away once someone is willing to adopt them.Most pinoy react on this and said I can;t beleive you give the pig away we could eat them and have lechon.
These Filipino friends also feel at home at my homestead because once you get into my place you will see my big chapel.This is my husband gift to me when I get here.He buy a big statue of Mother Mary as tall as me 5 ft. complete with altar and station of the cross in church auction for 30 dollar.This thing cost a fortune but nobody bid against him so he bought it dirt cheap.What I like about country people is they prefer buying cheaper things than those expensive brand.They value their hardwork.I think so too that it;s rediculous to buy expensive stuff esp. if you cant hardly afford them.We enjoy garage sale here and second hand store.We like clearance sale the most.I remember one time I mention to my Pinay friend that I buy all my children cloths in garage sale it;s cheap and she said to me about "yuk I am not buying other people junk.I prefer to buy it in the mall those branded one."I know her very well and she is not even rich back home.Lot's of filipina here too ,ridiculed about going to garage sale and second hand store as degrading.I was more impress with my farmers neighbor because not only they have tons of money but they were very humble.(Ang mabaw nga sapa saba ang lawom hilom.)
When one farmer got sick and can;t plant or harvest his crop all the farmers had to pitch in and help.When one is sick in the community we always throw a fundraising dinner to help.Really nice community indeed.I know most people here even though my closest neighbor live about a mile from my house.I feel like a celebrity in my area.Everybody know me.I remember the last time I went home in Philippines vacationing in Bohol and happen to have mud slide in leyte and the people see the news on T.V my husband said that our phone keep ringing, all the neighbors call and ask if I am okey.They sure worry about me and they think philippines is that small.Everytime there is news about philippines all my neighbors sometimes the whole city in my area would check if my family back home is okey.News and gossip can travel as fast as the lightning here too.Divorce is uncommon where I live.In fact my inlaws just celebrate their 50th anniversary this year.This place sure remind me of home.One friend from calape visit me here and say said something about Wow raquel this place is just like home..And I reply oh yeah we are PROMDI here.
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Topic: Ang PROMDI sa U.S (Read 2161 times)