The Village

When I was growing up, my sisters and I used to spend our summers with my grandparents, my aunt and uncle and my cousins in Pampanga. I can’t remember how many summers I actually did spend with them but it seemed like it was all of my summers. Or maybe, the summers I spent without them didn’t really register in my memory. All I know is, those were some of the best summers of my life.

Back then, however, I didn’t realize that I would look back on it so fondly. My cousins and my sisters were perpetually teasing me and leaving me out of their games and I couldn’t quite speak English yet so it was hard to converse with my half-American cousins. It was also difficult at first to be away from my parents especially when there was no internet and Skype. But I got used to it and on days when my cousins and sisters forgot to act all snooty and grown-up, it really was a lot of fun.

My aunt would often take us out with her when she ran errands and so I got to go with her to the American airbase nearby. And it always seemed to me that as soon as I entered the gates, I entered another world. The streets and buildings were always so neatly kept and there were all these goodies that I couldn’t find in the department stores back home. Then, they had this huge air-conditioned library and my aunt would let us pick any book we wanted to borrow. And there was Baskin Robbins with its 31 flavors and Stars and Stripes, the little bookstore that I could lose myself, and the toy store where my aunt would so generously let us choose one toy each.

And on days when we stayed home, there was always Haley Mills on Parent Trap to watch and loads of Paning’s dried watermelon seeds to chew on. And there was, of course, each other’s company. Not a day would go by when at least two of our ten cousins didn’t end up fighting at some point. But it all turned out well because at the end of the day, my uncle and aunt would all call us in to say our daily rosary together. Besides, we really couldn’t get away with anything too drastic because our grandparents were always nearby.

When I look back on it, it wasn’t really the place or the activities that I loved the most. It was always the company. Because even when they came over to Cebu, we still had fun. And even when we didn’t see each other for years at a time, we have always stayed connected.

My cousins and sister have since moved away and started their own families. I really wish I could gather all my nieces and nephews so I could give them the summer I had as a kid. But we very rarely get together now since it’s hard to synchronize everybody’s schedule. But it doesn’t keep everyone from trying, though. Besides, we are still a part of each other’s lives, still making new memories here and there and sharing stories when we can and keeping each other in our prayers. Because really, that’s what families do. Well, that’s what my family always did. Sure, we’ve had our differences. But when push comes to shove, we stick together and we love each other. And we really do enjoy each other’s company.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. In a family like mine, the “village” has always been full of happy memories, full of joy, full of faith, full of love. What a village I’ve been blessed with!