I left the busy city of Angeles on Dec. 23 with my whole family. We left here at 11 am and arrived in Camiling, Tarlac -- my husband's hometown -- at around 2:30 p.m.
Family life and work in the city are both stressful for me and for my hubby so the ten-day break was the best way to get a chance to finally rejuvenate.
LIfe in the city is very convenient yet very complicated. On the other hand, life in the province is very simple yet, for me, very difficult.
It's simple because unlike in the city, you don't have to pay for everything you need. For example, here in the city, we pay for literally every move that we take. Well, bills pile up every month : water, electricity, Internet, service tricycle, and house rent. In the province, they don't have to pay for water because they use "poso" to get the water they need. But the thing is, using it takes much effort and time. Also, there's no Internet fee to pay for but the world there is rather limited: you see only as far as your eyes can see. With the Internet, you get to see the whole world in just one click of a mouse. Most of all, since they own the house, there's no need to worry about house rent.
In the province, you can actually survive even without a cent in your pocket. They get through the day with vegetables in the yard, chicken from their poultry, eggs from their chickens, and if they want more, they have pigs to be sold or eaten when ready, goats, cows, etc.
Here in the city, those animals are seen only in photos. If we want eggs, we don't get them from where the chickens lay them. Instead, we need to go to Robinson's supermarket or in the wet market to buy them. If we want chicken, we go to the same place.
But of course, the people in the province need to take care of the animals so they could get something from them. It's not easy to feed pigs, chicken, cow, and goats. Aside from feeding them, you have to clean their wastes.
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Still, the best part of being in the province is being close with nature. Nature has its way of relaxing confused minds. Nature is the solution to stress.
Aside from being close with nature, it's also a good experience to see my husband's relatives whom we have not seen for quite a while. I've seen April and Joy who were just in elementary school when I first saw them. Now, April has a son and Joy is in college. It reminded me how fast I age.
Celebrating the most important seasons -- Christmas and New Year's eve -- with the family is indeed the best thing that could ever happen to a mom like me.
***********
I realized that life doesn't have to be complicated, the way it is here in the city. We can actually choose to make life simple. However, simplicity of life is not actually about losing the convenience that we are used to. What i mean is that, living a simple yet convenient life is the best way to live. A simple life means not getting so much outside (meaning, outside the family) commitment and convenient life means having technology help us in the way we live.
After the ten-day break, I guess, I'm ready to get back to work and enjoy life in the city with Danie, Charles, Stef and Dan -- and soon with another baby!
***********
When we arrived home yesterday, my daughter, Steffi, said, "I miss home!" She said coming back to our own house made her appreciate what she has in the house -- microwave oven that makes heating of water done in seconds, the CR with shower and soaps that she likes, soft sofa, the Internet, etc. These things that she did not find in the province. And so I told her, "You have to experience living without these things so you get to appreciate them."
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While I was on a vacation, I thought of my New Year's Resolution. I realized I had a lot of money coming to my family last year -- I have earnings every week, another income every 15 days, and another salary every month. There were times I would get three salaries from different sources in one day.
But at the end of the year, I still ended up with no savings -- ha ha!
So my New Year's Resolution is to keep two funds by getting parts from my salaries. One would be HOLIDAY FUNDS and another would be EMERGENCY FUNDS.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that instead of heading to Jollibee, KFC, Mister Donut, or Perfect Loaf on Thursdays, I would put some amount on the said funds...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Family life and work in the city are both stressful for me and for my hubby so the ten-day break was the best way to get a chance to finally rejuvenate.
LIfe in the city is very convenient yet very complicated. On the other hand, life in the province is very simple yet, for me, very difficult.
It's simple because unlike in the city, you don't have to pay for everything you need. For example, here in the city, we pay for literally every move that we take. Well, bills pile up every month : water, electricity, Internet, service tricycle, and house rent. In the province, they don't have to pay for water because they use "poso" to get the water they need. But the thing is, using it takes much effort and time. Also, there's no Internet fee to pay for but the world there is rather limited: you see only as far as your eyes can see. With the Internet, you get to see the whole world in just one click of a mouse. Most of all, since they own the house, there's no need to worry about house rent.
In the province, you can actually survive even without a cent in your pocket. They get through the day with vegetables in the yard, chicken from their poultry, eggs from their chickens, and if they want more, they have pigs to be sold or eaten when ready, goats, cows, etc.
Here in the city, those animals are seen only in photos. If we want eggs, we don't get them from where the chickens lay them. Instead, we need to go to Robinson's supermarket or in the wet market to buy them. If we want chicken, we go to the same place.
But of course, the people in the province need to take care of the animals so they could get something from them. It's not easy to feed pigs, chicken, cow, and goats. Aside from feeding them, you have to clean their wastes.
***********
Still, the best part of being in the province is being close with nature. Nature has its way of relaxing confused minds. Nature is the solution to stress.
Aside from being close with nature, it's also a good experience to see my husband's relatives whom we have not seen for quite a while. I've seen April and Joy who were just in elementary school when I first saw them. Now, April has a son and Joy is in college. It reminded me how fast I age.
Celebrating the most important seasons -- Christmas and New Year's eve -- with the family is indeed the best thing that could ever happen to a mom like me.
***********
I realized that life doesn't have to be complicated, the way it is here in the city. We can actually choose to make life simple. However, simplicity of life is not actually about losing the convenience that we are used to. What i mean is that, living a simple yet convenient life is the best way to live. A simple life means not getting so much outside (meaning, outside the family) commitment and convenient life means having technology help us in the way we live.
After the ten-day break, I guess, I'm ready to get back to work and enjoy life in the city with Danie, Charles, Stef and Dan -- and soon with another baby!
***********
When we arrived home yesterday, my daughter, Steffi, said, "I miss home!" She said coming back to our own house made her appreciate what she has in the house -- microwave oven that makes heating of water done in seconds, the CR with shower and soaps that she likes, soft sofa, the Internet, etc. These things that she did not find in the province. And so I told her, "You have to experience living without these things so you get to appreciate them."
************
While I was on a vacation, I thought of my New Year's Resolution. I realized I had a lot of money coming to my family last year -- I have earnings every week, another income every 15 days, and another salary every month. There were times I would get three salaries from different sources in one day.
But at the end of the year, I still ended up with no savings -- ha ha!
So my New Year's Resolution is to keep two funds by getting parts from my salaries. One would be HOLIDAY FUNDS and another would be EMERGENCY FUNDS.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that instead of heading to Jollibee, KFC, Mister Donut, or Perfect Loaf on Thursdays, I would put some amount on the said funds...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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