out of Krystle's head...
Have you ever wondered how it is to study away from your family? Some of you (those who are from the provinces) are Manila-bound for college in about 4 months time. We are posting this article to give you a glimpse of how it is to study here in Manila.
Writing from experience, our guest writer, VINZ studied at the University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod City before flying in to Manila to study at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) for college.
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Only a few graduates from the province get to decide where they want to go after high school. After getting permission to study away from home and promising they will be good boys and concentrate on their studies, they pack up their bags, say good bye to their loved ones, and take one last look at their own little paradise before they buckle up and prepare to go to college.
Being away from home is a traumatic experience for someone who came from the province and is suddenly transported into an entirely new world.Fear for our life and safety constantly bugs us after hearing rumors and never ending stories about robberies, hold-ups, rapes, street fights, taxi drivers who take advantage of our gullibility. Horrific stories scare our concerned parents living hundreds of miles away.Despite all of these, there are good reasons why we keep coming to the big city.
It is funny how some urbanized people educate themselves by asking people from the province questions like “Are there malls in your hometown? Do you have roads? How do you go to school?” some of us would answer purely out of sarcasm, wit and good intentions, “no. no. we ride our ever so faithful carabaos to school.”
People from the province stand out in the crowd; their funny accents are not hard to spot. They are the center of attention when they are asked by others to translate some of their lines in Tagalog or English into their own language and, all from the generosity of their hearts, they play along.
From the slow pace of their daily routine in the province, they experience an intense transformation and need to survive city life. Instinctively, they become survivors as they try to master riding in public transportation and getting familiar with the new surroundings. Given a month, they are able to travel more efficiently than some city people.
Some students cannot take life in the big city and after a few semesters, call their parents and go back home. Some become heroes when they go back home, successful and proud of their achievements. They serve as inspiration to those who still dream of studying in the big city with all its traffic, horror stories and skyscrapers.
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To all those who plan to go to Manila for college, don't be scared! You will find that it is actually a friendly place-- once you get a wind of it! =P Share some thoughts, ok? We'd be glad to know what you have to say! Cheerio!
Friday, February 1, 2008
UA&P I AM S.T.R.O.N.G. : we dont ride carabaos to school
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70 comments:
I'm from Cebu. :)
Malls are being built here and there.. I went to Bicol and there's an SM in Naga. I think TV does a good job in updating for fashion and news.
I also enjoy going back to Cebu during breaks because the roads aren't as congested compared to Manila. I think life in the city is more fast-paced.
hey, great article!
Hahaha great title! I agree, some people think people provinces live in the mountains where life is primitive. But its not true. They go to Manila for a better education. It entails sacrifice in their part to leave their comfy lives back home. I hope people won't underestimate them and think they live in nipa huts and ride on carabaos. they should go tour around the Philippines more haha. Most of the smart people in my class are actually from the provinces, and some are pretty classy too.
That's very true that people from the provinces are well updated when it comes to fashions,on what's new with Lifestyles coz they also have CATV cables.They have more time to watch channels like CNN,Discovery,LIFEstyles,Animal Planet,Oprah Shows,HBO,etc.
So guys...dont underestimate them.They dont ride the Carabaos to school.In fact you willsee Volvos,BMWs,Pajeros in the provinces!
GREAT TITLE FOR AN ARTICLE! IT REALLY CAUGHT MY ATTENTION...
anonymous 1:
yay thanks! im happy you liked it. =p
nickname:
thanks! i know...the mentality that people in the province are primitive is not just offensive but passe as well. provinces have been developing rapidly and media today is making sure that everybody is the country is attuned to what is happening-- not just in manila =P
anonymous 2:
thanks to media, at this day and age, all of us get the same messages--thus, get to know the latest in everything almost at the same time!
anonymous 3:
thank you! =P i hope the content caught your attention too! =P
I myself studied high school in the province(Daet, Camarines Norte, Bicol).
I find the experience very enlightening especially on my view about life in the province.
We used to live in Cebu prior to moving to Bicol. At first, I hated it there, because it was so different from the city life that I was used to. But everything changed when I began to have friends. Life in the province is not as boring as I thought it would be!
Fresh air, rice fields, clean rivers and lakes, fresh foods, friendly people, and most of all, a simple life. These are the things that I love most about living and studying in the province.
And like Jewelz, I go back to Bicol durings vacations and off from work for a refreshing break.
Also, "promdis" or people from the province are not so ignorant and innocent as most people think they are. I believe that as individuals, they (or make that we, myself included) deserve respect and recognition, especially those students who literally walk several kilometers or ride carabaos just to get to school. We should admire them for their hard work and determination in the name of education.
Great comment, Jen. It's very true what you shared about life in the province.
jen:
wow, thanks so much for sharing...=P
I love your title. It's one icy-cold truth that we, people with hometown-provinces should establish, once and for all. Haha!
Kidding aside, I understand you, being a girl from Tuguegarao, (Where is that? Exactly.) and mistaken to have come from IS.
You are right, we are survivors. We make the first move to make friends. It takes us at least two tries to find the right route, kindred people, and proper ways to do things. And there is that inner challenge to prove you deserve to be here.
But I think, classrooms are great equalizers. When you step inside it, and bring your game - what will matter isn't where you come from, but what you know and what you are willing to know. So, carabaos or Cadillacs - it's all poof. It's what's in your head, and how you work that truly count.
This is one delightful blog, you guys.
aww thanks ms shirin! =P i never thought you were from tuguegarao... not that it matters..hehe because being from manila or any other key city doesnt make anyone a better person than those who came from the provinces...you're right...its what we know and what we are willing to learn that matters =P
cool article.:p..
Yeah. 'Provincianos' are more often than not misunderstood because they grew up in a different culture, something alien to city life. Some them do think that the city is creepy. I have a friend from Cebu who loathes Manila so much because it's too chaotic. Most, if not some, city folks beg to differ and discriminate thus adding up to the city's bad impression. The capacities of these 'provincianos' should be recognized rather than be undermined.
..I believe I've said enough :p
i had some friends who went back home after a few months / years here in manila. they were not able to handle the life here. its fast paced compared to the steady life in the province. plus being away from their family must have been hard.
it is a challenge to most of us from the province to learn how to survive here in manila. it is an experience in our lives that those in manila wont go through. consider us lucky :)
cheerio haha
lucky indeed, vinz =P
wow..deep john! and thats coming form a 15 year old! thanks for hsaring a pc of your mind!
Great article and its so true.
To the soon to be city folk coming from the province, you shouldnt be scared about living in the big city but you should be ecstatic about it. Yeah, people have preconceived assumptions about us "farm boys" but that's part of the fun(go along with it.) Not only do you get to experience something new and different out here but you learn so much about being independent and taking care of yourself. You learn how to manage your time better and how to plan things ahead. Don't deny it, we tend to not plan ahead cos were used to everything being so close in the province(malls, clubs, restaurants..etc) Being from the province and having that weird accent makes you stand out. Standing out is a good thing in this monochromatic world, trust me. Don't ever forget where you came from though, its what makes you who you are. That fun loving cowboy/girl who isnt afraid to rough it up every once in a while and is always game for something exciting. It's college boys and girls, take it seriously but have fuuun. Youre never going to forget this time in your life so make the most out of it!
People who grew up in cities would naturally have this impression of those from the provinces. I am not saying they are to blame, for most of us were presented with that image of the "barrios", or perhaps we got the stories from our grandparents who, we must admit, have been away from the province for quite a long time now. But the greater problem seems to be the urbanized people's arrogance (most but not all) about their being urbanized. True, being progressive economically and materially is a generally a good thing. But this by no means gives us the ticket to undermine the progress of our country's provinces or even view them as "napag-iiwanan". In fact, we can learn a thing or two from them, for away from the city's hustle and bustle they still have time to appreciate the more important things in life.
hi reia!=P you're right. im used to be guilty of having this vision of the provinces as somewhat less developed. this is because the stories i hear about life in the province prior to college (or was it HS?) were those of my grandparents'. but i know better now. in fact i know a lot of people from the province and they're no different than us! =P
*i used to be guilty, i mean
change.. it just takes a little (or a lot of) getting used to.
stereotypes.. can't help it, societal dictates.
nice to have the awareness though.
nice blog. :D
haha! in UP, most students are from the province. Sure they are funny sometimes (their accents especially), but once you get to know them, you'll be surprised how much you'll learn from them. As for me, i hang with promdis all the time, and because of them, i now became more appreciative of the simple things.
You know what, this "problem" exists in the first place because all the good schools are here in MM. i just hope that the government will find a way to increase the number good, competitive schools also in the provinces, and not just concentrating them here.
great article ktel, hehehe
I don't know. If I had a friend who rode a carabao to school that would be pretty awesome!!!! It sure beats a fully jam packed jeep filled with potential thiefs and swindlers anyday. :)
I lost my phone twice that way already. :(
wow thanks for that. i am from iloilo and im going to study in manila this june. im still worried and excited about having to leave home for a place far away but i think i will be able to manage =)
good luck ella, you can do it!
rudez, don't we walk faster to school than carabaos?
don't worry ella, you'll meet new friends and discover new places! :)
bilib na bilib ako sa mga "probinsyanas and probinsyanos!" I honestly can't imagine how hard it is to be away from home in such a long time.
When the semester ends, you can see me jumping for joy for those people who will go home to their provinces. It makes me happy to know that their hardship is over, and they will go home for their much needed respite.
yes, i look up to my friends from the provinces too!
i live in Iloilo and i'll be studying there in manila. i hope that kind of mentality will change. it would be a different environment for me. i hope i'd fit in.
late na.. hihi, well its ok for students coming from the provinces to be afraid. they're taking risky steps to determine their future despite the negative things they've heard about the city. Besides, stepping out of your comfort zone is a courageous thing to do already.
What if we were the ones to go and study there in the province, all alone and away from everything we got used to in the city.. we probably wouldn't last long... :) haha!
nice comment shobs
My hubby's classmate way back in their grade school years literally rice carabao going to school. Fellow classmates laugh at him. He used to tie the carabao near the school's gate
i mean ride, sorry...
I love living here in the provinve. fresh air here is something that money can't buy
Many successful people are from the province
When i was applying for a job in naga city, I found out that many still want to stay here in the province. They don't mind about getting high pay jobs in Manila.
i admire provincianos, they are versatile
Compare the life of people in Manila that lives under the bridge or dirty squaters area, the life of an average provincianos is far more better.
In the city, every move requires money. You can't eat without it. But in the province all you need is to work hard, plant then after a few months voila! FOOD!
Im not saying you don't need money in the province.
Cost of living here is low
simple life is the best lifestyle
less money needed, less worries
less financial worries, less time needed to work
less time working means more time with families
and more time for yourself
more time to attend to much more important things in life that will make you a better person and will make you fell fulfilled
There are many rich people here in the province
province is closer to a paradise
they sell small pineapples here for 50 cents
we can eat fruits here for free
Aside from freshair, rice fields, fresh foods... we have tasty rice here which is less in price
Provincianos are very particular with the kind of rice they eat
My husband knows if he's eating an NFA rice or a first class. The problem is I don't know how to determine which one is NFA or the first class. he doesn't like to eat NFA rice because it is no longer nutricious
Yesterday my husband killed a big cobra. We had dinner for free.. it taste like chicken
having a healthy lifestyle is easy and less expensive here
use to ride a jeep, a bus, jeep again hay ang dami
even in the provinces people dont ride carabaos but jeep, tricyle or they just walk.
i tried riding a carabao though... not going to school but to the other side of the lake
its pretty itchy
can i try that too
me too
i like riding it too but id love to ride in a yatch
makati kaya yan guys
pwede papaghilahin mo nalang para mag araro
anu klaseng damo ang kinakain nila
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