What kind of place you like to live?
When I was a kid, I always heard how nice to live in the city. There are big malls with air conditions, huge sky scrapers with unique architectures, bars and luxurious restaurants with delicious foods, and a lot of job and career opportunities.
I always notice in my neighborhood that right after graduation from high school, they are eager to go to private or public institutions or universities or to work right away in that place.
Why a lot of folks from my hometown love to go there?
Then, I answer my own questions when I started to live on that place for college.
What kind of life you will have in the city?
The city is so amazing.
You can see and find everything you need and wants. The grocery store. The salon. The fast food that I only saw on the advertisement on television, and heard on radio. There are lots of nice dresses, shoes, sandals, hair clips, gold jewelries, bags, and accessories that you can buy for an on sale price. There are many affordable street foods that I have not try to eat in the province. If you don’t like to cook your food, you can just order online or eat in the restaurant the meal that you like and you are not obligated to clean the dishes. If you don’t like to wash your dirty clothes, you can just drop your thing in the laundry shop and when you came back after one hour, it is already dry and folded.
When I take shower, I can tell that the water is clean because I can whiff the odor of the chlorine.
The computer café is at the corner.
If you like to search something related to school, it is just easy to access the internet.
You don’t need to worry when it comes to transportation.
You can ride an air conditioned bus, a motorcycle, a truck that we called “Jeep”, or you can also ride a taxi.
Day and night, I can hear different sounds like the peep of the vans and cars, the bark of stray dogs, the meow of the cats, the squeaking of the mice and rats, the karaoke in the neighborhood, the shouts of the vendors, and the people roaming around.
Most of the people in the area where I stay are awake even late at night. I even wonder if they sleep or not. If you are hungry at midnight, you can go out and buy a snack.
Although it is comfortable, cool, and I can have an easy life in the city, my heart choose and still devoted to the countryside.
I can stay outside the house at night safely and lookout the moon. I can hear clearly the chirpings of the crickets and the flow of the wind. I can feel the cold wind breeze from the oceans and mountains that touches my skin.
In the morning, I can hear the tweet of the birds.
The crow of the roosters, the cluck of the hen, the chirps of the chicks.
The moo of the cow, the bleat of the goats.
The oink of the pigs
And the voice of my mother saying...
“Wake up! Do you think you are a princess! You are not a princess! You don’t have maids! Your mother does not own a hacienda! I wake up early in the morning and I already accomplished a lot of task! It is already noon time!”
When I checked the time, it is still five in the morning. She is not mad. That is just her way of motivating me to start the day.
From the window of our house, I watched the diverse shades and shapes of the leaves and the different structures of the plants. The flowers are blooming. The caterpillars are gliding. The butterflies are flying. The bees are buzzing. The ants are marching. And the trees are swaying.
I sniffed the fragrance of the floras and the freshness of air. I witnessed the sunrise and the changes of colors of the sky from blue to orange yellow during sundown.
I observed the formation of the clouds that forms different figures such as white feathers, a cotton candy, a balloon, a shape of an animal, a baby, and it also looks like an oversize building.
I experienced playing under the heavy rain with my nieces and nephews, and after the rain, we saw and cut the curve of the rainbow with our fingers.
I consumed an organic fruits and vegetables without paying any amount. Any time, I am free to harvest and drink the coconut juice from our yard. The sap is so sugary and refreshing. It eliminates my thirst. The white meat of the coconut is so soft and spineless. When I eat, it melts fast in my mouth that I don’t need to chew and grind it many times. Moreover, it brings to an end of my hunger.
I also tasted how sweet the bananas planted by my mother. The banana peel is golden yellow. I can truly tell that it was naturally ripen because of its sweet smell.
The ocean is in front of our house and the river is just a distance from our home.
Any period of the day, I can go swimming. I can go there by just walking. The water is cold and energizing. It is also clean and safe to swim. There are no crocodiles and alligators’ waiting. And most of all, there are no garbage floating.
I enjoy residing in the remote area.
The views are spectacular and impressive. The atmosphere is extraordinary and inspiring. The ambiance is so serene and quiet. Everything is fresh and natural like the fruits, the vegetables, the water, the air, and the surroundings. I can put a hammock on the trunk or on the branch between two trees and unwind under the shades without spending any money.
How about you? Which do you prefer, the life in the city or in the countryside?