{Based on reality}
⌘ CHAPTER 1 ⌘
Bark of the dog, polluted air, streetfights, noisy barangay. These are things that welcomes my morning.
"Anna! Go cook rice now! You and your 4 sibling will be late for school!"Shouted by my mom as she woke me up. "Yes mom, i'm coming" I said as I fix our bed. I am anna, they call us (skwater) or informal settlers. We don't have our own house that's why we just live in pilled plywoods and excess roofs we got from our job as (bakal bote yero) which means we go to different places in our city to ask for plastic bottles, metals, newspapers, boxes. We buy them and retail to junkshops. It's our form of income. But some kind-hearted people just give it to us for free, it helps us alot especially on our case.
I'am Anna a ten year old girl from a small city in the country of Philippines. Poverty is indeed the most controversial problem of our small nation. I am the eldest, we are 8 children. My mother is a housewife, she only stays at home to take care of my 3 baby siblings that are not yet going to school. While my father is a construction worker, pedicab driver and streetsweeper. My sister that followed me is Jaja,9years old ; Nong,8 years old; followed him. Jaja, Nong and I are working as junkbuyers (bakal bote yero). Every after our class we proceed to our work so that we can help in having money for our family. While my other twin brother, Pong and Ping, 5 years old, work as sampaguita vendor. Sampaguita is a flower known in our country.
I dressed up quickly right after I cook the rice and also my 4 other siblings. We eat together as one family. Our food is rice with salt, it is our favorite. Then we proceed to school. We walk 2 kilometers before we reach our small school. While walking..
“ATE ANNA!” Jaja shouted, as she fall down. “What happened?” I asked her as I approached and help her stand. “I fell down Ate Anna” She was crying. “You got wounds?” I ask again. “No. but my slippers got torn. Now I would wait another year for me to have another pair of slippers” Jaja says while she was crying holding her torn slipper. Then I hugged her “It’s okay Jaja, here take mine. I’m used to walking in barefoot so don’t worry” I took off my slippers and gave it to her. We walked 2 kilometers and arrived in school. We wen’t to our different classrooms.
In Nong’s class, he told me he was being bullied.
“Look at your uniform Nong, it’s so damp and dirty. You smell awful. HAHAHA! “ Said by one of his classmate. Due to lack of temper, Nong was mad. He punched his classmate in the face. We didn’t want our parents to know because we will just add to their burden. So I was the one called by his teacher as Nong’s guardian.
“You know Anna, I have nothing really in mind. I know Nong is a good boy maybe he was just short-tempered. If you want, I can lend you money to buy Nong a new uniform. It seems that it was the same uniform he is using for 5 years already” Mrs. Labalan said to me kindly. “No thanks madam, I don’t think we can pay you. Anyway the uniform is still usable” I told him honestly. Mrs. Labalan gets her wallet and handed me a 100 peso bill as she say “This is for Nong, don’t pay me anymore. I’am glad I could help” With no doubts I didn’t let my pride overcome. This a huge amount. Nong would be very happy and the excess change can still be used to buy our food.
There are still good people in this world, I told myself. I was touched by her kindness because it really means a lot to us people who are poorer than a rat. And for this I thank God!
