Life in the Rural: The Joys of Simple Life

Why do some of us dream of going back to our hometown living simple lives? I shared the same dream. That dream of having to spend each day laughing by the bay, looking at the verdant hills and mountains, eating fresh foods, chatting with long lost friends, cousins, and classmates, plus a hundred things I would not bother to enumerate. There’s just an endless list of what my heart desires that surely this page can’t accommodate.

My hometown is such a small town in the East of Misamis Oriental, one of the southern provinces of the Philippines. I lived here almost half of my life before I moved to the bustling city of Quezon City, Manila; lies in the North, approximately 1.5 hours by plane. This is the biggest city in the Metro capital.

Here in this city, life is fast and corrupted. The supposed to be alluring sunset appears foggy, a reward of having a booming business industry. With this, I have felt a strong desire to work today, and save as much as I could, so I can move back to my hometown sooner than later. I am sure it's not only me, but a lot of people want to live in simplicity, a simple life that only the rural areas can offer.

Back there, people love to walk. Five kilometers is five kilometers, but it feels like 1 kilometer there. The scenery is awesome. Every people you meet wear a smile. The whole village seemed to have developed a bond that city people will never ever have. This also explains why rural folks forget about getting an effective cardio exercise. They have less stressful lifestyle, and walking is a pleasurable activity everyone enjoys.

Nature’s blessing seemed abundant in this side of the Earth. Vegetables and fruits alternately feed the whole village throughout the whole year. This is aside from the fact that some people, including my family own fishing boats that sails every now and then for fresh fish. In the city, sea foods are available mostly as frozen item in the supermarket, or could also comes fresh but expensive in seafood’s restaurant. However, this town’s shoreline has proven its productivity for many centuries now. Meat and other optional needs on the other hand, are also readily available in the next town, just a 5 minute ride away.

In the city, money is easy. That's a fact, and that’s what draws a lot of us into such highly urbanized society. However, every activity in the city proved to be a potential source of stress and anxiety. From casual sex, fake and superficial relationships, down to unhealthy competition at work. Life in the city is certainly no joke. It offers nothing, but a drowning reality of having to live with it, without much of a choice. Everyday, everyone struggles against the poor support system, as neighbors barely know each other. It is rare to see neighbors bonding together unloading the burdens of life by just merely sharing ones thought at the end of the day.

Back there in my hometown, children are free to roam around without fear of being kidnapped, or worst being raped. Or if I am wrong, I could have been sleeping all through out the 20 years of my life, for I have never heard of any cases in the past. In my childhood, I think I had the safest neighborhood. It's rare during my youth years to see group of disintegrated teenagers, hanging out creating unbearable noise and trouble. In the city, there is nothing more destructing than a crowded street full of drug addicts, and misguided individuals.

I should think twice, my friends said, since we can't get quality education down there, but I beg to disagree. We have graduates who are already working in some corporations, occupying the top managerial posts. Life maybe simple there, but the foundation of our education is still competitive. In other cases, parents still manage to send their children to college situated in the nearest city, maybe about ninety or a hundred kilometers away. There are also vocational schools scattered around the area. In this condition, people still maintained a good touch to what technology has to offer everyday, and at the same time, able to preserve the tradition that have been handed from one generation to another, for nearly a century or maybe more than that. In my case, I may not delve deeper on what are these traditions but I should say: these are part of what I am and what I will be for the rest of my life. It's too awesome to be connected to ones beginning.

Finally, let me share to you the joy of having a great family down there. A tightly-bonded clan is not very common in the city, but strong family ties, one of the Filipino cultures that I wish to preserve still prevails in my hometown. Definitely, this memorable place reminds me of my parents whose love is immeasurable and pure. Their memories and the beauty of this hometown had left an indelible mark in my heart. This mark had grown into one big picture of realization, that I am one of the lucky few, that have had a lovely chance of being brought in this world, not from somewhere else, but in this place I am proud to call my HOME, ESPERANZA.