were you poor back then? do you try and recall how you survived those days?
By maryannemax
@maryannemax (12156)
Sweden
April 19, 2007 12:17pm CST
when i was younger, we can't afford much things. all we make sure is that we have something to eat three times a day everyday. even if it's just rice and soysauce, we're okey with it already. for as long as don't get our stomach's empty.
there are times when i go around the neighbors selling banana cues (fried bananas with sugar coating). i mostly do two rounds just to make sure i have enough money for school the following day. my brother does that as well. he looks for things he can sell from garbage.
we look back and recall at times when we're together as a family. we smile with tears in our eyes... happy that we overcome such days.
if we dream of having a better life and doing something to achieve our dreams, we will surely get a better future.
do you look back and recall on your past? were you poor back then? are you happy that you have been to such level of poverty or not?
actually, i am happy that i went through such a hard life. i have learned how to survive and how to live life in simplicity. i look back and recall and i am thankful for who i was back then and who i have become now.
11 people like this
34 responses
@happychoo (75)
• Philippines
20 Apr 07
Guess, very few were born with the so called "golden spoon in the mouth". I am from a hand to mouth existence, I almost could not complete school projects in my elementary years because my parents had really nothing. I had to harvest kangkong or banana leaves before dawn everyday just to have few centavos to sustain the day. This hardships made me tough and strong yet spiritually humble. My only hope then is the Lord because without Him I may not have survived to today. I don't mind I experienced those hardships because it developed into the person I am today.
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
25 Apr 07
you are so right, happychoo. the hardships that we go through are challenges to meet and hurdle. when we are able to do this, whether with much effort or difficulty, we can declare ourselves the true winners for having overcome that poverty problem. besides, this will make us more understanding of how those poor are feeling and doing.
@Augustta (1850)
• Poland
24 Apr 07
First i need to hug you tight!!Come here to keep you few second in my arms,sweety!!You had me with tears in my eyes...
Now i even don't want to tell my storie...
I had a beautiful childhood.I was a spoiled kid which had everytime all i wanted...I was lucky because i don't get into a stupid spoiled woman,and i was happy to learn and to make my soul rich with knowdelege ...
When i think at my childhood i have tears in my eyes also...but just because i can't live again my gold years...
augusta
@lossforredwords (3620)
• Philippines
20 Apr 07
You know what, even if you just give us a little detail of your hardships in the past I can still feel how proud you are now. I admire that courage you have and your perseverance to win success.
Well lucky for me I haven't been in that kind of situation where all you can eat is rice and soy sauce but sure we been in some hard hitting problems that we almost got drowned.
Actually I envy those people who had have been in a very hard life cause they have learn more lesson in life like you.
I think I'm still on my way to learn such valuable lesson in life.
@maryannemax (12156)
• Sweden
20 Apr 07
thank you so much. yep. i am even proud of myself now. but still, even if our lives have changed a lot already, i still look back and cherish the old days back when we were still striving just to get through a day.
i am also glad that there are lots of lucky people like you. that even if you had not been into such worst times like i had been through, you know how to appreciate little things in life.
and hey! you changed your avatar! that's cute!
@Dolcerina (3376)
• Hungary
19 Apr 07
Yes, I know the feeling.
When my son was born. We had to live from a very little money.(Just me and my baby) I learnt then that I should not be proud to refuse even the smallest help.
I were also very happy if somebody gave me only an apple. Because I knew that I did not have to pay for that on that day. I counted my money each day.
Today I have money to buy "apple" each day, but I do not refuse any "apple" that somebody gives me with the intend to help me. I accept and say thanks for everything.
@maryannemax (12156)
• Sweden
19 Apr 07
being thankful is one great personality every person should have.
i just feel a bit sad about your past that it touched my heart upon reading your response. but i know that you are your son are in a better situation right now. and i am proud that you did well.
@yanjiaren (9031)
•
19 Apr 07
I have seen great difficulty and a bit of ease..But mostly struggle. This is sometimes very taxing on my body and mind but I know I am a fighter and it has helped me spiritually to grow and lift others out of crappy situations, be they financial , emotional, mental or otherwise. My legs have ached from walking just to economize and not take any transport to save the money. I still do that out of habit lol!!
@maryannemax (12156)
• Sweden
19 Apr 07
yup. back then, even if school was too far from home, my brother and i woke up each morning early just to be sure we won't be late for school since we just walk just to get there and as well as we walk from school to home.
but yep. it's mostly a struggle. but we still are happy when looking back,right?
@bubuth (1815)
• Philippines
21 Nov 12
When i'm in a stage of growing up, I think I was six to eight years old that time and I think I can already understand the financial problem of my family that time. I have a health problem when I was young so I need daily check up and my parents need to buy those expensive medicine that prescribed by the doctor. My father is the only one that working for us that time so our budget is always short because of my medicine so my mother try to work as a market seller to help my father in our financial and my big sister is the only one that taking care of us. We are okay in fish sauce and rice. But after I survive in my sickness everything goes back to normal.
@tendaheart2002 (495)
• United States
7 Jun 07
there are lots of times when I try to remember how far I have come, other times it may make me a little sad so I try not to. But one thing it does is give you respect for where yopu have been in life and where you are going.
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
9 Jun 07
We were very poor too and I hated it when I was a child but now...I am thankful that I was poor as it taught me the value of life. Money cannot buy happiness or love or even a family. Those things we had. We had a family and lots of love. We learned to work hard to get what we did have to eat. We learned what was important in life. We learned compassion and to care for others.
How do you make fried Bananas???
@anjoks (2080)
• Philippines
3 May 07
I was lucky enough to experience life's blessings when i was a kid. Blessed with hardworking parents and was able to experience the abundance of life. But you know what, 15 years ago we were bankrupt. We still managed to eat 5 times a day but materially speaking, can't afford to buy things we wanted. . . . Celebrated first christmas without food on the table just bread and dessert thats it. First christmas without spaghetti, whaaahh! LOL .... just like you, i'm happy too to experience that. It made me realize so many things in life, so many lessons learned and looking back, can't help get teary-eyed. It was hard right but thanked god, we survived and surpassed those crisis. Take care anne! (",)
@ester_tamisin (522)
• Philippines
3 May 07
Actually it was the opposite for us. We were pretty much financially well-off before. But we were raise to fend for ourselves. The family head will donate lands to the municipality for school or parks but would not give us allowances for school that we had to exchange some of our produce like guavas for paper. We had to walk a great distance even if public transportation was already available that time. At dawn, we are already in the market helping our parents in their stall. You are even lucky that you only had to peddle banana cues in the street because I had to carry a big pot of freshly cooked dinuguan on top of my head. We had to go through these hardship not because we were poor but to learn how to fend for ourselves.
@im_anna (717)
• Philippines
4 May 07
well, way way back, we were also in a struggle, though my mom had a business of her own aside from working. But everything crashed down when she had a terrible accident. After depression & a feeling of despair, that is also the time that I also learned so many things and capabilities that I have not known before. Yes, I do remember those times, to inspire myself, to have more faith & hope in the future.
@dianagnes (1088)
• Singapore
30 Apr 07
i am lucky that i have a good life.I dont have a poor life but my parents do.I know and learn from them,their hard life for the past time had make them sucess now and can grow the family well.
@elshaddai123 (3981)
• Kottayam, India
6 Jun 07
While I was going to school I am having only two clothes.with great difficult we went to school if there is rain that will make more problem. By God's grace Now my children have not less than 20 clothes.Time have been changed.
@disvachic (10117)
• United States
27 Apr 07
I am glad you survived and didn't let it get you down.YOu look back now and it has made you a stronger person.Congrats on being thankful for the person you are.
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
25 Apr 07
I am happy for you and your brother, maryannemax, you have a healthy attitude in life. In life, we will always have some troubles to face. It is how we deal with them that matters most. With your positive attitude in life, you can see for yourself that you pulled it through during the difficult times.
@maildumpster (3815)
• United States
27 Apr 07
10 year ago we were so poor we were homeless. Social services put us in a hotel room where we lived for a month. At the time we were a family of four the youngest not even 2. It was horrible.
I am so grateful that we have since been blessed with a better life.
There are times when my family spends more than I would like that I kinda miss those days cause they were more careful.
@Rexy_leigh (1189)
• Philippines
20 Apr 07
We aren't really well off now, but ages back, our financial status was even worse. I am the eldest of four, and my mom didn't right away passed the teacher's licensure exams so she was never given a permanent teaching job. She just taught "kindergarten" with a way low compensation, basically depending on the number of students she have coz that wasn't funded by the government. My dad was just a minimum wage worker and wasn't getting that much for all of us. And I as could recall, getting a cake for our birthdays was merely a dream back then. And getting a new dress? that was our motivation to excel in school coz my parents would really strive hard enough to get us a new dress for closing recognition where they could pin our ribbons for honors when the school year ends. :P
That was indeed an uphill climb, and am more than glad that my parents never surrender despite the tests of time. And now that I have landed a seemingly decent job, am shouldering the responsibilities of sending my younger brother to college as a way of paying back my parents for all the hardwork they have been through.
@mariyamaka (931)
• India
20 Apr 07
thanks to god... we have never had such times!!
I recollect my childhood was very lavish!!!! we used to travel lots.
@jc_kristian (72)
• Philippines
28 Apr 07
Yeah..we experience the same way too.There was a time when the electric company cut the lights out in our house and we had no money to buy for a gasul coz thats what we use for cooking.So we used firewood,and it produced so much smoke..that I hurt our eyes,we started producing tears.And we ate the canned sardines for supper.I dont know what if that sardines was expired or no good for we end up having diarrhea for weeks.Were still not that comfortable in our lives and it saddens me that my mom has to work far away fro us. I t feels like the company and bond we had is not that storng for the years she was away fro us.
