My mother’s poverty story

Last night while eating dinner, mom complained about the quality of the rice she bought from the market and how its price increased almost every day. She works as a saleslady in the public market, which is why she is familiar with the pricing of rice, vegetables, and other goods. She suddenly remembered their difficult life before.

She was born in 1979 and has seven siblings. She was the second child. They lived in a rural area with no electricity and proper housing. Her mother was a housewife, while her father had no permanent job. She described their situation back then as hard and pitiful.

They were already thankful if there were dried fish or sardines on the table. But since there were many mouths to feed, a piece of dried fish was divided for two persons. And if there was nothing, they would find a coconut, scrape it, and mix it with the rice so that everybody could eat.

They also lived in debt. Each time they had no money or food to eat, her mother would ask her to go to the store and borrow a kilo of rice or food. She was always ashamed to do it but she had to or they would starve.

Sometimes, they would only eat dinner by the time their father came home. Whenever their father arrived home late, she had to skip dinner. She would always tell their mother not to wake her up since, according to her, sleeping did not make her feel hungry. But she was grateful that she finished high school, though it took a lot of hardships and sacrifices. She always walked a kilometer just to go to school. During rainy days, she didn’t have an umbrella, so she always went home wet. She also recalled that she used to hide when she ate her lunch in school because her classmates had delicious food while hers was only rice and a piece of dried fish wrapped in banana leaves.

After she finished high school, she looked for a job and worked as a maid. From then on, she started helping and supporting her family. And her dreams? When I found her yearbook, I found out that she wanted to be a policewoman. But it was hard for her to reach because her priority was saving their family first from poverty.

When she married my dad, they both worked hard to build our house. And when my mother gave birth to me, she continued working. I am an only child, and when I asked my mom why I don’t have a sibling, she said that raising a child is hard. She had already seen it from her parents who struggled to support eight children. Every day, they always struggled to find food and she didn’t want to experience that anymore. She didn’t want her child to experience it, too, which is why she worked hard to have a good life. A life where we can eat healthily, go to school in a proper uniform and with complete school supplies, sleep in a small yet secure house, and earn money enough to buy our needs. When I looked at my mother while she told her story, I felt proud of her. She seemed satisfied with what she had decided for her life. I appreciated all her efforts, starting when she gave birth to me until my father died, and now that I am in my last year of college, for supporting me financially, physically, and emotionally.

This sounds like a random talk from a mother, but for me, it’s another lesson to learn from her. Life is tough, but we cannot give up. Every adversity and setback we encounter teaches us something. As children, we should appreciate our parents’ efforts in giving us a home and sending us to school because not everyone has that opportunity. Every penny they give us comes from their sweat from working hard every day, so we might as well use it in a meaningful way.

If we observe society today, every day is a struggle to survive. The prices of goods keep increasing. Meanwhile, the salary of a normal worker remains the same. My mom works in a store within the public market and receives a minimum wage. This store is known for selling goods at lower prices, which is why it has many customers. As early as 6:30 a.m., she’d go to work and come home at 6 p.m. She always complains of having painful feet because she can’t sit even for a moment at work. This goes on every day, which is why she is always exhausted. The same goes for those who work long hours but are paid insufficiently to cover all of their expenses.

But at the end of the day, I always believe that you can harvest what you have worked hard for. Through perseverance, we can transform our living circumstances little by little, step by step, and one day, you’ll realize you’re now living the life you always dreamed of.

Jorgie Jaso, 21, is a college student at Sorsogon State University. She writes short stories, poems, and essays. During her free time, she likes to go to the library to read a good book, watch Korean dramas, or tidy up her room.