MY PERSONAL HISTORY: CHILDHOOD AND EARLY TEENS

by: Norberto Betita

We lived very near the seashore. The beach is of pebbles which even made the sea water shining clear and very inviting for children. I learned to swim when I was probably between five to six years old. Nobody taught me how, but I learned by just going into the seashore with a bamboo trunk or a wood board to hold on while trying to use my feet to float until I finally learned to float alone. Many of my childhood contemporaries did the same.  During my childhood I enjoyed diving and fishing with friends using a harpoon or a spear made from scrapped parts of an umbrella.

The beach at our coastal town of Anao-aon (now San Francisco) where I was born and spent
my childhood. On the picture is my son Robert Sherwin and my grandson Travis.

I started school at age 7. In my elementary years, I was not good at school from grades one to five. I am somewhat affected by our poverty that oftentimes I have to be absent from school to go with my mother selling fish and fruits. At times we have to work together as siblings in planting and harvesting rice for a share. Oftentimes in my boyhood I have to sleep in an open shed at the seashore with other children in the neighbourhood to wait for the fishermen who usually arrived from fishing at early dawn and to do some labours for a piece or two of fishes to be sold for our school allowance. When at school, I used to go with friends swimming in deep river or at sea during recess. Because of so much enjoyment we sometimes forgot our class and return late, and were usually subjected to physical punishment, which was not yet prohibited at that time.

During the first three grading periods in grade six, my grades were within an average level of 70 to 80 percent. I realized that I needed to change. I started to be serious in my studies by ‘burning the midnight candle’. From the fourth grading period my grades have gone up to the level of 85-95%. My teachers were so surprised at my performance.  Before our sixth grading, which is to be the final grade for graduation, I was already groomed to be the first honors (valedictorian), and was assigned the lead role as “young graduate” in our graduation pageant. I tried to memorize and recite my pieces with conviction and boldness during each of our practice to show that I was really worth the honors. Then the biggest frustration of my young  life came, a few weeks before the graduation a directive was received changing the grading system from averaging to cumulative, where the average from first grading to the sixth should be made the final grade. My very low grades during the first semester had greatly affected my final grades. Hence, I ended up third honourable mention, or sitxh honors. I was so frustrated and discouraged.  My family were angry of the final outcome. I no longer attended our pageant practices. Nobody would want to accept my role due to the very limited time left to memorize. Good that my aunt who is a teacher explained to my parents and my siblings about the nature of the directive. My aunt convinced my parents to allow me to go back to practice and to participate in the graduation, which I willingly conceded.

My grandsons Travis and Rulon Asher enjoying at the beach of my childhood hometown.
It was low tide when the picture was taken.

At graduation time, I performed my part as young graduate more splendidly that my parents, siblings and friends were so proud of me. A priest, who was our commencement speaker, also extended his congratulations. A few days after our graduation, the same Catholic priest came to our home and convinced my parents to allow me to study to become a priest. My parents told him that it would be up to me if I so desire. For some reasons not so clearly understandable of my young mind, I vehemently refused. Three times was I visited and encouraged to study seminary, but the thought of a future family, which is deprived of a Catholic priest, made me restate with certainty my contradiction. Later, as I observed my relative and others in our town who were studying to be priests engaging in vices such as, drinking liquor and smoking at a young age, which I thought not to be worthy of an aspiring servant of God, I realized it was right for me to have not gone to the Catholic seminary.

My talent in singing was developed early in my childhood. In our town, I usually participated in singing contests and had been undefeated champion in amateur singing of my age level. I also sing in School and church choir, during my elementary grades.

I usually spent my weekends at my maternal grandparents to help them fetch water and gather and cut firewood. I love my grandparents and they always enjoyed my helpfulness. They were already very old when I was in my early teens. My grandfather used to teach me correct principles. He would tell me about his personal experiences. He always encouraged me to obtain the highest education possible. He would tell me that during his time, they would have to have their classes under the shade of a mango tree. They paid for their education a sack of rice. Their teachers according to him are very strict. But he tried to endure for him to learn to read and write and do arithmetic. He was an expert gambler, but he discouraged me from engaging in any vices, especially gambling and drunkenness. My childhood life was spent entirely in our remote hometown.