Probinsyana in the City: 8 Daily Struggles When You’re Away From Home
We all have different reasons for leaving behind our home province and moving to the bigger city. Be it a thirst for bigger opportunities or a chase for grander adventures, we all have our why’s for stepping out of our comfort zones and choosing to stay at some place strange and unfamiliar.
No doubt we value our independence. There’s a sense of freedom that you can only feel when you’re no longer dependent on your family not just financially but also physically. However, there’s no denying that from time to time we still yearn to reunite with our provinces and our families.
You may be able to navigate the streets of Manila as well as any city-born Millennials, but deep inside your working-class heart, you know that you’ll always be a probinsyana.
So while you may be able to adjust well to the city, there are some struggles that you constantly face on a day-to-day basis.
1. There’s no warm food waiting for you after a long day at work.
If there’s one thing you always miss, it’s the home-cooked meals.
Unless you have a housemate who’d willingly cook for you everyday, having a taste of home-cooked meals rarely happens. Nanay won’t be waiting for you with her special sinigang, made with love and all the finest ingredients. As much as you crave to have a bite of your father’s kare-kare, you settle on dining at fast food restaurants or buying your dinner at the corner turo-turo.
2. You miss the warmth of your bed.
Though you already consider your bed in the city your home away from home, there’s still something about the bed you grew up in that offers the comfort that no human nor pet can offer. It’s the way the blanket embraces you and the way your head sinks on your pillows that make you wish to be transported back to your bed—the bed that you know is yours and yours alone, the bed no other border will ever lie on and no other tenant will call theirs. It is a sad reminder of life living in a dorm.
3. There’s always a worry that something big might happen back home.
Since you’re not just a jeepney ride from your house, there’s always this worry at the back of your mind that something big and scary will happen while you’re away. Though at times you’re merely being paranoid, you do know that you won’t always easily get back home when an emergency happens. So you hope and pray that no matter the distance, everyone you love will always be safe.
4. You can’t stop comparing the prices of goods.
How can a kilo of mangoes cost so much? Are bananas really this pricey? Everything feels so expensive, because you know how much cheaper you can get it back at your home province. And besides, since you mostly by stuff good for only one person, you end up spending more.
5. You become a snob when it comes to your province’s delicacies.
You can’t help but be proud of the fruits and delicacies your home is best known for. Nothing beats the buko pie from Laguna or the pastel from CDO. Tuna? Of course General Santos has the best ones! Guimaras definitely has the best mangoes and Cebu is where you can find the most amazing lechon. There’s no contest.
6. There’s always a need to adjust to new people.
If you already have your own place, then lucky you. If you’re an extrovert, then your life is made. But not all of us easily adjust to the living conditions available to us in the city. Your roommates are constantly changing and your flatmates refuse to pay their share on the bills on time. You’re consistently praying that your new roommate wouldn’t be someone who gets on your nerves.
7. You are always stereotyped based on your province.
You’re Ilocano? Then you must be kuripot. A Kapampangan? Show us a sample of your cooking! So you’re an Ilonggo? That’s why you’re always so malambing!
People already have a pre-conceived notion of your personality just based on your province. You want to prove them wrong, but sometimes you also end up confirming their beliefs. But please, you do not want to be boxed just based on your origins. You’re not just a Bisaya or a Bicolano. Though you’re proud to be one, you have more facets to your personality that shouldn’t be limited to stereotypes.
8. Missing your family and friends is a constant.
Most Filipinos are family-oriented, and this orientation is often the main reason why many Pinoys cross oceans to support their loved ones. We may not be working overseas, but many of us choose to work in the city to provide a better lifestyle for our family. Though you may be calling home everyday, you still miss your family terribly. You miss them loads. Sometimes, you miss them so much that you’re almost willing to pack your bags and go home. But you move on and hope that next day, you wouldn’t miss them as terribly.
There’s one thing definite. We may be struggling, some more than the others, but we’re all here to make our dreams happen. Be it a dream we want for ourselves or a dream meant for our loved ones, we are all willing to trudge on despite all the struggles.
After all, we all know that the hard work and the distance traveled away from home will all be worth it.
(Photo credit: Stylesizzle)
Do you share the same experience? Share your thoughts below!
Jane Galvez is a ditzy daydreamer and wannabe writer from Makati. She enjoys good sci-fi and cheesy YA. You can read more of her musings on Oh My Janey. She’s also a self-professed fangirl. She rants over here.
