"My Father’s Anscestral House"

Our home in the Philippines is the most warm and joyful place I’ve ever been in because of its happy ambiance, safe environment, and its special heart-warming memories inside, but our family had to leave this place for better opportunities abroad. It was a typical two-story structure with the ground floor made of stone while the upper part is made of wood. Just like any other houses in the Philippines, the ground floor is like the storage room and garage in the older days, while the upper part is where the living quarters, kitchen and living room are located. The Pre-Hispanic architecture is perfectly adapted to the climate and can be easily repaired or rebuilt after the frequent typhoons, floods, or earthquakes, using simple tools and native materials.

As you walk into our humble home, you get the feeling of a happy place where a lot of fun has taken place after people decided to move on with their lives. In the kitchen, there is my mother, preparing a simple, yet surprisingly tasty dinner for the whole family that never fails to make our tummies smile. The smell of my favorite simmering spaghetti sauce and the fresh garlic bread evokes a feeling of comfort and warmth. On our dining table, there are different colored flowers that my father picked from our beautiful garden. Next to our dining table is a huge antique clock that my grandmother gave to my father. Typically raised or two-story, the main living area is on the upper level. On our living room wall, there are our ancestral family pictures that are hanging, the perfect example of a traditional Filipino family. In our living room, you will see a long, antique, dark wood table that holds the whole family’s many academic and sports trophies for us to remember our great and most memorable achievements in life.

Next to our trophy table, we have an old wooden living room set, whose color reminds me of my favorite smooth dark chocolate. Our ancestral house is as unique as the family that lives under the roof. To take advantage of cooling breezes, large windows surround the upper floor. The window sashes commonly have capiz shell panes and can be opened wide or closed for privacy or in stormy weather. Vents above the windows, protected by the roof eaves, let air in even when it's rainy. Small shuttered windows below the large windows, called ventanillas, are screened with balusters or grillwork and can be left opened when the large windows are closed such as at night. I miss this home, especially during nights when all the family are gathered in the living room to share our stories and experiences of the day. Things change when people need to grow and move forward for the future. Things might have changed now, but the sweetest memories of my childhood life will always stay in my heart for the rest of my life.