"Kung Dalawang Kami"
I’d like to add a little to that story; possibly a background to it. http://jljbca.blogspot.com/2005/04/scrounging-for-ideas.html#comments
But first, a quick Tagalog lesson. The book title is probably wrong as it does not make sense. Could it be "Noong Dalawa Kami" (when there were two of us) or "Kung Dalawa Kami" (if there were two of us)?
In the provinces where the locals’ main occupation is mostly farming, the folks have a lot of time on their hands after the planting season. They also have a lot of time after dark. Only a few households have the luxury of a TV set or such. The lone cinema (or two) is located in the town center (poblacion) five or so kilometers away and it could pose a hardship just to go there. Public transportation is very limited and if not for bicycles, no one could go around more than a kilometer away from home without actual planning, and then, only for a worthwhile errand. Of course, "worthwhile" can mean anything to anyone. (e. g., town fiesta, movie, palengke, doctor, high school, etc.)
The folks, men and women (mostly men), work hard in the fields, often all day. They go home tired but not averse to a little entertainment. A lot of them spend the first hours of the night at the local sari-sari store just to sample (or over-sample) the little store's bottled offerings. Some get a little drunk and some get over-hyped but all reach home to rest and get ready for the next day.
But the "revelry" does not stop there especially for the over-hyped tigers (kalabaw?). As a result, most families grow big with three or more or even a dozen children. For some, a big family might be affordable as they have a large farmland but the others are not so lucky. Unfortunately, farm size does not factor in as something to consider. As a matter of fact, a big brood is considered a boon because then, there will be a lot of help in the farm and therefore, could produce more income. A controversial philosophy but it is a prevailing mindset, nevertheless.
As is the case, in America, a big family can be a financial disaster though not always. So it is in the Philippines.
There’s the background.
posted by Ising @ 4/07/2005 12:05:00 PM
2 Comments:
Hey, I’m impressed. Tagalog is not totally lost on you after all. Anyway, I challenge Mr. Twoandababy to help out Mrs. Twoandababy a bit. After all, he was already speaking the language when he came over to America.
Just a few words on “ng”. Ng can be a word by itself (pronounced ‘nang’) or as suffix. As far as I know, it is not used to indicate a plural form. You must have mixed it up with the word “mga”. (mga is a strange word with strange pronunciation: manga – not like the fruit which is mangga. Rhymes with tanga – if you have ever heard this word.)
As a word, it means “of”. Ex.: bakas ng paa. Literally, “print of foot” or footprint. Another ex: bayan ng mga matatapang. Literally, town (home) of the brave. Note the usage of mga. Also, “matatapang is the plural form of matapang – meaning brave. From this, you might say that Tagalog ignores the various parts of speech.
As a suffix it can mean “that is” or “that are” – Ex.: dalawang tao – (literally, “two that are people” or “two people.” One other meaning can be “who is”. Ex.: amang mabait – literally, father who is good or good daddy – which I’m sure Jean will be, soon).
Why did I say that Kung Dalawang Kami does not make sense? Translated this phrase means “if there were two of usses,”
This is by no means exhaustive but I hope I made at least a little sense.
Caveat:
Your Auntie Baby has concerns about my stories. She thinks I might be misleading you because she thinks I'm just talking about my own experience which is as old as I am and which are recalled from memory as faded as I am.
I think she might be correct in some ways. Besides, my reference might just be local to my hometown.
If in doubt, ask your dad or mom.
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