Bringing Back 90s Rainy Day Memories in ELYU
By: Cherry Garcia Dacpano, La Union COMMunity Press Corps | Layout By: Rusty Ar Marc Reyes, PIO | Date: October 6, 2024
That familiar sight of smoke coming out of the neighbor’s dalikan with the pleasant aroma of the cassava steaming in coconut gata hints at a delicious merienda for the entire neighborhood on a cold, rainy afternoon in Pugo, La Union. Neighbors come to Nanang’s house to share stories over hot cups of black coffee. Old men indulge in deep conversations about how the typhoon destroyed their rice crops and how the strong water current in the river frightens them putting their carabaos and cows’ lives at risk. Women share stories about their “panagsekka” (uprooting young rice stalks for planting) and often give life updates to their neighbors. Marites conversations were an everyday thing back then.
After an hour of conversations and merienda, Tatang would go to the mountain to get rabong (bamboo shoots) and bagbagkong so Nanang could prepare early for dinner. Mothers cooking dinengdeng in a clay pot over the dalikan was a typical sight in all the houses.
Electricity was cut during heavy downpours of rain so the family would gather around the lampara for dinner. After that, children can enjoy playing tagu-taguan in the house or making shadow images. Parents often get irritated at children’s loud laughter when playing so they share stories and folktales instead to make them fall asleep. My favorite story told by Papa was about an American and Ilocano who went up the mountain and brought with them a can of sardines. When the American said “ Look at the moon” the Ilocano thought it was “lukatamon “ so he opened it. When the American said “See the Moon,” he understood it was “sidamon” so he ate it.
After listening to stories, children sleep and silence reigns in the neighborhood except for the loud croaking of the frogs in different tunes. Young men go out and prepare their “perreng” (lamp/light) to catch frogs. Early morning the next day, you’ll get to taste either adobo or tinolang palaka.
As the rain stops for a while, children would go out to play with mud clays forming different things like cars, houses, and planes. When they get hungry, they’ll climb guava trees and get some fruit as they believe that guavas ripen after the rain. They shake the trees to get some beetles, chase after dragonflies, and catch toads in the rice paddies. When the rain pours down again, they’ll soak in the rain and play with mud waters in the field. Leptospirosis was unknown to them.
After some scolding from parents, children go inside the house to play with siblings in bahay-bahayan or teacher-teacheran. Steamed bananas and mais with coffee await for merienda as they watch their favorite cartoons, anime, and Ang TV. Class suspensions also mean mandatory afternoon naps, unlimited playing, and nonstop TV watching.
As the cold breeze embraces me while the rain brings heavy downpours over La Union, the nostalgia strengthens my longing for the people I used to share the rainy days with. The aunt who steams the cassava with gata and the old folks with whom I learned wisdom in life by listening to conversations have long been gone. There’s no way I can bring back the rainy day moments of the 90’s but the happy rainy day memories in ELYU shall live in me forever.
