Seeing things from a child's perspective

Nung huling uwi namin, September, last year, 15 years old na ang anak namin. Limang taon lang siya nung una kaming umalis ng Pinas. Yung first uwi niya since then 9 lang siya, kaya medyo vague ang mga memories niya tungkol sa bansa natin.

Nakakatuwang makita ang amazement niya sa mga ordinaryong bagay na komon sa atin pero para sa kanya kakaiba.

Tulad nung unang gamit niya nung toilet sa bahay namin sa QC. Sira kasi yung flush nung bowl. “How am I going to flush my poo?” tanong niya. Sabi ko, “you fill up the timba with water, then buhos it” with matching gestures. Ginawa nga niya yon, kaso hindi mabuhat ang timba. So in the end, ang dakilang ama rin ang nag-flush para sa kanya.

Kinagabihan naman, pasok uli siya sa toilet. Binuksan niya ang ilaw. Maya-maya biglang nagtitili at patakbong lumabas. “There’s something crawling on the wall” ang sigaw niya. Tinignan ko. Meron nga. May La Coste. Butiki!

Finally natapos siyang mag-toilet. Mag-shower na raw siya. Pinihit yung left knob, yung right knob. Hinipo yung tubig. “Dad, why is there no hot water?” she asked. Paliwanag ko, “anak wala talagang hot water dito mainit na kasi sa Pilipinas”. Itinuro ko sa kanya kung paano maligo. Sabi ko punuin ang balde tapos gamitin ang tabo at ibuhos sa ulo at katawan. Ok na raw, gets na niya. Gets na nga niya, kasi maya-maya narinig namin kada buhos. “LAAMMMIIIIIG!”.

Nakakatuwa rin nung unang sakay namin ng jeepney papunta sa bayan namin sa Pampanga. Pagsakay namin sa jeep, kami ang una kaya andun kami sa pinakamalapit sa driver. Nung mapuno na ang jeep at may mga nakasabit pa napansin niya na wala na nga naman madadaan ang pasaherong gustong bumaba. “How are we going to get off?” tanong niya. “Through the window” pabirong sabi ko naman.

Pagdating sa bayan pumara kami ng tricycle. “How are we going to fit inside?” tanong na naman niya. Tapos nakita niya na umupo ako sa likod ng driver. “Ahh, that’s how” sabi niya.

I found it very amusing and refreshing seeing things from our daughter's eyes. But what’s more note-worthy was the fact the she never complained about the inconveniences she had to go through. She accepted the bad, the ugly, the yucky with the same gusto as she did the good ones. I guess that was one reason why she thoroughly enjoyed her stay in the Philippines.

I believe, children in general adapt to their environments much easier than adults. Maybe because they have no pre-conceived notions of how things ought to be and therefore they are more receptive to unfamiliar things. When faced with something different from what they are accustomed to, first they ask questions, then they learn to adjust to it. We, adults, especially when moving in to a new country, should learn from children. We should learn to see new things from a child’s perspective. Accept things as they are. And quit complaining if things are different. Then like children it becomes easier for us to be happy.