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When We Were Children

—

by

Milan Terlunen
in

Popular categories: Digital Storytelling, Short Story

Edition created by Gwyneth Margaux Gutierrez Tangog

Table of contents

Overview of Original Publication Context

“When We Were Children” is a short love story by Pura L. Medrano, a Filipino female author, published in Manila, Philippines, in 1913. The book was published as a stand-alone short story by Imprenta Sevilla in a series of books written by the group Lupon ng mga Paraluman (Board of Muses) under the larger organization Aklatang Bayan (Public Library) (Medrano, 1913). Aside from this work, there are no other written works that can be found written by the author.

While the Philippines does have its own unique culture, especially with regards to love, the Philippines is also a country that has been colonized thrice. The impacts of Spanish colonization (1565-1896) are evident in the culture presented in the story. Meanwhile, the story was published during American rule (1898-1946), making understanding both colonizations essential to fully appreciating the story and the love between Manuel and Edeng.

Spanish colonization affected the Philippines by influencing FIlipino language, religion, and culture. During Spanish rule, Spanish became the official language of the Philippines, and the Spaniards were intent on making all Filipinos speak the language (Constantino, 2008). It was a compulsory language taught in schools. Because of this, many words in Tagalog have Spanish influence, one such example in the text being the term “Hermano Mayor” which is Spanish for big brother but actually translates to “Festival Sponsor” in Tagalog. Aside from the language, the Spaniards pushed Christianity, in particular Catholicism, in the Philippines (Constantino, 2008). This explains why the “del Pilar” festival is celebrated in the text in Manila, an equivalent of the Spanish holiday the “Day of the Virgin of El Pilar”. With that, they also brought the culture of stratification based on age and sex. Prior to colonization, the Philippines was matriarchal (Filipina Women’s Network, 2016). After colonization, the Philippines became patriarchal (Constantino, 2008). With that, expectations on education are greater on men than women, which can be seen in the story. Young people are also expected to respect their elders by not answering back and using the particle “po”, which is a sign of respect.

After Spanish colonization, the Philippines was colonized by the United States of America, which affected the Philippines’ language, religion, and culture as well. During American rule, English was introduced as a medium of instruction (Morley, 2011). The American education system enabled women to go to school, which explains how a female author was able to publish her work. Americans brought protestantism to the Philippines. However, their influences can primarily be seen in rural areas. As the story is set primarily in the city, not much of American influence can be seen.

However, the Philippines also has its own unique culture (Fajutag, 2015). Children enjoy traditional Filipino games such as tubigan and takip-silim. People enjoy the ocean, beaches, and geography only an archipelagic country can have, like the pangpang (low cliff) where children like to jump into the water from. Filipinos also have a unique culture with regards to love: tuksuhan (teasing), panliligaw (courtship), and other customs such as prioritizing the family’s approval (Northern Illinois University, n.d.). This can be seen in the book, in particular teasing from Manuel and Edeng’s friends when they were children and more formally courtship when they were older.

Under colonization, writing was a way to preserve language and culture in the Philippines, which is exactly what When We Were Children does. While the story obviously contains the influence of colonists, it also captures the Filipino culture of that time, both influenced by colonists and unique to the Philippines. While Manuel and Edeng’s love for each other does adhere to Filipino culture, it is also hindered by the social stratification brought about by colonization. Please read the story with this in mind, as this will allow you to understand both the kind of love that is ideal in the Philippines and how extrinsic influences can hinder it.

References

Constantino, Renato. (2008). A History of the Philippines: From the Spanish Colonization to the Second World War. NYU Press.

Fajutag, G. (2015, February 20). The Philippines: Culture and Tradition. Retrieved from https://www.globalizationpartners.com/2015/02/20/the-philippines-culture-and-tradition/

Filipina Women’s Network (2016, March 3). DID YOU KNOW? Pre-Colonial Philippines’ Longstanding Tradition Of Women Leadership And Mysticism. Retrieved from https://filipinawomensnetwork.org/epahayagan/did-you-know-pre-colonial-philippines-longstanding-tradition-of-women-leadership-and-mysticism

Morley, I. (2011, Fall). America and the Philippines: Modern Civilization and City Planning. Retrieved from https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/america-and-the-philippines/#:~:text=English%20was%20introduced%20as%20the,this%20%E2%80%9Cnational%20development%E2%80%9D%20process.

Northern Illinois University. (n.d.). LOVE, COURTSHIP, IN FILIPINO CULTURE. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=love+in+filipino+culture&sxsrf=APwXEdc8l0dzksLWQqv5fZbBUlZv-0fz0w%3A1682631517826&source=hp&ei=XetKZKz1L4LH0PEPjvmi8Ao&iflsig=AOEireoAAAAAZEr5bWXTKJ91ZzwqmkGhI2Rx6bkXXikm&ved=0ahUKEwjsl5_vgsv-AhWCIzQIHY68CK4Q4dUDCAs&uact=5&oq=love+in+filipino+culture&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EANQAFiQHWCSHWgAcAB4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz#ip=1

Glossary

Cultural/Tagalog Terms

  • Aling/Aleng – word to show respect to older women, put in front of a name
  • Bitin – Dangling prizes and favors, usually had at parties.
  • Del Pilar – Influenced by the Spanish festival which celebrated the Virgin of the Pilar. A festival in the Philippines celebrating the Lady of the Pillar, the patroness of the City of Zamboanga. (It’s More Fun In the Philippines, 2022)
  • Don – word to show respect to older men, put in front of a name
  • Harana – Influenced by the Spanish custom “jarana”. This is more common in rural areas of the Philippines. Young men sing by the window of the lady they are trying to woo until she comes out to either accept or deny him.
  • Hermano Mayor – In Spanish, this directly translates to “big brother”. In the context of festivals in the Philippines, it is the person/people sponsoring the festival.
  • Lansones – A fruit similar to a small potato in outer appearance. Once the skin is removed, there is edible fruit inside that is a combination of tangy, sour, and sweet. It is a fruit native to SouthEast Asia.
  • Patintero – Also known as tubigan. A rectangle court is drawn into the ground and divided into parts. One team’s members move laterally along the lines to block the other teams’ members from passing. Passers must try to cross the rectangle back and forth without being touched by any of the guards.
  • Pusali – Mire under the bamboo platform of a house. (WordHippo, 2023)
  • Takip-silim – One player is blinded with a handkerchief or a piece of cloth (the ‘it’ player). This player must find another player and tag them. If they can guess who that player is correctly, the tagged player becomes the new ‘it’.
  • Tubigan – Also known as patintero. See definition for patintero.

Spanish Terms

  • Sanitario – Sanitarian. An archaic word used to refer to officials responsible for public health. (Oxford Languages, 2023)
  • Buencomer – Literally translates to “good food” from Spanish.

Other Terms

  • Bathing/Swimming – In the text, the two are used interchangeably as there is only one Tagalog word for both of them, “ligo”.
  • Housekeepers – It is common for households, especially in the city, to have hired housekeepers.
  • Province – In the Philippines, usually refers to a more rural part of the Philippines where one’s relatives lives.
  • Traditional Boat – Bangka. One of the native boats of the Philippines. They are small dugout outrigger boats often used for transportation and island-hopping, especially in rural areas and areas near water (Brown, 2018).

References for Glossary

Brown, N. (2018, November 26). Getting to know the Philippine Outrigger Boat. Retrieved from https://www.unchartedphilippines.com/es/community/travel-stories/getting-to-know-the-philippine-outrigger-boat/

It’s More Fun In the Philippines. (2022). Zamboanga Hermosa Festival. Retrieved from https://philippines.travel/events/zamboanga-hermosa-festival

Oxford Languages. (2023). Sanitarian. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=sanitarian&biw=762&bih=769&sxsrf=APwXEdc7JK0xGW5VORCnEVdA5-n5XEoNcw%3A1683643827448&ei=s11aZOmDG_CnptQP_8WJkAk&ved=0ahUKEwipqY2Cvuj-AhXwk4kEHf9iApIQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=sanitarian&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIMCCMQigUQJxBGEPkBMggIABCKBRCRAjIICAAQigUQkQIyCAgAEIoFEJECMgYIABAHEB4yCggAEIAEEBQQhwIyBggAEAcQHjIICAAQigUQkQIyBggAEAcQHjIGCAAQBxAeOgoIABBHENYEELADSgQIQRgAUJUKWJUKYIQMaAFwAXgAgAGpAYgBqQGSAQMwLjGYAQCgAQHIAQjAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

WordHippo. (2023). What does pusali mean in Filipino? Retrieved from https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-meaning-of/filipino-word-ecef8b22401db46c4d6fbb49fde23332d1411ffb.html

“When We Were Children” by Pura L. Medrano

Part 1: Manuel’s Memories of Edeng***

I.

—…?

—…!

—You don’t remember? Listen and one-by-one I’ll remind you:

Before, we were infants.

Infants, yes; we knew nothing of the troubles of the world; before we had even taken our first step on the stairs of love, and before we had even learned to listen to the message our hearts beat to us. We did not yet know what love was. What true love was.

Our houses faced each other, and one afternoon the sky was glad that you were at your window. I had looked, and when you noticed that I was watching you, you looked at me, you looked at me and smiled discreetly, before you raised your eyes and shyly glanced at me.

Momentarily, our eyes met, and afterwards you sent me a joyful smile.

I was happy and felt the beat of my heart quicken. It seemed like I was floating though I did not know why.

Did that smile already mean love? If it was love, how would I know? And if it had been love, how would it have affected my life? These are the questions I asked myself one after another.

In my contemplation, I realized that I could ask you the meaning of the smile you gave me; however—I don’t know why—but I did not ask it when we spoke. And… Do you remember what we had talked about?

It was always naive; yes, always naive. But when we were going our separate ways—I, going back to my house—my heart was shaken and I felt a new feeling grow in its most secret depths.

Since then, no matter where I went, it seemed that you were who I saw, and in all the things I did, in studying, in playing, you were always the one on my mind.

When it was nighttime and I was laying on my bed, in the arms of my beloved father, I was always restless. My eyes were closed but my spirit was awake.

For more days after, I had suffered like that.

II

Me and my Mom were going to the province and I was not able to say goodbye to you.

In our travels, I had no one to accompany me except for my own sadness. We had not yet arrived at our destination when I already wanted to go back. Yet we had already gone too far, and because of this I had no choice but to endure it. And I endured it to the point that I had told myself: “how difficult it is to be far away from your love”. Yes, it was indeed difficult. Even the cool sea breeze that I used to enjoy had become boring to me!

After a few days, we went on our way back; just like our departure that you were unaware of—and by virtue of the balcony in our house—I saw you playing tubigan with our childhood friends.

That night, the moon was bright and you and our friends were in the backyard.

Immediately, I went to you. And when I saw you, you stopped playing, separated from our friends, and quickly sat on a tree root with your chin in your hand.

When I remembered that I had left without saying goodbye, my spirit faltered as I approached you.

You stood up as if you no longer wanted to talk to me; it looked like you were leaving, but I stopped you and, when I looked at your face, I noticed the tears running down your red cheeks caused by your resentful heart.

I explained to you that our departure was sudden and that I accompanied my mother to my dad’s friend’s so that she would not sail alone. I noticed that you did not want to believe me; I pleaded with you to forgive me.

In my pleas, you pitied me. You told me to sit at your side and we spoke for a long time.

—Have you forgiven me?—was my first shy question to you

—You will find out later,—you replied.

—I don’t want to wait until later—I repeated affectionately.

—Yes, I have forgiven you,—you responded, smiling,

And I was glad, just like before.

That night, you told me many things. So did I, and if our friends did not start teasing us after they stopped playing tubigan, we would not have finished talking because it was as if we had been blessed by a passing grace. Weren’t we, Edeng…?

And you got mad at them for continuing to tease us, so you quietly got up and left while I happily went home.

III

The next day.

When I had risen from my bed, the first thing I saw was the window of your room. One of the curtains was open and I could see you were already dressed.

It was seven in the morning; time to go to school.

Ten minutes passed before you left your house bringing your books.

I hurriedly went downstairs, and you did not notice that I followed you until we reached school. In the afternoon, I was watching over you out of my window until you entered the door of your house.

It was night time.

The moon was bright as well.

Your yard was like the meeting place of our young neighbors, and when there were enough people already, the playing started. Now it was patintero, later it would be takipsilim and other games someone would imagine.

I went downstairs so that I could join you; but when I arrived and looked for you, you weren’t there.

My heart was nervous, and I thought that you were still mad at me. Because of this, I asked a fellow child where you were.

—There… she doesn’t want to play!—they told me.

I looked and saw you sitting on the stairs of your balcony.

I neared you and asked you:

—Why are you sitting there?

—I was waiting for you—was your apparently affectionate response.

—Do you not want to play?—I had asked again, now without worrying that you still held a grudge against me.

—I will play if you join,—you replied with a smile.

—Oh no!—I exclaimed.

—Yes!—was your sharp response as if I had offended you; so I replied to you immediately.

—Whether or not what you said was true, you should know that the only reason I went here to play was because of you.

You looked at me before you smiled with a smile that showed a happy spirit.

We called our playmates and stood around in a circle, and immediately you had started chanting “Pepe-serepe” and… you were mean, so mean! You meant for me to become ‘it’.

Afterwards, you all ran away while I followed.

I don’t know why, and before I couldn’t catch up to any of you: you all ran so fast, as fast as birds.

By the third round, I was exhausted…

—Lazy! Lazy!—you had all shouted.

I was embarrassed.

You pitied me and whispered to me:

—You’ll be able to catch someone now—and you ran away from me. Yet in only a few steps you stopped and, before I even touched you, you yelled:

—I was caught! I was caught!—and you even added, softly,—You are so pitiful, I’ll relieve you as you are so very tired.

Yes, I was exhausted; it was good you were here, or else I would have left by the second round.

Our playtime ended that night, because in the following nights we were always just talking. But what were we talking about? Was it still a lot of naive things, just like in our earlier days?

Not anymore.

Did we now understand what our hearts were telling us?

I don’t know! But since then we slowly distanced ourselves from our other childhood friends, as they were always teasing us.

IV

Patintero, takipsilim, and other games that children used to pass their leisure time were no longer in our memories, and the talks we had in your courtyard were moved to the entrance of your house.

And one night when you and your parents were out in Sta. Cruz, I saw that you were in front of the Church.

It was del Pilar. There were many people, very many. The fairs were packed with people betting on different lotteries in case they could win watches, dolls, and more.

At the exit of Goiti, in front of the church and other streets, couples walked one after the other, and the young men whispered in the ears of the young women like bees landing on fragrant flowers.

I saw you and your family in front of the church: your father was talking to someone and you were watching the people walking by.

And even though I was on my way home, I did not continue and instead approached you. After I greeted your parents I asked you affectionately:

—Have you been here since earlier?

—Yes,—you responded.

—How come I only saw you now?—I asked again.

—Maybe you weren’t looking for us,—she responded, as if irritated by me.

—How was I supposed to look for you,—I responded,—when I did not know you were coming here?

Your dad volunteered that we listen to a serenade. We headed towards the place where the band was playing different kinds of music, and when we were there I bought lansones from a vendor in front of La Perla.

I offered some to your parents, after which I approached you:

—I don’t want any.—you said, before I had even asked.

—Why? Do you not like this? What do you want?—I asked sweetly.

—Nothing.—you said, dodging my question.

—She says nothing!—I said.

—Nothing indeed!—you held firm in your answer.

—Oh, you! What is it? Come on, tell me.—I said affectionately.

—Whatever tastes good for you, buy it, and it will taste good for me too,” you responded, followed by a mirthful smile.

And I approached the vendor again. I chose a plate of two apples and gave you one of them.

—That, that tastes good,—you said, as you received the apple.

—Really?—I asked.

—Yes, because you wouldn’t buy something that doesn’t taste good. And what tastes good for you tastes good for me too

Just after you spoke, the band started playing a beautiful song.

As I listened to that music, the names of the songs I had seen performed before were refreshed in my mind. I remembered that that opera was named “Sandugong Panaginip”.

—Do you not remember that song?—I asked you.

—Isn’t that “Sandugong Panaginip”?—you replied?

—That’s right.—I responded happily.—And can’t we reach the extent of the love of Tarik and Bitwin?

You did not reply, it was as if your eyes grew tired and your face paled at hearing the word ‘love’ from my mouth said as if we had already spoken about it.

When I noticed that you would not speak, I continued talking: I told you what happened to the pure love of Bitwin and Tarik according to what I had read in Sandugo’s argument and then I told you about the feelings that had grown in my heart since we were kids. And I asked you if that was already love.

Since you did not answer me, I was the one who declared that it was indeed LOVE and I even added “I LOVE YOU”.

After a few days, you had changed; yes, you changed. When you showed me your happy smile in our subsequent conversations, it seemed as though you were burdened by having to respond to what I was saying; yet I noticed that you sulk and get sad when I don’t visit you.

V

Although you refused to give me any of your joy-filled smiles, I was happy. Yes, I was happy because I noticed that you were responding to the feelings in my heart. However, my happiness dissipated like a haze in a swift breeze because we moved away, and someone told my family that my teacher always gets mad at me because I frequently get up to mischief. My father believed them and forbade me to leave the house…

Oh, how sad I was then…! If only I knew the reason that that news reached us, I… I don’t know: I probably would have fought the person who told us that. Yes, because back in those days my hot temper still got the best of me.

The restrictions that my father put on me did not last long; only a few weeks had passed before I was allowed to go outside again just like before.

I was happy because I would be able to visit you again; however, oh! It did not last and I saw that the suffering in front of me was incomparable to the happiness I felt because as I approached your house I saw a paper attached to your door that read “FOR RENT”.

I asked some people I knew about you, yet no one was able to tell me where you had moved to. I returned to my house and asked my father where you now lived.

—I don’t know—,he responded,—they left without saying goodbye because Edeng’s father got sick with an illness that the sanitarios had to interfere with

I was saddened—not just saddened. I had endured difficulty because I could not figure out where you had gone. I could not find out where I could send you a letter.

Since then, my heart has become a toy for hardship. Just like a broken piece of wood in the middle of the ocean, merely following wherever the waves brought it.

Wrapped in pain, I did not hide how I waited for you. My classmates at Ateneo had noticed and one of them—he was named Pedro Batobalani—I confided my feelings to.

—…!

—Is it often that they come here and that you knew them since before…?

The young man was one of my good friends, he was the one who comforted me and because of him my sorrows were lifted. However, my feelings of love for you did not change; they only grew whenever I remembered my loneliness while I stayed diligent in my studies. Because I have not lost hope that we will meet again and that I’ll be able to tell you all about what I have learned.

VI

A long time had passed.

One night, I was walking on the road Azcarraga and I read an announcement attached to the wall that was hit by the light of the streetlight, that the movie VIVIR PARA AMAR was going to be presented in the Zorrilla Theater.

I stopped and whispered to myself:

“VIVIR PARA AMAR” To live to love? Oh! I will watch this movie and maybe it will resemble my sad love life.”

I quickly entered the Zorrilla Theater: however, just as I sat down on my seat, the movie “VIVIR PARA AMAR” ended.

The lights went on. I let my eyes scope the theater and, oh, what a coincidence! In the balcony next to me, I saw a woman of miraculous beauty. As I saw her abruptly, I did not recognize her right away, yet as I looked at her longer, happiness filled my heart, my heart that for years was not left by sadness, my heart that reveled in memories of the past.

Do you recognize who that woman was…?

My heaven, my muse, my hope, in other words, it was you, Edeng, the life of my life. In my gazing at you, you turned to look at me and when our eyes met, oh! The happiness that filled my heart! The darkness that I was facing seemed like light and it was as if I had found a path towards the glory of my love.

—I am happy now, I am happy now,—I whispered to myself,—I am happy now because I have seen her again. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I will go to her house and tell her all the hardships that I endured. She is sad, but she will be happy right away after I tell her that everything’s ok, because my happiness is her happiness too.

Yet it had only been a moment before suffering overcame me again. Yes, because I had noticed that next to you, sitting down was a lean man with a strong presence… How sad my soul became! Sharp arrows of jealousy pierced my heart one after another, and because of this I cursed the moment I saw you again;.

The lights went dark again. On the white tarpaulin covering the stage of the theater, the movie following the movie “Vivir para amar” was shown. It finished yet I did not comprehend it because the man next to you in the balcony would not leave my mind.

—Who could that man be?—I asked myself,—Could it be her husband? Could it be her lover, or maybe just a friend?

The lights went on again. I looked over at your balcony like a judge about to punish a criminal.

When I turned to you, again our eyes met, and in your gaze it seemed that you had something to tell me.

So, I moved to your balcony while my heart was exploding with the thought that your gaze meant to insult me because you already had a husband or a lover: however, I found out that I was wrong because after we shook hands, you introduced to me the man next to you and I learned that he was the husband of your elder sibling. And I regretted having a false suspicion of your gaze that was actually full of joy.

After a few moments, my mind was filled with memories of the past. I meant to ask you then if the hardship I endured would be met with endless happiness, because I meant to ask you if I still had hope to go through with what I had told you the day we listened to that serenade in front of the church of Sta. Cruz… yet I had stopped myself because of the company you were with.

The show in the theater had finished,

I walked with the two of you until we reached your home and before we separated I promised that I would return the next day.

That night, I wasn’t able to sleep and in looking forward to tomorrow, I frowned at our clock, because as my eyes focused on its running, it seemed not to change and it was as if it was challenging me; as I stood up and sat down, the clock’s despicable tick-tock prevailed.

My hatred did nothing and the slow travel of time won.

***

Morning.

I became even more irritated because I did not know the attitudes of the people who were with you at home. And I remembered that if I were to visit you they may not let you speak to me and they may even talk about me behind my back. So, in order not to let my thoughts wander, I visited all my friends’ houses.

***

Night.

I visited you. Your mother wasn’t there. Your sibling told you to come to the door and we spoke for a long time, a very long time. Since then, three months had passed again that we did not see each other, three months full of difficulty for me. Why did the death of my father have to add to my suffering?

—…?

—Yes, it was almost two months. Yet I wrote to you that he died. Why didn’t you learn of it?

—…!

Ah! That’s why the letter that I wrote to you while I was on the boat to the town my father died in did not reach you, you were in the East. However, we should move past his death and return to the previous topic.

Do you remember now, Edeng, the days that passed during our youths? Is your heart still the same as before, ready to receive love? And will I be able to pursue now what I had told you when we were listening to that serenade in front of the church of Sta. Cruz?

—…!

—Will you answer me tomorrow? Maybe not?

—!

—I’ll look forward to it.

Part 2. Edeng’s Memories of Manuel

VII

—Manuel, thank you for reminding me as you revived my memories of our past: our happy past.

I remember now one day on an overcast weekend, we swam in the ocean. There were many of us, we even brought my female cousins and our childhood friends. Back then, the water was rising and the islands couldn’t be seen. And so that we could arrive without trouble we borrowed a large traditional boat.

In that boat, we were all happy, especially you. And while we were coasting along the islands to find a place to dock, you pointed out to me the birds that were flying on the horizon and the fish like us that were free and energetically jumped above the water.

How happy we were! Yes suddenly the boat capsized; you were surprised and us women shrieked loudly. For a moment, our other companions laughed. You were annoyed because you noticed that they had capsized the boat on purpose to irritate us.

The water was only up to our chests, and after a few moments, the women joined together and the men helped each other raise the boat; however, you did not move from where you stood and it seemed you were still angry.

After they raised the boat, they started swimming while us women waded in the water, and you were pretending that you knew how to swim. However, we noticed that your feet were dragging along the floor, and because of this we teased you and splashed water on you.

When 30 minutes had passed of us swimming, my cousins suggested that we get out of the water.

We got back on the boat, but we did not head for the low cliff, we headed for the deeper part of the ocean and when you saw that we were nearing coral reefs, you shivered from your head to your feet, with the fear that they might capsize the boat there and you would not be able to swim.

—Let’s flip the boat, one, two, three.—Our companions shouted, practically in unison.

—Oh mother!—you shouted, almost like a cry,—Oh, please, don’t!

—Since then, our companions continued to tease you, and you told them the truth that you did not know how to swim.

After a few moments you suggested that we go home so that they would not completely embarrass you. As we neared the island, one of your family’s housekeepers told us that your father was mad at you.

You had paled because you were prohibited to swim in the ocean yet you still came with us.

I felt sorry for your pathetic expression and said to myself:

“How pitiful, you endured your fear in the middle of the sea and yet your parents are angry with you as well.” And when we were going home, I had told you

—Don’t swim in the sea anymore, because your father prohibited you.

—Yes, if you also won’t swim in the sea anymore—you responded.

—Oh, wow—I responded—Would I not be able to swim in the sea even if I were to get sick and swimming in the sea were to heal me?

—Ah, therefore, I will also swim then.

—No, obey your dad.

—Yes, I’ll follow him if you only bathe in your own house.

—Why? Don’t you want me to get better?

—Why wouldn’t I want that?

—If it’s like that…

—You will get better not because of swimming in the sea. After I finish my secondary education I will study medicine, and I will make you better.

Meanwhile, we arrived in front of our homes. You went into your home and I went into mine. You were met with anger from your father while I was met with the joyful smile of my beloved mother.

VIII

The Month of May.

We had grown up; I am thirteen years old while you are fourteen.

The way we act is now very different from before: we no longer play tubigan nor takip-silim. We no longer make jokes with each other, and now we are like the elders who are so formal with each other in the way they speak. However, we still thought like children, which is why we frequently spoke about naive things.

In those days, the whole of Manila celebrated Santa Cruz de Mayo. To the left of the house that we lived in, there was a lutrina causing a lot of trouble because all the street children would come watch. But during the last night, towards the end, it grew and became better because the elders helped, and it even became the pride of the Hermano Mayors.

On the last day of the celebration of Santa Cruz de Mayo, someone begged my dad to let me act as Reina Elena for the procession. My father agreed and, that night, our backyard was full of children going to watch the lutrina.

In the afternoon of that day, the streets were very lively; three musical bands played in front of the house of the Hermano Mayor that was not very far from where we lived.

When the sixth song played, the “Reina Sentenciada” the “Haring Constantino”, the sagala and everyone else were picked up by the three bands, and I was the last to be picked up. Yet I was surprised when I saw that you were Haring Constantino.

—Hey!—I greeted you,—Why are you the king?

—It happened that you are the queen,—you responded.

And we smiled at each other for a moment before we headed to the house of the Hermano Mayor and without further delays the procession started.

***

Many people watched. All were amazed by the beautiful sagalas. In the crowd, some would wear too much perfume as if they were happy if a sagala would be hit in the eye.

You were very angry in those moments.

—If you get hurt,—you whispered to me,—I’ll fight them for you.

—No,—I replied,—Don’t, they might gang up on you.

—If I have a saber in my hand, even if there were ten of them, I would not be afraid.

You had just finished saying so when something hit my eye, and I don’t remember now if it was water or perfume, but it made me shriek and screw my eyes shut in pain. After a few moments, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was you, looking ready to fight.

—Manuel!—I shouted,—Leave them alone!

You listened to me and when you faced me, you looked completely like a merciful king, and I whispered to you:

—You really look like Haring Constantino

—Oh! You’re mocking me?

—Join us later and I’ll show you the picture given to me by my godfather who is a priest.

—I’ll go.

—You’ll see.

—Maybe not?

—Yes, I’ll show it to you.

And an hour passed before the procession ended.

***

That night, I was not able to show you the picture, because when the procession ended we were still brought to the house of the Hermano Mayor and there I learned that you had asked to be Haring Constantino.

—“Presentado, alsado”—I joked to you.

—I volunteered myself because you were Elena and I meant for all the people watching to see that we were king and queen, even if it was only during Santa Cruz de Mayo.

—You’re just boastful,—I said jokingly in return.

You did not respond because they were offering for us to have dinner with the Hermano Mayor and it was as if they did it on purpose that we were sitting directly across from each other, so while we were having dinner, I noticed several times that you were frowning.

After dinner, we watched them fight over the bitin and I laughed very hard, because in the middle of the room there was a large pot hanging and everyone thought the contents were sweets. However, when the contents fell, the laughing children were the first to snatch the prizes, and they separated and fought over them: one ran away, one made themself small, one jumped around as if they were dancing because it turns out that the bitin had been put by an anthill.

Afterwards, we went home. However, you did not stop by our house because it was almost ten in the evening. And you whispered to me to just show you the picture when you visited the next day.

IX

Regarding us going to the province, I remembered what I had written to you. I don’t know if my letter never arrived in your hands or you on purpose did not write a response; either way, my eyes turned white waiting for you to answer me.

—…!

—You did not receive it? Possibly, however, don’t tell me that you did not know what place we went to because your father was the one who brought us to the ferry. It is not possible that he would not tell you, yes; impossible.

—…!

—No, you say? How surprising! Could it not be that your father merely did not mention the town we were heading to?

Oh, it is not possible! Yes, because it was near enough and your father thought I was the only one on your mind, distracting you from your studies, or that you would follow me if you knew the province we were going to.

But he made a mistake, if that was what he believed, because he had told you that you would not leave Manila, that your studies would not be disturbed because your heaven was left here, the muse of your memories… Don’t interrupt, don’t; I have some truth to tell you…

You told me that someone told your father that your teachers always scold you because of the mischief you cause and because of that you were not allowed to go out, that’s why we left without you knowing.

Is it true that your father’s strictness is the reason you could not visit me? Is it not because of what I heard that our childhood friend Enchay stopped you?

—…!

—Don’t interrupt, I’ll show you that it really was Enchay: don’t protest or you might be embarrassed in the end.

—…?

When did I receive that news and who had told me? I’ll tell you:

Three days after you moved to a different house, a skinny, tall, young man with a bridged nose, long hair, and skin tone lighter than brown visited our house and told me that you and Enchay were lovers. I got mad and it seemed I hated even the messenger.

—…?

I don’t know, I can’t say whether or not I got mad and if I got mad I don’t know the reason—because in those days I was still naive. I was easy to anger and easy to laugh.

After a few days passed, I received news again that you and Enchay were together indeed and then I truly believed it because it had been one week since you last visited me. Even then, I did not resent you and wrote to you that we were preparing to travel to Batangan.

You did not respond to my letter, even as we traveled to the ferry, and this showed me again that I no longer mattered to you in those days.

My sadness was so, especially when we were traveling, because I remembered that in the province there was no fun like in Manila. Here, I always had so much fun; there, I was always sad, morning and night.

I was sad, and I even cried. However, I was already there, so what could I do?! Even if there was something I could do, nothing would happen.

***

We arrived at Batangan.

The weather was nice, the sky was clear, and the breeze was cool.

On Sunday morning, right at the dock, our relatives who lived there picked us up and brought us to the house of Mr. X. who had two children who were young women. The next day, the young men performed harana for us.

The sadness that had begun when on the ferry slowly faded and I was able to say, “It is also happy in the province.”

However, my happiness did not last long. We moved to the farm because of my father’s illness, and that’s when I started to leave most everything behind and truly feel the gloom of life.

I was already there, what could I do but endure it?! And I endured it. Then, when we had stayed there for four months already, my father thought that we should return to our hometown because his illness had gotten better and he only needed to recover his strength.

When I learned of this, I became happy and said “there is no struggle that is not repaid with joy. Back to the town, oh, back to the town! Happiness is there! There, all the people are happy, but here, here in the mountains, it is rare that you will see someone who is not suffering from the irritation of calloused palms from the mountains—because that is where they get their livelihood—and in the night you will not hear anything except thousands and thousands of crickets.”

After a few days, we left the farm.

In the town, I felt all the things that I had missed: comfort, happiness, and then I realized that even in the province it would be possible to live like one who lives in Manila, and even more, because it was rare for their to be a night without harana, and it was often that there would be buencomer on the side of the road or in the rice fields.

After a few days of staying in the town, I received a letter. I thought it was from you, so I hurriedly opened it, but when I read the sender’s name I realized I was wrong, because the letter was from Enchay who was telling me that the two of you were going to marry after you finished your studies.

Why did Enchay write to me? Was she trying to hurt me?

She was wrong. You and I did not speak while I was in the province. She, or anyone for that matter, has no proof that you loved me. And now I cannot say if we had been talking about love before, nor can I say that I loved you in public or in secret only. Because before I was only naive and knew nothing of the name of love. Yet if the meaning of my sadness whenever we did not see each other was love, then I had reciprocated the feelings in your heart. But does that not also happen to friends who love each other like siblings?

If I had not been naive then and I had answered you yes, she, Enchay, would have been wrong. Yet, as I received her letter, I had forgotten the past and told myself after I read it:

“What does it matter to me? Will I lose anything?”

After a week, I received another letter from her telling me news: but I was truly annoyed because in every line there would be a word meant to insult me, and if I were to think of the meaning of those words then I would be hurt. Accordingly, I did not respond to the letter, why would I? If I would, I would be meeting her on her level: lower than the lowest.

I do not speak arrogantly. What would I have to be arrogant about when I am as lowly as everyone else? However, what she did was as repulsive as a pusali which by its smell only could upset one’s stomach.

I did not answer her and I even forgave her. And if we were to see each other now, I would not treat her with any ill will.

X

My father’s health improved.

We were in Manila, and the first thing that I had learned was that Enchay had left you and that you were only focused on your career… Don’t interrupt, don’t; there is truth in me saying that there is no greater lie than you saying I never left your thoughts. Don’t try to hide the truth.

—…!

—You swear that everything you say is true and I am the only one you love? Boys are like this: for love they lie, oh! You can’t make me believe you… don’t try to make me, don’t; and I might even tell you that Enchay talked about you when she sent me letters.

And you… turned red. I must have hit the truth, ha, ha, ha.

—…!

—No? Why did you blush? You must really be at fault.

—…!

—I’m wrong and you love me even now?

—…!

—I should tell you if you can still hope to receive love from me? Ok, I’ll answer you; however, you should ask me first:

Would begging be sufficient when you abandoned me while you focused on your career, when you made me suffer through the two letters Enchay sent me?

—…!

—You swear that you didn’t know? Why did she know that you tried to court me?

—…!

—You don’t know? You are nothing compared to those we met on the farm; you are already late and yet you still complain. And I’m not surprised, because the person who hides the truth is really like that, and sometimes puts up a fight, am I right?

Oh, if only this was like the times when we were still naive, I would just call our friends and say: here is the untruthful one, here is the liar! Here, look at him!

But I am only detracting from the current topic. Let’s go back to your question.

Manuel, ask me these questions and you will receive my answers to them… Don’t open them here, read them in your house… Ah! I hope not, and if you have any objection, come visit another day.

I am not rejecting you. I want you to go home, because you might not have time to prepare your lies for tomorrow.

—…!

—You stopped studying since your father died and now only your sibling Juan studies in Sto. Tomas?

You have wasted your time, but you have a reason, Enchay already has a husband, why would you still study? You devoted your career only to her.

—…!

—You say you devoted your career to me and not Enchay! You are Mr. Matahan…

—…!

—You will go home now? Good, so that you will learn the contents of those letters.

—…!

—Yes, until tomorrow.

Part 3. The End

XI

When Manuel arrived in his house, the first thing he did was open the letters, and after he read them he breathed deeply and said to himself:

“I have been caught; yet I had only sent Enchay one letter, how did it become three?”

He thought for a long time about how many letters he had sent Enchay when they were together; however, he could not recall that the first one was followed by two more.

Whether it was one or three, Edeng caught him, and because of this she was saddened.

—Oh! How embarrassing I must be to Edeng,—he whispered to himself.—I had even sworn that aside from her I loved no one and I insisted that she never left my thoughts… What does she think of me now? An untruthful person? A liar?

He covered his face with both palms as if he was face-to-face with embarrassment.

***

The letter that Manuel had sent Enchay was really only one. The other two—he could not figure out where they came from—were written by another young man from Batangan who loved Edeng.

It was another month before Manuel and his family moved away, and that young man moved to a house near Edeng’s and it seemed that he had fallen in love because of her beauty.

Before, Edeng was growing into a young woman. When it became obvious that she and Manuel loved each other, he thought of a way to assert his claim on her.

When Manuel moved away, he took advantage of it: he helped load the furniture on the cart which pleased Manuel’s parents Don Jose and Aling Mirang.

That night, while Aling Mirang and their household helpers fixed the house, he spoke to Don Jose and told him that Manuel caused mischief in school and always crossed the teachers. And when Edeng and her family were heading to the province, Manuel began to court Enchay.

That young man was studying with the Jesuits at that time, and when vacation arrived he went to Batangan while Edeng had already spent a week on the farm.

In their speaking to each other, he noticed that Manuel was not removed from Edeng’s memories, so he tried different things to make her forget how she was enduring pain while being away from her heaven.

When the schools opened again, he went home to Manila and, at that time, Edeng received two letters from Enchay.

Manuel and Enchay were indeed together, however this did not last and Enchay loved another. And when she was going to be married, he asked that she return to Manuel that letter that he had sent her; but the letter never returned to him.

When Edeng returned to Manila, she learned that Enchay left Manuel and Manuel was courting someone new.

***

There was a moment. The people who once knew each other saw each other in the theater, and the next day the young man learned of what happened in the theater, because Edeng had told him.

That young man hurriedly asked permission to bring the letter from Manuel to Enchay to someone who was good at copying handwriting, so that they could make two more which were different from the contents of what Manuel had truly written her.

And that was what happened.

***

The night that Manuel left Edeng’s home, with the three letters with him, the young woman was approached by her mother:

—Edeng,—said Aling Juana,—What did you and Manuel talk about?

—Nothing.—said Edeng.

—Nothing? It seems you think that I don’t know why Manuel came here? I know that he loved you since before and both of you were talking about the love you had for each other.

—No, mom. We were talking about playing patintero, takipsilim, and other games we used to play back when we were children.

—Don’t be secretive, tell me the truth if you don’t want me to get mad at you and if you want me to love you even more than before.

—It’s true that we spoke nothing about love.

—I don’t think you will tell me the truth? Tell me, what were you and Manuel talking about? Why was he here so late at night?

Edeng did not respond, and her mother proceeded to get angry:

—What did the letters you gave Manuel contain..? You don’t want to respond to me?— her mother said, getting even angrier,—What did the letters you gave manuel contain? Do you not know that that young man is a mason? Do you not know that people say that masons are scumbags and people who love scumbags can’t be saved?

—No.

—But know that you know, I don’t want you to face him again, and when he comes here again I will tell him not to come to our house ever again, you understand?

—Yes.

Aleng Juana was a woman with a good heart and was a fine, caring person. She was truly good and this was the only fault she could be criticized for.

She used to favor Manuel, and she was glad when she had noticed that he loved her youngest child, but the last night she spoke with Edeng, she got the message that Manuel was a mason, and because of that she began to look down on him because that was his only work. If she had received that news the first time he and Edeng saw each other in the theater, they would have been left with no opportunities to talk.

***

The door of the house of Aling Juana was closed to Manuel, but the window was open for the other young man, and because of this Edeng was always sad. Because since before, love had been growing in her heart for Manuel, and the memories of their happy past from when they were children never left her mind.

However, when they met each other again and spoke to each other again, she did not make this obvious to Manuel because of the news she had received. And if it was true that she was already forgotten by the young man she loved in her youth, she was ready to take her growing feelings with her to the grave.

Manuel was the same. And if he had loved Enchay it was only because his friends encouraged him too as a way to pass the time.

While Edeng and Manuel do not talk to each other, they communicate through letters. And they are happy because they know that each other has no greater love and they have hope for a future where their love will no longer be a secret.

Translator’s Statement

When We Were Children was written purely in Tagalog in 1913. Between that time and now, English has become more and more popular and Tagalog for academic purposes less so (Rafaeil, 2015). Because of this, it was sometimes difficult to find the English translation of more archaic words. I also had to make several choices with regards to cultural words and nuances: whether to translate them or not, to what extent to translate them, etc. This statement outlines my experiences and translation choices with regards to words that were difficult to translate, cultural words, and linguistic nuances unique to Tagalog.

Two main things made some words in the text difficult to translate: the usage of words no longer used today, the possibility that some words may be dialectical, and some did not translate so well. For some words such as “nakaalimbutod”, I tried to Google the word, but could not find a translation to the word. Moreover, there was no search result for the word aside from in the story itself. In such cases, I resorted to context clues. The Philippines also has a multitude of dialects. While the main language of the Philippines is Tagalog, I read the story acknowledging that some dialectal words can be used, especially as Batangan (Batangas) was referred to which has the Batangueno dialect. An example of a word having different meanings is langgam which means ant in Tagalog but bird in other Filipino dialects, such as Cebuano. The word langgaman was used, and I had to decipher whether it meant anthill or birdhouse (as both made sense in the context). Seeing as everything else was in Tagalog, I had settled on anthill.

Some words did not translate well in terms of connotation. While the English equivalent made sense, I felt that the connotation did not truly fit. An example of this is the word “malambing”. While I feel like the word “affectionately” does not encapsulate enough—“malambing” is somewhere in between sweet and affectionate but in a way that can be used on anyone regardless of relationship—it was the best word I could choose. Some words translate into a word in English because it has commonly been borrowed, such as the word “province” (Lesada, 2017). In such cases, while I use the English word in the text, I also provide the contextual meaning in the glossary.

There were cultural words that I had to decide whether or not to translate or to keep it the way it is and have it in the glossary instead. For some words that translated relatively well, such as bangka which is the name of the traditional Filipino boat. I translated it and referred to it as a “traditional boat” in my translation. As Benjamin (1968) stated, it is important for the translator to allow “his language to be powerfully affected by the foreign tongue”. Accordingly, for cultural words that do not have an English equivalent, such as patintero and takip-silim, I embraced the native language and decided to keep them as is. If I had translated the names of the traditional Filipino games into English, I would also have to insert the rules of the game right after it, which I felt would disturb the flow of the story. For such cases, I left the meaning to the glossary.

Lastly, I had to decide whether to carry linguistic nuances over or not. A linguistic nuance unique to Tagalog but not found in English is how there is only one gender-neutral pronoun, “siya”. Because of this, in the cases where the characters’ gender was known, I would use he and/or she as appropriate. However, if the character’s gender was not known, such as another child they were playing with, I used the pronoun “they” to maintain the gender ambiguity. According to Lefevere & Bassnett (1990), cultural adjustments can be made in translation if appropriate with the time, space, and in general conditions of translation. In this day and age where “they” is an accepted gender-neutral pronoun, I think it is indeed the appropriate choice to use “they”. I do not think I would have done the same if I had been translating this into English during the time of publishing. On the other hand, a linguistic nuance I did not carry over was the usage of the particle “po”. The particle “po” is used by younger people when they speak to show respect to their elders. Edeng uses it in part XII when talking to her mother. I debated with myself whether or not to keep that part. When I kept “po” in alongside the English words, it made sense to me as someone who spoke both languages. But I understood that it would look confusing and disrupting for someone who did not speak Tagalog or a language with a similar particle. So, I ultimately decided to omit it.

In this experience, I had realized how capturing denotation is truly only half of the battle in translation. As Walter Benjamin said in The Task of the Translator (1968), “The task of the translator consists in finding that intended effect [Intention] upon the language into which he is translating which produces in it the echo of the original.” Please make use of this note and the glossary to capture the intention of the story as much as possible.

References for Translator’s Statement

Benjamin, W. (1968). Illuminations: Essays and Reflections. The Task of the Translator. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.

Lefevere, A. & Bassnett, S. (1990). Introduction: Proust’s Grandmother and the Thousand and one Nights: The ‘Cultural Turn’ in Translation Studies. London: Pinter Publishers

Lesada, J. (2017). TAGLISH IN METRO MANILA: AN ANALYSIS OF TAGALOG-ENGLISH CODE-SWITCHING. Retrieved from https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/139623/jlesada.pdf

Rafaeil, V. (2015, March 24). The War of Translation: Colonial Education, American English, and Tagalog Slang in the Philippines. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021911814002241

Interpretative Essay

When We Were Children by Pura L. Medrano is a love story set in Manila, Philippines in the early 20th century. It centers around the love between childhood friends Manuel and Edeng. As they realize their love for each other, they are obstructed by their parents restricting them from seeing each other and other people lying to them to make them think their feelings are not reciprocated. In the end, they realize their love for each other, but are kept apart. However, they keep the hope that they will be able to love each other freely one day. This story was written during American rule in the Philippines, a few decades after the conclusion of Spanish occupation. During the Spanish occupation, the Philippines had a history of using literature to spark revolution through the works of Dr. Jose Rizal, particularly his love story, Noli Me Tangere. Similarly, When We Were Children is a love story that represents the limitations brought about by social stratification in the Philippines, through the characters, metaphors, and plot.

During American colonization, there was a record of abuse, torture, and more crimes committed against Filipinos (Welch, 1974). However, this was largely tolerated by the government and Filipinos (Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, 2003). This tolerated unfairness and oppression is represented in the story through parental characters and love rivals. Throughout the story, Manuel and Edeng are shown to be young people who love each other. While Manuel had confessed his love, saying “I LOVE YOU” (p. 5), their relationship was unable to progress much further due to the restrictions placed on them by their parents. Don Jose, Manuel’s father, forbids Manuel to leave the house and lies to Manuel saying “I don’t know” (p. 5) when asked about where Edeng had moved. This shows the authority that older people have over younger people as per the influence of Spanish colonization, and more generally represents the power imbalance and social stratification produced by both American and Spanish colonization. Meanwhile, there was also interference from love rivals such as the young man from Batangan. It was revealed that the young man from Batangan had lied to Don Jose—he told Don Jose that Manuel got up to mischief so Manuel would be grounded and be unable to see Edeng—because he wanted Edeng for himself (p. 14). Through the love rival taking advantage of Don Jose’s power over Manuel, the author depicts the unfairness exacerbated by figures of authority and tolerated by Filipinos during periods of colonization. This representation of unfairness during colonization through characters is reminiscent of Rizal’s characters in authority such as Padre Damaso in Noli Me Tangere who were abusive but tolerated in the story.

The Spanish had colonized the Philippines for over 300 years (Constantino, 2008). While the Philippines was able to wrestle freedom from them, they were soon after colonized by the USA (California State University, Northridge, 2020). The author’s perspective that this continued social stratification is ridiculous was communicated through the metaphors represented by the cultural children’s games in the story. In the first parts of the story, Manuel and Edeng were shown to be playing children’s games with their friends, “your yard was like the meeting place of our young neighbors… Now it is patintero, later it would be takip-silim.” (p. 2). In the end, the games patintero and takip-silim are referred to again when Aling Juana, Edeng’s mother, asks Edeng what she and Manuel had been talking about. Edeng tells her in p. 16 “We were talking about playing patintero, takipsilim, and other games we used to play back when we were children.” However, they were talking about the misunderstanding they had had and obstacles they had faced to get to each other, including the young man from Batangan, Enchay, and their parents. This shows that the game patintero and the guards that move in the game to prevent the passers from moving are metaphors for how in their journey of love they were blocked from each other by other people. Meanwhile, the game takip-silim, in particular the ‘it’ having to find another person with their eyes closed, is a metaphor for how the two of them had to find each other again while being ‘in the dark’, i.e. without knowing the truth about what was going on with the other due to the lies from the people around them. This metaphor for the obstacles they faced due to restrictions from authority and lies from the people around them being linked to children’s games can show how the author views social stratification and the results that come with it as ridiculous. This usage of metaphors is similar to what Rizal did in his works to get away with sending revolutionary messages during colonization. A similar metaphor in his work was Ibarra arriving in the Philippines and realizing how nothing in the Philippines changed since he left to study abroad for a long period of time, a metaphor which meant to highlight the effects of colonization on the country’s progress and show how ridiculous it is that Filipinos continue to tolerate colonists.

While the Philippine-American war supposedly ended in 1902, America continued to rule in supposed “benevolence” to help the Philippines transition to independence over a short period of time. However, independence was only granted in 1946 (Office of the Historian, n.d.), decades after When We Were Children was published. Even though, through the ending of the plot, the author communicates her optimism that social stratification will end one day. After overcoming obstacles to get to know each other, they are finally able to realize that they truly love each other and are within reach of each other. However, they are hindered by Aling Juana who tells Edeng that she cannot “face him again” (p. 15) and “the door of the house of Aling Juana was closed to Manuel” (p. 16). This shows that in the story, social stratification triumphed over the two lovers. However, it was also said that “While Edeng and Manuel do not talk to each other, they communicate through letters. And they are happy because they know that each other has no greater love and they have hope for a future where their love will no longer be a secret.” showing that they have happiness through hope. This can symbolize the author’s perspective that one day social stratification may end and people can love freely, or, more generally, live freely. However, this could also just be further commentary on how Filipinos are too submissive to authority and wait instead of taking action, which can be related to how Americans continued to rule even after the Philippines won the war. Regardless, while this ending is more optimistic than that of Rizal’s work, it is similar in the way that the lovers are not together in the end which is meant to incite action from readers.

Overall, the characters, metaphors, and plot of Medrano’s When We Were Children showed how social stratification continued in the Philippines during the period of publishing, the author’s negative perspectives on the continued tolerance of colonization, and the author’s optimism for change. This love story is reminiscent of Rizal’s revolutionary work Noli Me Tangere, which shows how the story may in fact be more than a love story and moreso a commentary on colonialism in the Philippines. While the Philippines is now independent, there is still inequality in terms of age, gender, and more in relationships and life in general which is exacerbated by the media. Accordingly, FIlipino literature such as When We Were Children with representation of equal lovers and desire to be free to love and to live is relevant today.

References for Interpretative Essay

California State University, Northridge. (2020, September 22). American Imperialism in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://library.csun.edu/SCA/Peek-in-the-Stacks/us-imperialism-philippines

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. (2003, November 19). Human Rights Dialogue (1994–2005): Series 2 No. 10 (Fall 2003): Violence Against Women: Online Exclusives: Women, Violence, and the Reinvolvement of the U.S. Military in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/media/series/dialogue/human-rights-dialogue-1994-2005-series-2-no-10-fall-2003-violence-against-women-online-exclusives-women-violence-and-the-reinvolvement-of-the-u-s-military-in-the-philippines

Constantino, Renato. (2008). A History of the Philippines: From the Spanish Colonization to the Second World War. NYU Press.

Office of the Historian. (n.d.). The Philippine-American War, 1899–1902. Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/war#:~:text=It%20began%20in%20November%20of,organized%20Filipino%20resistance%20had%20dissipated.

Welch, Jr., R. (1974, May). American Atrocities in the Philippines: The Indictment and the Response. https://doi.org/10.2307/3637551

License

The text of “When We Were Children” is in the public domain.

All editorial material by Gwyneth Margaux Gutierrez Tangog is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0