We used petroleum lamps or candles at night to eat our supper, then went to sleep early under one large mosquito net or a wide buri (blanket-covered) mat. Father and my brother used one blanket while Mother and I used one blanket together. We slept on the bamboo floor. Before sleeping we prayed Our Father, […]
1994 Memoir – 1. Introduction: Jose B. Sibayan, Sr.
1.20.98This book is written for my seven children and families, dedicated in honor of their mother, who wrote a “STORY OF MY LIFE” ending in her trip around the world with JoJo in 1970. Praise the Lord! JBS 9/11/94 (Sunday) Today is Grandparents’ Day. Nobody among my seven (7) children, 15 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild […]
History of My Life (1990) Part 11 – Back In Bangued (1934-1935)
In order to continue my studies in H.S., I had to work and earn my money for matriculation and tuition fees. Father’s slipper making business slowed down following my mother’s death. I joined the Public Works Road Gang earning P0.45 or less than $0.25, a quarter of a dollar a day. I was the only […]
History of My Life (1990) Part 10 – Life In Bayombong, N.V.
As a third year student in the New Nueva Vizcaya Vocational H.S., with a new name and new classmates, I felt embarrassed when, during the first day roll call, I failed to respond when my new name was called until our teacher included my second name, Sibayan. I blushed as everyone turned towards me not […]
History of My Life (1990) Part 9 – After Mother’s Death
I saw how lonely father became after mother’s death but he took his loss bravely with that usual smile for anything that happens. He fell in love with a beautiful young employee of the La Flor de Pita tobacco factory of Don Juan Valera and got married. That was when I was 2nd year in […]
History of My Life (1990) Part 8 – Mother’s Death
Mother’s death when I was 14 was the most traumatic experience I had. I visited her grave almost every day after school hours because the cemetery was close to the Abra H.S. where I enrolled as 2nd year student. There I cried, I prayed, I wished… she were still alive. I learned how to sing […]