Pinoy Nostalgia - Childhood street games overturned by digitalization

Many of my readers will know that my old Nokia 6210 mobile was stolen in 2014 and I only replaced it this year. I really enjoyed life without a phone and became distressed when I saw how addicted my friends, and their children were to the Social Media. Many sleep with their phone next to them (although it has more germs than a public toilet seat) and use it from sunrise to long after sunset. Worse still, in Bahrain, people use their phone while they drive, causing numerous accidents. When people go out to eat the restaurants are silent as people ask for the Wi-Fi code before the menu and text each other to pass the salt. The children here do not go outside, especially in summer when its 40 degrees, and just sit in their rooms playing games on their smart phones. This was made worse with COV 19 and on-line learning and the rise in food delivery services. Now the kids are white and fat!

When I found these old photos of Children playing in the Philippines on the Facebook group called PHILIPPINES OLD PHOTOS AND MEMORIES 

I knew I had to share them with you. I asked Chester to select his favourites (there were over 60 pictures in this category alone) and group them so they were easier to view in the blog. Some of you will remember the images from your childhood and I urge you to share them with your older relatives. Teachers feel free to share them with your students to remind them what life was like before Mobile Phones!

The good news is that on my many trips to the Philippines I have discovered that the mobile phone penetration is not as high as in the Middle East. I was one of only 3 % of people of all ages in Bahrain without a mobile and most people carry 3 or more mobile devices at any one time. Wi-fi and internet coverage is poor in the provinces, and you still see children there having fun in the sun. In St Vicente for example in Palawan they have youth groups such as the Alimurgan Skimmers and San Vic surf, and as the sun sets you can see them on the beach honing their skills, and sharing them with the younger ones. Other youth groups there like TSPK spend their time organising Community pantries, giving flowers to Mums leaving church on Mother’s Day, carrying out beach clean ups and so much more.

If you look at the pictures from days gone by you will see one of the reasons I am retiring to Palawan. As the Philippine tourism advert says

       It’s more fun in the Philippines

Phillipino kids do not need expensive computers and Gaming chairs, they are just as happy with an old tyre and a piece of wood, two cans and a piece of string, some rope, some wood or any discarded waste they can throw their Tsinellas at.

How kids were punished in the old days as well as Palo sa pwet with Kamay, Tsinellas, Sinturon and Kawayan!

In the schools they don’t need computers and projectors and on- line classes, just some chalk and a blackboard, some seats and tables, and some books. In the old days they learnt about gardening and farming in the school grounds (which are always kept immaculate by the Parent Teacher Association) and washing up!

For those children who were makulit there was always the board rubber, Tsinellas and for the really pasaway the Kawayan.

 

The spoilt children of the Middle East have drivers, or school busses to take them to and from school. The children of the Philippines walk, holding hands with their smaller siblings, in their worn out Tsinellas held together with a safety pin.

If you would like to support the youth groups mentioned, or another charity , HOPE, that provides books and Tsinellas for the elementary kids in the El Nido area of Palawan please contact me and I will be happy to pass on whatever you can donate.

I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane and my thanks to everyone who shared these magnificent photos. Thanks to Mama Jam and his family for running HOPE and to Hads, Dionefel and all the youth leaders in St Vicente and Alimurgan for harnessing the talents of the youth, giving them leadership and life skills and doing such good work.

 
Next week we will continue down the nostalgic road with some more wonderful pictures looking at Evolution in communication and media
 
Until then .. Ingat Palagi, Kita kits .....