Once Upon a Time

"Once upon a time..." our teacher would begin.

Our school library had pink walls and a triangular floor space. My classmates and I with our little legs and feet would eagerly rush to the room because it was story time. It was my favorite part of the day. It was all our favorite part of the day.  Our teacher would then open a book filled with stories that took us to various wonderlands and worlds so magical we thought were real. During recess or dismissal time, I remember playing with my friends retelling stories and acting out the stories. It didn't matter whether it was about mermaids or fairies we saw from cartoons or the myths passed on from our uncles and aunts. What mattered only was that it enveloped us in this inexplicable and indescribable kind of joy so much so that we lost track of time. 

It is astonishing to know how we circle back to what we truly love. Call it calling or ministry. Call it vocation or destiny. While my work with children in the preschool to the 3rd grade is as a Guidance Counselor, I find myself being all sorts of roles for them, doing tasks for them and with them. Storytelling, not the least of which, is an important part. In the advent of technology where books are animated slides on a screen, where the characters move and breathe right before our very eyes, the act of storytelling where a child's own imagination is given full rein may have very well taken a backseat, notwithstanding the overestimated value of the relentless drilling of academics. What we need to realize, now more than ever, that while this may be the case, our innate love for stories has always been alive especially in our children.  I believe storytelling is where a connection is built between teacher and student, or parent and child, thereby forging a bond that only strengthens learning. Imagine the values that can be taught in this capacity! Imagine the theories and concepts that can be deeply embedded in our children's consciousness when taught in a manner not unlike how we were told as children those wonderful, magical and never-ending stories! Albert Einstein certainly knew what he was talking about when he said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution." So as a guidance counselor, as I take on the responsibility of nourishing our students' mental and emotional health, I acknowledge fully that on top of this priority is attending to their imagination and creativity so that indeed they may have arms big enough to embrace the immensity of the world. Everyday I am grateful for this circling back to what we love simply because I am brought to a place where I can fulfill a meaningful role in our students' lives. 

Last year in June, an independent book shop, iRead Bookshop,  opened in our city of Ormoc. The owner, Jima Zandra Jimenea- Vergara, whom I have had the pleasure and honor to work with in our various literary endeavors for the city, is, more than anything, an advocate for the love of the written word. What is most endearing and compelling is that the books she is advocating for are written by Filipinos and for the Filipino children (and of course those children at heart, wink!) There is an undeniable significance in this in that in this day and age of unlimited connectivity through the internet, social media in particular, we have never been so disconnected to our cultural roots as never before. And for iRead to choose to choose these stories, the stories of our people written in our diverse languages is a milestone for our community. A breakthrough perhaps even a revolutionary idea to ground us to our own stories as Filipinos. One particular publication of books, Sari-sari Storybooks, creates and publishes children’s books in the different languages of the Philippines. Si Kalipay ug Ang Kinagamyang Tiktik (Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik) is a Cebuano tale written in Cebuano.  Si Amina Y El Ciudad de Maga Flores (Amina and the City of Flowers) is a story set in Zamboanga and written in Chavacano. Si Melo a Mahakay a Umang (Melo the Umang Boy) is an Ivatan tale written in the Ivatan Language.  These three stories are wonderfully spun to gently bring awareness in young readers important values, traits and experiences in the different cultures of the different places in the Philippines. The fourth storybook from Sari-sari Storybooks, Hi Sandanagaw is written in Waray and tells of a boy who is just one hand span tall and who achieves great things. Hi Sandangaw just recently launched in Tacloban City last November 2018 and will be launched in Ormoc City on February 9, 2019.   This initiative undertaken by iRead Bookshop is another breakthrough and milestone for the city.  

Because of iRead Bookshop I have had the wonderful opportunity to share the stories of Kalipay, Amina, Melo and Sandangaw to our 2nd graders in our school in the past year. I would watch them excitedly line up outside their classroom and walk quickly to the Guidance Office with the turquoise-colored walls and rectangular floor space,  where our story-telling would happen. As they would come in the room and remove their shoes to find their place on the Banig-covered rubber mats, their anticipation would become palpable and the breadth of amazement and joy from their entire being would overflow. Questions come one after another. I could barely keep up with their curiosity. Perhaps not unlike what my classmates and I twenty or so years ago may have shown our teacher as we hurried to that storied pink-walled library with the triangular spaced floor as she took a story book from the shelf and opened it to read the four magical words, " Once upon a time..."

So as the book launch of Hi Sandangaw draws near, I am transported back in time again. I become a child once more. The one with little legs and feet, scurrying in anticipation to hear another story that will take me to a world of imagination, magic and wonderment. And it doesn't matter what color the walls are or what shape the floor space of the storytelling place is. It is simply another chance to once again to cultivate creativity and imagination. On this note, I invite everyone who dare believe Kuya Albert Einstein's words that imagination is greater than knowledge, the young ones and the forever young at heart on February 9, 2019, 2-5 pm at  Origami Convention Center to the Ormoc Book Launching of Hi Sandangaw, Usa nga Susumaton, Istorya ni Voltaire Q. Oyzon, Iginladawan ni Ray Sunga, Hinubad ha Inenglis nira Firie Jill T. Ramos ngan Merlie M. Alunan.

Love, light and a great, big world of imagination to you all.