Spring used to be my favorite season. For someone born almost 1,500 kilometers north of the equator, that though may seem odd. How does one have a preference over something they haven’t even experienced?
But who can blame me?
Imagine the sight of bright yellow light cutting through the cold blues as small hints of green sprout through the snow or the transition from the bitter cold to lush greenery. Anime has also provided me visions of cherry blossoms in a bright spring day. One of the reasons why I long to travel to Japan is to witness the sakura in full bloom dancing in the wind against the clear Nippon skies. To me, that just seems so magical!
Spring has also been associated to Easter – with the soft pastel hues and gentle fauna. While those two adjectives could never be linked with my image and personality, those visuals still evokes warm feelings.
And most importantly, Spring has always been associated to hope; to new beginnings.
When I was younger, I was led to believe that the summer months start as the school year close – in April – and ends at the beginning of the new school year – in June. The school break during the months of April and May have been tagged as the summer vacation which lead me to believe that those are, indeed, our summer months. Little did I know that whole year round the days are only hot, hotter or hot with loads of rain fall.
We don’t have the four seasons. No winter, no fall. Just summer. Harsh. Scorching. Summer. Even the electric fans which are supposed to aid anyone in against the blistering heat could betray you by leading the warm air directly at you.
I do remember some days when I would feel the cool breeze like the dawn when we attended elementary school. A cool breeze greeted us as we rush out when we see the jeepney which operates as a school service stop by our gate. The crisp air could also be felt when we visit the more rural areas. We also had the occasional chilly January dusk like the time my sister and I decided to meet up at the nearby mall to buy something. However, even if the heat reduces its ferocity during the months of December and January, you can still feel the sun pricking on you skin during noontime.
You can opt to escape hell by hauling yourself towards a nearby public establishment- a mall, usually- which are equipped with a centralized air cooling system. But during this time, would you risk exposing yourself? Even pre-pandemic, having to deal with the outside world is a nightmare for an introverted person like me. Unless you have the privilege of living in a household with constant air conditioning (without the fear of the electric bills), you pretty much have to just endure it.
Sometimes I wonder, what have I done in my past life to be punished in this country?
The eternal summer spares no one especially now that the overall climate seems to be at its worst. Unless you can find yourself sheltered within strong walls with constant air conditioning, you can only try to bear the wrath of nature in between sips of water.
I might seem overdramatic – I am just one of 110 million who is stuck in this. Some are just enduring it. Afterall, our country has always applauded resilience. People here have been known to deal with hardships with a smile on their faces. Some could even crack jokes about dismal situations.
Or probably, they got used to it. There is no way of changing things anyway. Expecting things to get better could just result to more disappointments. Maybe, the focus should just be in the now – on how to get by on a daily basis.
Or maybe, I am just ignoring the good parts. At least we still get cooler moments from time to time. We are sort of better off than others, right?
One morning, during our grocery runs, my sister and I noticed the yellow flowers from a tree across the building where we are staying. A few meters away, purple flowers hang over a tall cement fence. That should feel like spring, right?
Should I just settle with that?
Should we just settle with that?
The Eclectic Miss 