Leonora Valentine Jose Bautist A Story Of A Great Grandmother

Leonora Valentine José Bautista was born on November 8, 1929 in Piddig, which is a district in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. She grew up with her mother and father, and was the third out of six children in the family, which included two boys and four girls. Because her mother and father worked on the farm, they all lived in a hut mainly made out of bamboo sticks as the foundation of the house and a tin roof with hay or coconut leaves that provided protection incase it rained. In addition, they all slept in one room on the hard floor next to one another. As Leonora was telling me about her living conditions, she also added that, “Narigat ti panagdiag idi dumadakkel kami” which is translated into “Life was very hard while I was growing up.”
Having the privilege in being able to ask my great grandmother, or also called Apó (another way of saying grandmother, but it is also a family term that distinguishes the gap between relatives who are two generations apart) to be my subject and getting the chance to interview her was not only a benefit for this assignment, but it was al...