Memoirs Q21: What role does Community play in your life?

When it comes to community, I interret this as more than just the neighborhood we live in. But I'll start wtih this one first. Our family transfered to Cavite last year. Prior to that, we stayed in Manila for nearly 30 years - specifically in Bacood. You could say that this was in the heart of Manila - with easy access to Makati, San Juan, Quezon City and Mandaluyong - we lived in the central parto fo the Metro. Of course, that meant we also experienced how dense the population was, how noisy the streets were, how you could literally see delivery vehicles race through the streets.

Aside from a select few people, we never interacted with our community. We were too busy with work, and the few socials we would attend. Our netwrork of friends were scatttered - and I had a handful of neighbors I was familar with. You could say we were wary of strangers who could rob us - Lord knows there were instances when a break-in happened. And you had to worry about torential rains bringing in flood waters all the way into the house. It was simply a tight communty in terms of population. It was also a frustration that the local politicians dug up an otherwise okay street to have drainage improvement porjects. Though the claim was for the improvement of everyone's convenience, these projects were anything but convenient. The city was alive with the noise of activities. I guess we just got used to accepting the bad with the convenient.

The kicker though was COVID. This was where we were literally cooped into staying in our appartment, and not going out - with exception to me to do Grocery and Drug Store runs. Mind you, we had internet, and it was a great factor knowing we were all present, safe and accounted for - but even that was not an assurance to not contacting the disesase by a casual discussion with neighbors. It was also frustrating that a lot of people did not care that they were spreading the disease by not following protocols - to the possible detriment of everyone else. The city's density was working against it.

So with that concern, plus the flooding factors, we decided to seek beyond Metro Manila for a place we could find - one more peaceful, safe, quiet. We ever searched as far as Laguna, and lucky for us, we found a place in Cavite that was suburban enough. THe place was quiet, you hardly saw neighbors hanging around the streets - most everyone would be waking early to get to work, and everyone else left were too busy tending to their domestic lives. This was a gated community - with controlled ingress and engress and security that matched some high class villages in the Metro - this meant there was a safety aspect. A clubhouse and administrators that collected mnothly dues for services, and a homeowner's associatoin that does not mind us too much, but keeps the streets clean, the neighborhood safe and orderly and can assist when needed. There's also a community pool and small parks - but we rarely bother with that. The best part? Not congested... hot humid because there is still a lot of free space and wind, it's quiet and peaceful - and the neighbors are polite, but we stick to our own. Last Christmas went by peacefully with few houses showing bright and noisy decors, New Year was a but noisy, but not for long, and the smoke did not linger. Lastly, I can walk my dog without too much worry for strays, and let's face it, a German Shepherd demands respect from other local dogs - size difference is a big factor.

Overall, after a year of living here, I'm glad. I do not miss the old haounts. The only minus factor is that it's far from the usual workplace, but not inaccessible. The long drives take just as long as the old 'stuck in traffic' frustrations, and at least the drive is continuous, so it isn't taxing. There are malls around, so we can enjoy dinner out, and a movie. Delivery riders reach our place, so it's not as if we're in Timbuktu - and we have internet access. so I' not wanting in entertainment and news.

Community feeds the psychie, it's something you live with, live around, and adjust when needed. It can strengthen you - or drain you. Give you peace of mind, or make you worry to an early grave. It can be healthy, or draining. In my case, our old haunts in Manila gave us convenience, but congestion. Cavite gives us freedom to breathe, it offers some tranquil moments, but allows conveniences to still be acccessible. It's not a far off retirement place like Tagaytay or even Sagada, but it has a good balance of everything else, We don't feel isolated - some palces may feel far, but if we really needed to, we have cars to allow us to drive there. Community can add to one's wellness and sanity, or slowly strip it away. Bacoor, Cavite is the former. I'm glad we transferred here.