Red Pens and Red Sunsets

As the red sun drowns beneath the fire-colored sea and the full moon rises from the East casting an eerie dark blue light on the white sands of the beach, Henry Uddon arrives to his home a few meters the shore. One may be tempted to think that his life is a paradise only obtained by a lucky few. It is, he claimed, but it is far from the perfect haven we often hear.

Being a teacher at the nearby secondary school, he wakes up at four every morning not just to prepare himself, but also his two kids for the day ahead. He also checks the tourist reservations for their family compound turned transient house, especially when Brgy. Saud’s white sand beaches are a tourist spots in Ilocos Norte. “When you depend only on your salary in teaching, it will never be enough,” he said, “so here we have our businesses: transient house, and t-shirt printing, and also this, our store.”

He pointed to the small retail store where we were interviewing him. The store vendor lights a cigarette stick, its smoke wafting in our direction.

“Souvenir making, also. We find different ways to gain money,” he added.

Living with his wife’s family and his own, as with any typical Filipino household, Henry and his siblings all help each other to survive their day-to-day lives. “In my family, we are four siblings, I am the eldest. One is also a teacher and the other is in Singapore. One is still studying but already has a wife, staying in Manila.”

He first wanted to study civil engineering but his parents’ financial difficulty led him to study teaching instead. And after eight years of working eight hours a day for five days a week, he is satisfied. When talking about his students, “Of course, happy,” he said, “Especially if they took a program related to the subjects I’m teaching, you’ll feel that you inspired them.”

But being a teacher also has its sacrifices, especially with the character of the new generation of students. There are also new policies of the government that force teachers to untraditional teaching styles regarding student punishment, which must not be physically nor psychologically abusive. “Because before you really have to listen to your teachers, but now teachers are scared. There’s no more, what they call, corporal punishment. Teachers avoid that because it’s dangerous. We have a child protection policy.”

When asked further what positions the government should take and what his desires are for the country in the future. He said, “For me, it really depends on us as to what happens in the future. And our president also, it depends on how we govern the country. Of course, we follow that.” He explained that, “We should have a nation that is satisfied. Reduce suffering because even today many are still suffering. Especially those that are looking for jobs, for example. Especially here in Pagudpud, there’s a lot of businesses. Before, there was none like this here. But now, we’re improving a bit. Tourists are now visiting.”

“Rizal will really fight for what he stands for, for what is right. Maybe I am also like that. You should fight for your right. But also, sometimes, I need to understand the other. Even if you’re offended, you also need to widen your thinking,” he said when asked about the hero, Jose Rizal.

He further added, “Heroes are not just those who are idolized. You, you can be a hero in your own way. Helping others, that’s important. Even if nobody sees you, you don’t long for a reward. That’s a hero.”

#hero