*Note this story is in Masbatenyo
” An buhay san isad ka midwife kay dili gaud madali laki,” isturya ni Carina sa iya nasadiri. Bibisitahun niya an iya nga upat na pasyente yana na simana. An isad nya na pasyente kay babaye na naga edad nan dise- nuwebe kag naga preparar na ini para sa iya pagaanak sa panganay niya. Gina para isturyahan ni Carina an babaye para mapakalma niya ini kag magkunay kunay gamay an iya inabatyag na sakit. Basta gani una na anak malisod gaud an pagabudos hasta sa pag-anak sani, samu san dapat na ikabalaka, damu man pod san naiisip nakung nanu-nanu, pero ini si Carina aram niya gaud an dapat na pagahimuon. Halos pira na kadekada na naga serbisyu bilang isad ka midwife. Kag makikita mo man gani sa iya sadiri dayun na ekpersyado na klasi san midwife. ” Ayaw mahandal, kay adi man ako. Magiging ayus an tanan.”
Ginkuha ni Carina an malabaab na tuwalya kag ginbutang sa idalum san likod san babaye. “Ibutang ko ini ha kay agud dili ka matugnawan, samtang nagahulat kita sa imu pagbata.” Amu ini an sabi ni Carina sa iya nga pasyente. ” Kay nanu dli paba nakon ini e iri?” Hunga san babaye sa iya na napahiyum nala si Carina. ” Ayaw anay. Kinahanglan natun gihapon na hulatun na ansakto na kung san- o niya gusto na maglabas. Kay dili pa niya oras. Sige samtang nanagahulat kita mag uru isturyahan anay kita, kwento kadaw tungkol sa imu nga asawa.”
An pakikipag-isturyahan an permi na nakakapakalma gaud sa mga iloy kag dida man si Carina matibay makiupod kag bilang usad na taga pamati. An babaye kag an iya nga asawa nga lalaki nagtaban lang gali ini hali sa inda nga lugar, kay dili intugutan san inda mga guinikanan na mag- upod bilang usad namag- asawa. An asawa man nalalaki naga paningkamot gaud, halos pira nagani kabulan na wara uli- uli kay nagtrabahu sa syudad. Naghinulat an asawa nababaye na makauli ini siya kay mauli kuno ini sa yana nasimana kaso wara paman naga abut pa. Dili niya maattendiran an pagluwas san inda na panganay na anak. ” Aram mo, miski sino man gaud ginalaom gaud natun na dapat ada gaud atun asawa kay miski sina lang napamaagi makabulig manla atun asawa”, sabay tawa ni Carina kag amu man an babaye. Tungod sana midyu nawara na an hadlok.
Aram ni Carina na dili magiging madali an pagaanak sani kag mas madudugayan pa dili parehu san iba. ” Mas maayus na Lang gani kay preparado na nakon an tanan na kinahanglanon,” isip niya. Dapat permi gaud handa sa miski nanu na mangyayari.
Pero bigla nalang na may natakdag saiya nga abaga banda ni Carina, kag didto na bagan bigla nakaudong siya sa pagginhawa kalit kay kinalasan siya. Pero nagtawa nala siya. Kay kinahanglan na dili siya makitaan san kahadlok kag luya san iya nga pasyente, lalo na nakikita nya na nalilisodan ini sa iya nga pag- anak.
Tapos napamuda nala bigla si Carina san maduduman niya na an iya lemon kay nabilin sa trysikle san naga byahi siya. ” Cge lang, maisip nala ako iba pana pamaagi na pwede magamit.” Sabi ni Carina sa sadiri. Igwa paman pano siya san kawayan na matarom sa iya bag. Mas maayu na inan preparado sa nanu man na mangyari.
” Sige tistengan natun ini, pikit mo imu nga mata ha!” Kag ayaw gaud pag imuklat samtang dili kopa nainasabi ha?” Kusog na tingog na sugo niya sa babaye. Miski sa nanu na bagay makikita mo gihapon na bagan may kung nanu siya na inasabi. ” Kay nanu, may problema ba ?” Hunga san babaye na may kahadlok.
” Ah wara man, kinahanglan kolang na tangkason an pesti ,” sabat ni Carina sabay tahub san mga bata sani. Pasalamat nalang gaud kay adtu si Carina. Amu an iya nga kaupod sadtu na gab-e.
” Sa yana, ipadayun mona imu paga kwento tungkol sa imu nga asawa. Kay daw dugay pa bago mag-aga.”
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English Version
“The life of a midwife isn’t so hard,” Carina reflects. She’s seeing her 4th patient this week. The woman is only 19 years old and preparing for the birth of her first child. Carina speaks calmly and reassures the woman. It’s always difficult for first timers, so many fears going through their heads, but Carina knows what she’s doing. She’s been a midwife for more than a decade and she speaks with a voice sharpened by experience, “It’s going to be okay, I’m here.”
She grabs the warm towels and puts them underneath the woman’s back. “This should keep you comfortable while we wait for the baby,” Carina reassures her patient. “Should I push now?” the woman is calmer now, Carina smiles, “Not yet, we still have to wait. Why don’t you tell me about you husband?”
Talking always helps the mothers calm down and Carina is a good listener. The young woman and her husband eloped to this part of the country, their parents didn’t approve of their marriage. The husband had been trying to find work for months and went to the city to see if there was anything there. He was expected back next week and the woman is disappointed he won’t be here for the birth of their child. “Oh you can always expect that from husbands,” Carina laughs. The woman laughs as well, humor wins over fear most of the time.
Carina knows this is going to be a hard labor, and it will take a few hours before the actual work will happen. “It’s a good thing I prepared everything,” she thinks to herself. It always paid to be prepared.
Something wet suddenly falls on Carina’s shoulder and her breath stops for a moment. She smiles. Carina can’t let the woman see any hint of fear, childbirth is already hard enough without worrying about something like this.
Carina silently curses under her breath for forgetting about the suha. She must have left it in the tricycle on her way here. “No use worrying about that now,” she thinks. There’s still the sharpened piece of bamboo in her bag. It always paid to be prepared.
“Okay, we’re going to try something, so just close your eyes okay? And don’t open them until I say so,” Carina’s voice is sterner now, but the edge of experience still shines through. “Is something wrong?” The woman voice has a hint of fear.
“Oh no, nothing wrong. I just need to take care of a pest.” Carina closes the woman’s eyelids, thankfully she was looking at Carina the whole night. “Now just keep telling me about that husband of yours. We have a long night ahead of us.”
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*Pomelo fruit
*Masbateño or Minasbate is a Bicol-Visayan language spoken by more than 600,000 people, primarily in the province of Masbate in the Philippines. It is very close to Capiznon, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo and Waray-Waray, all three spoken in Visayas. It is considered a Bisakol language, meaning a language intermediate between Visayan languages and Bicolano languages.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Masbatenyo Translation by Angel Papilosa
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Angel Papilosa
Inspired by the Wak-wak entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Wak-wak (Surigao) Illustration and Watercolor by Nightmaresyrup
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