Our Ancestral House

27
Andre Manguba
7 - Marian


OUR ANCESTRAL HOUSE


We have an ancestral house in our province, Cagayan. This house is where my grandparents live and also some of my relatives. My family and I usually visit here whenever it is our summer break or sometimes, whenever we feel like to.


What I love about our ancestral house is that it still has that homely feeling despite of its old structure. The house’s exterior and interior design were inspired of a typical old-fashioned Spanish house. Just when you walk inside, you will feel the warm atmosphere which relaxes me after a long trip. Whenever we eat, they serve us appetizing home recipes made by my grandmother. At our backyard stands a “bahay-kubo” surrounded by numerous kinds of plants. Beside it was a piggery where my grandparents’ helpers get pigs and cook them when there are special occasions. On the second floor, you will see some rooms, each with a different, unique design. The first room was my aunt’s room. Her room had attractive floral patterns. It had its own drawer and has this one of a kind closet where she used to place her collections of dolls. The second room was my uncle’s. Unlike the other rooms, this had a Chinese motif in it. It was actually my favorite room because of its interesting features. The last room was my dad’s room. His room was the biggest among all rooms. It had a very spacious closet and drawer. The room had a really fascinating interior design. It was like you were actually in the period of the Spanish occupation. What was fascinating about this room were the small windows on the lower parts of the walls. The house also has a very palatial terrace overviewing the whole village.

What I think on what our ancestral house would look like after fifty years, is that its style would change into a more contemporary, urban look. I would love this to happen since I’d like to be an architect at the same time, an interior designer in the future. This would be a great thing, although it will lose its style’s sentimental value. Who knows what changes would likely happen in our ancestral house in the future?


In my opinion, it is still preferable for my family not to change our ancestral house’s look. As I see it in the future, we will still be having more enjoyable and cherished moments and I know that the family spirit will surely never die.