One time, I tagged along with my Tarlac friend (whom I met at UPB) when she went shopping at Baguio's marketplace. At one point, she was bargaining with a saleslady in Iloko and the saleslady was insisting on a certain high price, but then my friend said she won't be able to catch a ride home anymore if she spends such an amount.
The three of us laughed at the statement.
She turned to me, bewildered because they'd been speaking Iloko the whole time. "Naintindihan mo 'yon Kuya?"
"Ilokano ako," I retorted.
But then my answer lingered in the air, because although she knows I'm from La Union, she hasn't ever heard me speak Iloko. And can I blame her? I don't generally speak Iloko. I can recognize quite a few sentences because I've been exposed to aunts and uncles who speak it, and perhaps I can construct a few simple sentences with the grammar instincts instilled in me, but... I guess I never really got the chance to practice speaking it with people. And because of that, I have a narrow vocabulary as well.
I kinda feel bad that I didn't get to speak it that much, but I guess it isn't too late to learn and practice now and formalize the stuff I know, right?
Hahaha. So yeah. Send Iloko asks HAHAjk. Anyone wanna practice with me from time to time? 🤣
