//I don’t have my laptop with me so I ended up buying a desktop computer, and damn, I’m having a hard time adjusting to a 23″ monitor. Plus all my swatches and brushes are gone… And it doesn’t help that my external hard drive isn’t working, there goes all my back up files…
I guess what I’m trying to say is, my drawings might, no, it will definitely be off for who knows when. So please bear with the inconsistencies and thank you for your patience.
Kiku Honda is a Japanese immigrant living in Davao City, Philippines. He moved to the Philippines with his father when he was just 9 years old. Growing up to a multi-cultural country, he is fluent in a number of Philippine languages. He is also one of the few Japanese that is fluent in English.
Kiku is a peace loving individual and rarely looses his cool. He is pretty good in resolving conflict. He is dependable and gets along well with people, some even see him as an older brother figure.
A hard working and intelligent young man, he is currently finishing his High school education while working as a houseboy for a wealthy Spanish lady. He also works as a tutor to help him save up for college. One more year to go and he is off to Manila to get college degree.
Wow never thought I find an ask/ story blog based on real life situations and a war that is barely touched. I like the concept, it's great and well done, keep up the good work
If I don't pass, worst case scenario is that I don't graduate. At the very least, it will lower my grade average and it could affect my college applications.
How do you like your work? the gardening and tutoring stuff?
Overall, I really like the jobs I have. I have a great boss, I'm able to save money for college and I have some free time to spend with my friends. Really, I can't complain.
Kiku, do you know Bisaya? Kasabot ba ka sa imong mga kauban?
Oh, and of course, I can speak Nihonggo.
Notes:
There are many languages and dialects used in the Philippines. Tagalog, Chavacano and Bisaya are just some of them.
Tagalog, also known as the Filipino language, is the language spoken in the capital city of Manila and surrounding provinces.
Bisaya is the language/s spoken in the Visayas region and some parts of Mindanao. Actually, there are several languages/dialects spoken in the Visayas, but one of the most spoken is Cebuano, the language used in Cebu. (Now correct me if I’m wrong, but often times, when people say Bisaya, they are referring to Cebuano.)
Chavacano is a Spanish based creole language, commonly spoken in some parts of Cavite and several places in Mindanao.
Those guys are my barkada. They are my closest friends.
^This is Davide Bago. He’s the “leader” of our group. A lively fellow and very friendly, he is quite popular in our neighborhood. His family is pretty well off and they live in a big house. He’s quite active in a lot of extracurricular activities in and outside of school and is a very responsible kid.
^This is Hadji Syed Kudarat. He doesn’t talk much and looks serious, but he’s nice and knows how to get along with people. You can always depend on him when you need help. I rather enjoy our conversations, he’s pretty mature for his age.
^This is Leon Wang. He’s the adopted son of a British woman, my English tutor. They moved here from Hong Kong when he was very young. He looks serious, and its hard to tell what he’s thinking, but be careful. He is famous around town for his mischief
Here are my other friends from school:
^This is Maria Ligaya Dela Cruz. Like her name suggest, she’s a cheerful girl. At 18 years old, she’s the second oldest in class after me. She works at my boss’ house as a maid but my boss helped her be able to get back to school to finish her studies.
^This is Cecilia Maxilom. She’s our class president. She’s one no nonsense, independent girl. She’s smart and focused on her studies. Davide has been courting her for a couple of months now, and she haven’t noticed it at all.
^This is Hayato Kobayashi. At 14, he’s the youngest in our class and one of the few Japanese enrolled in our school. His parents works at my boss’ Abaca plantation. He’s uh, a sprightly sort of fellow and he keeps calling me ‘nii-chan.
Characters Credits:
Davide Bago (APH Davao) by @apricusapothecary / @ask-emilz-de-philz
Hadji Syed Kudarat (APH Mindanao) by @apricusapothecary / @ask-emilz-de-philz
Cecilia Maxilom (APH Cebu) by @apricusapothecary / @ask-emilz-de-philz
Maria Ligaya Dela Cruz (APH Philippines) by @exelion-star / https://exelionstar.deviantart.com/
Davide Bago (APH Davao) by @apricusapothecary / @ask-emilz-de-philz
Hadji Syed Kudarat (APH Mindanao) by @apricusapothecary / @ask-emilz-de-philz
Cecilia Maxilom (APH Cebu) by @apricusapothecary / @ask-emilz-de-philz
Maria Ligaya Dela Cruz (APH Philippines) by @exelion-star / https://exelionstar.deviantart.com/ (omg, have I asked your permission to use her? I don’t remember, I hope its ok!)
In my school, they call it JROTC, but everyone just refers to it as ROTC and lots of kids go straight into the military from it, so I believe it can go either way? I've honestly never heard it called CAT.
//thanks anon. I think CAT is a Philippines thing. When I googled it, all the results was from the Ph.
If the US version of CAT is JROTC, it’s probably the same thing that was implemented in the 1940′s since the Ph was still under US rule.
Are you in hs or college? Bc in college it's rotc and in hs its cat
//Kiku is in high school [x]. And you are right anon, when it comes to high school military training, it’s usually CAT (Citizen Army/Advancement Training).
However, Kiku’s character is based on a real person. He’s a Japanese immigrant and he was in high school in Davao city just before the war broke and he wrote that they had ROTC training. (Sorry, I’m not giving you anymore info about him, coz spoilers.)
I did do a quick research about the history of ROTC, but I could not get a clear answer if high school students also participated in the training. But there is such a thing as Junior ROTC for high school students. I did not see any info if this was implemented in pre-war Philippines, but perhaps this is what the person behind Kiku’s character meant. It wouldn’t be surprising that HS students also had some military training considering the situation at the time.
But if there’s anyone who can clarify the issue, please feel free to enlighten me. Send in a link or perhaps your grandparents have told you something, please tell me.
I know I’m too old to be in high school, but it was tough when I first moved here. Aside from money matters, I didn’t know the language and culture. I had to take special classes while helping my father earn money.
Maybe I could take up law, or maybe something in the field of medicine…
Kiku, what made you want to move to the Philippines of all places?
I was just 9 years old when I moved to the Philippines. I’ve been living here in Davao City for 14 years! My, how time flies, I didn’t even realize I’ve been here that long.
Notes:
There were many Japanese immigrants living in the Philippines in the early 1900′s.
By the 1940′s, the largest Japanese immigrant community is located in Davao city, with a population reaching up to 20,000.
//I’ve restarted the blog and deleted everything in the inbox. I’ve also made some changes in the story, so hopefully, this will go more smoothly than the last time.
Also please make sure to check out the links below.