Your City Promdi

This is Your City Promdi. Not! (Photo from the Internet)

The Stereotype

The "probinsyana" (and the "probinsyano") is also known as the "promdi," or someone "from the province," which is exactly what it sounds like. In the Philippines, there's a certain image of them--naive, very shy, very rustic, very backward, very unpolished...well, you get the picture. And all that is total bullcrap.


The Real Promdis

The real promdis are simple (not simpletons!), yes, at least compared to the city sophisticates. But that doesn't mean they're any less smart or confident. In fact, the promdis are experienced, very communal, very hardy, very resilient, and very street-smart in the ways of the provinces. Unfortunately, this is very hard to see when the promdis--the dalagang bukid gets plucked out of the province and plonked down to the unyielding concrete of the city.


Promdis in the City

Most promdis eventually learn to blend in the city, and eventually thrive in the admittedly-rich environment of the urban landscape. They learn to hide their accents, flaunt a bit more fashion, and keep up with the pace of the city. But most never forget that their feet were once one with the soil, that their lungs used to know clean, fresh air, and that some part of their heart will always remember the province as home.

 
Your City Promdi

Your City Promdi is one of these people. Polished and city-stamped on the outside, all earthy and mushy and idyllically ideal on the inside. Almost a decade it had been since she moved from her home in the agricultural province of Quezon to the Philippine capital, Manila, to complete her bachelor's degree.

She's felt insecure about her obvious promdi-ness when she first arrived in the city. She's been lost countless times in the maze of streets and the curdling chaos of the city crowd. She's been homesick for the smells and tastes of the country. 

And yet, Your City Promdi also fell in love.

She's longed for the richness of experience and entertainment that makes the city so vibrant. She's learned many of the ins and outs of the daily commute, the many transactions, and the process shortcuts. She's felt confident in her growth as a person.

Your City Promdi will always be a child of two polar opposites. She's all the richer for it. And she'll try to share her acquired knowledge and experiences through this blog.

P.S.: Don't worry, Your City Promdi won't use this ridiculous third person account everytime. This is just her getting-her-feet-wet-in-blogging mode. :)