That was interesting!

A wet wet wet weekend.  The tropical storm essentially passed right overhead with strong winds and plenty of rain.  Sporadic flooding throughout the barangays, but we heard no word of landslides, so that was good.    The Emergency Management office was opened all weekend with folks going in and out...   The office itself served as a gathering spot for the men and women who might be needed for search/ rescue and/or evacuation activities.  Information was very difficult to gather because electricity to the region was halted due to safety concerns.  Cell phones were the only means of communication.  No generator, no internet, no AM radio - we were basically in the dark through the worst of it.  Then the water supply was cut.

I did manage to visit the radio station for a song, traveling the 10 or so miles in the rain by jeepney and padjack... NO topical storm was going to stop that from happening!   I wouldn't miss those gathering for the world!

The sun is shining today though and there is nary a cloud in the sky!

One story.... on Friday at around lunchtime, before the rain started, I was sitting in the Mayors office surfing the net.  Someone approached me and asked if I wanted to go with them to a party!  Sureeee, why not, right?!  I walked outside and about 8 people were sitting in a truck so I hop in and off we go!  Turns out we were headed right back to the east coastal barangay that I visited on Thursday!  When we arrive, I was ushered through the tiny village to someones home.  There is a feast awaiting!!!  So much food!  So delicious!

So, my workmates and I are eating, and I get to wondering... why are we here?  What is the reason?  Are we celebrating something?  Well, yes, as it turns out I am told that we are celebrating an anniversary!!  Well, that makes perfect sense, right?

So we all eat our fill.. by now its probably around 12:30 and we leave the home and walk a bit further into the village.  We join a group men and women who are gathered around a videoke machine at the head of a beach. There are chairs arranged in essentially two circles... there's the men's circle.. and then, the women's circle.  What comes next?  The cases of ginebra, of course... and more food appears... and then the cases of brandy appear.... I really don't know who was drinking more, the men or the women, but before long everyone was having a really good time, I will tell you.

We stayed for another hour or so, and then piled back into the truck for the ride back to work!
So fun!

Later, I found out a little more about the party...  they indeed were celebrating an anniversary.... not a wedding anniversary.. but the anniversary of someone's death.  It was a remembrance party, for the death of a loved one that I had just attended!