time to get to know each other

so, we've been holed up in this pension for days.  Brief trips outside have been welcome, but mostly we are here, alone with each other and ourselves.  Right now I am watching 3 PCVs doing yoga in an open hallway as myself and a few others do computer things.   We are eating shawarma and hummus and naan.   lunch and dinner... repeat...   drinking red wine.  The storm, Ruby, ended up being quite the lady...  She was demure... not showing us where she wanted to go at first, but once she decided to move, she moved delicately.... swerving around the areas that matter the most to me.  It now looks now like she will head off into the Pacific, barely touching Manila.  She's still out there... Southeast of us, but I think she has good manners an will just take her things and go.

So many volunteers... an extraordinary group of american young people.  That our country could exclusively be filled with such a bright, diverse, courageous, talented, intelligent, giving, and even beautiful group such as this...  it would make all the difference in the future.  To a person, they are all at some point on a quest to become fluent in Bicolano and/or Tagalog.  Most live with other filipino families as this helps their assimilation into communities, improves safety concerns, and speeds up language development skills.  Some are signing on for another year, others are using this time to write applications to graduate school.  Others have only been on island for less than 6 months.  One gal entered the PC married and is now divorced.  At least three have developed significant relationships with filipinas.  One guy has a music collection even larger than the one that I accidentally destroyed here a few months ago.  There are three main programs in PC here:  Coastal Resource Management, Social Services, and Education.  As best I can tell they populated rather evenly with PCVs.  Of course, the PCV programs run parallel with the program that I am in, which is PCRV.

Ive talked quite a bit with this one guy. He a giant of a man; obviously works out daily.  I told him that my son has the same interests.... targeted body definition, I call it.  He's lived in Seattle and other places... got his degree from Univ of Hawaii.  Id figure him to be about 6'1", 210 and well, he's cut like a stone.  I'd say he bears a striking resemblance to Lebron James (tho he will be pissed if he heard me tell it!) We were talking around one night about places we wanted visit in the world... One gal, her home is just a few miles down the road from where Jean and I lived in MD, her goal is to learn the 3 main asian languages, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin.  She is a korean american, and already fluent  in Mandarin and Tagalog,  She wants to spend a good amount of time in both Japan and Korea.   Another person noted Nepal because of the mountains.  My friend....  well, he didnt have an answer.  His only comment was "I never had a passport before Peace Corps so this is the first time Ive been out of the US,  Im just happy to be here".  So, we changed the question.  "OK, so you don't care where you go.... Tell me, where do you NOT want to go?"  He didnt skip a beat in his answer. "That's easy.  I don't want to go to prison."

I wonder how many white volunteers would answer those two question the same was as my new african american friend....

I am blessed.  And so are you!  Thank you all for your concern.  Im not sure when Im headed back to site.... it may be as early as tomorrow, but with PC you never know.  I'll keep you posted...

the waiting game

Today, we were met in the Pension by our Country Director who let us know that PC is here to take care of us.  Because of the slow forward movement of the storm, our length of stay here in Manila is looking like it will be much longer than the initially expected three days.  As best I can tell, I expect to be here for a week or so.  Good for me, I suppose, but I know Im going to be missed at site, where they need me now more than ever.

Anyway, beginning at 5p tonight, we are required remain here at the pension until further notice- leaving for any reason will be considered unacceptable and cause for immediate termination of service.  Harsh... but understandable.  So, we are all sort of hunkering down.  I went to the mall and bought a few food tidbits (including cheddar cheese!!!)  and then I crashed for a couple hours.  When PC came by, they brought a bunch of board games and books - I thought that was a nice touch!  I picked up "Cuba Libre", by Elmore James.  

I feel that my past few posts have been downers...  I guess I am just really tired and worried.  I know things will work out and that whatever happens next is just another test designed to make me stronger.  And this holds true not just for me, but for my counterparts at site as well.  Things will work out in divine order.

Sleepless in Manila

A very rough trip last night brought us into Manila on time at 4a.  By the time we got to our pension it was after 5.  I am grateful that the travel occurred without a hitch, but I am filled with worry.  Not for me, but for the friends and colleagues I left behind.

On a positive note, at least for my region, the typhoon is tracking more westward than northward, which means wind damage will be less severe in my area, with expected sustained winds peaking at around 100/kph.    Storm surge estimates however still exceed 18 feet, and that IS severe.  This, plus the rainfall.  But again, I am grateful... those in the typhoons direct path will deal with this, plus typhoon force winds of the most intense magnitude.

Anyways..   its like a bowling ball that has been released down the lane...  its just a matter of time before it strikes... and we begin to pick up the pieces... again.

I got this message today from a woman I admire more than most.  She is someone quite close to me and my family.  These words are not her's, but from a friend of hers, whom she's met and who also does important work in the Philippines... In the spirit of community, Im forwarding her thoughts because they in many ways mirror my own.  (Thank you Anika, you are loved!).  The only thing I would add to this is this:

Thoughts in your mind reproduce after their kind.  Be so very careful of what you think, let alone say.  If you spend a moment today pointing blame rather than engaging in positive change... you are wasting your potential.  In that moment of casting blame YOU BECOME THE PROBLEM!  Unlike the gal in this post... perhaps I am pointing a finger....   Have the courage, expend the calories to become a force of positive influence in the lives of others and watch your own life unfold in beautiful ways.  I believe that the universe is crafted in this way.  What you give you also shall receive.  This concept is universally shared in all of the worlds main religions.  What will you give today besides your opinion?  The world already has too many empty words.
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Backpedaling in view of Ruby

With a pretty daft start into this last day of the week, I was just observing myself bitching about what I may call my problems and frustrations. But then, I am back in touch with my friends and colleagues in the Philippines, who are - almost exactly one year and one month after the massive calamity that typhoon Yolanda caused on 7 November 2013 - currently preparing for the next approaching typhoon, Ruby, already dealt with as new super typhoon. And I realise that I should better just. hold. my. breath.

It has been just a couple of weeks, that Kakay (Kareen) and the supporters of HIP officially handed over our beautifully rebuilt and improved communal buildings on the islets in Bantayan, all heavily affected by Yolanda, and, only a small number of all the areas pretty much forgotten in the crazy (international) aid run into Tacloban and Leyte / Samar last Christmas and after. Not only are all the immense work, love, commitment, and resources put into these projects now again at stake, much worse are also the people living in the track of Yolanda at that time and, again, Ruby this time, threatened once more.

This, what may be my longest Facebook post ever, will also be my last for this year, as I feel increasingly sick looking at the daily expressed egocentric superficiality, personal pseudo-drama, and expressions of iPhone-, handbag- or other consumables-mania that fill the daily horizon of so many, albeit its morally conflicting nature with the lived realities of so many. It is the ME that matters, particularly here on Facebook.

While us here in the West, comfortably feeding our healthy buts with cookies, wine, and consumption for Christmas, "others" are RIGHT NOW fearing for their lives, do not know how to feed their kids at night, or where to find shelter. The pictures of Ruby leave not only myself wondering, how much more will have to happen until 'mankind' will eventually start rethinking and taking joint responsibility for what is happening in the world, with our people and our nature.

While I had and have the chance to travel, to make friends around the world, I am not able to distance myself anymore from the pictures of catastrophes I see on TV, from the bad news we receive on a daily basis, from fears and problems friends, families of friends and friends' friends around the world are facing. These hours, I find not only my colleagues and friends in the Philippines rightly worried, preparing to avoid the repetition of last year's disaster. Also my friends and family here, especially those who supported HIP and all our post-Yolanda efforts throughout the past year, are deeply concerned in view of the expected landfall of Ruby, reassuring myself that there ARE other things that MATTER and that there still exists something called SOLIDARITY.

Without a wagging finger, this is the attempt of a reminder (to myself and others) to backpedal for a minute, and be it in the festive sense of Christmas season - it is never too late to put things and "problems" into perspective.

In that sense - have a joyful X-Mas season everyone and - most importantly - be safe!

a game changer...

So we are packing up and heading to the bus station in one hour.  The bus from Naga to Manila leaves at 8p, arriving in Manila at 4a.  The typhoon will hit the Philppines sometime tomorrow.  It looks like we will feel it in Manila around Sunday.  Given the strength of this storm, and understanding the recent history in Lagonoy with typhoon Glenda this past June, I am figuring that I've seen the last of electricity there.   Im not sure how that is going to affect my postings once I get back to site.  These next few posts might very well be the last for awhile...  I will still record my thoughts on paper and transfer them  online whenever I am able.

A few of us were talking today...  events like this truly define our Peace Corps experience.  That is, in years to come we will look at the PC adventure as "before Ruby" and "after Ruby".  There is no doubt that what will happen in the next 72 hours will drastically change my next two months of service.  The damage prediction maps I am seeing show Lagonoy in the path of "catastrophic" damage.  Thats a step up from "Severe".

It is really sad, and frightening.  After Yolanda last year, I am told that many PCVs just cashed it in and went home early because their towns were completely destroyed. There was nothing to go back to.  Ruby isn't as large, thankfully, but every disaster is different.  It is certainly way stronger than Glenda and is still a Category 4 typhoon.  They estimate that the typhoon could bring over 1 foot of rain and Ive seen storm surge estimates exceeding 15 feet.  That is going to wipe out barangays along the Lagonoy Gulf.  Landslides will be life threatening.  Flooding will be severe.

And yet, outside my window, I see the good folks of Naga just going about their evenings... as if nothing is going to happen.  Sorry, I am having a surreal moment.

Skirting the storm

Made it to Naga, along with 20 or so other volunteers.  Last night was a trip and a half!  The streets were teeming with people; so many people it was hard to walk in the sidewalks... I suppose this was normal for Naga, but certainly unusual to this Lagonoyian!  .

I ended up at a bar with a few PCVs...  I remember eating "olive pesto" (Yum!) There was live music.  In fact, one of the PCVs is in a relationship with the young man who performed and it seems they are very close.  It was so interesting watching the dynamic of that situation...  One of the things that is fascinating is that so many of these volunteers know one another... and they are obviously very close.  Of course, I am the "oldie"; they are much younger than I.  It makes me envious in a number of ways.  Anyway, I probably drank too much and danced too much because I don't remember much!

So, I find it interesting that Peace Corps is calling  this event a "consolidation" rather than an "evacuation".  They are pulling us together but don't want anyone to have the impression that we are getting out of harms way.  Im sitting here now getting an internet update on the typhoon just offshore.  It looks to be making landfall in  a day or so.  Luckily, current models of the typhoon path show that it is not likely to track north.  This means that it appears unlikely that it will pass directly over Lagonoy, but rather track south by a couple of hundred kilometers.   A close call but not a direct hit!  As it looks, it will mean wind and a ton of rain, but no destruction...   I am praying!

This is all costing me money, by the way.  PC gave us 3000ps in advance emergency money for such a situation, but I had already begun thinking of that advance as money that I would use for my vacation!   Sadly, Ive got to use that now to pay for hotel and food expenses related for this event.  So, in the end, this damn typhoon is costing money that I could have spent on Palawan... and that has me a bit disturbed as well.   Oh well!

Alert! Coming soon, to a neighborhood near me....

This one looks like its going to hit us.  Current tracking has Typhoon Ruby reaching "Super Typhoon" status just about the time it will make landfall in East Samar in essentially the same location where Yolanda hit last year.  There is a 25% chance that the path of the eye will shift north, toward Lagonoy.  That would be quite unfortunate!  While thankfully, not as strong as Yolanda, it is still expected to be the strongest storm of the year.

A "Super" typhoon is recognized as such by sustained wind velocity of 150mph.   Ummm... thats a strong wind indeed!  And then there is the issue of storm surge.  Storm surge is a phenomena that occurs during a hurricane or typhoon.  Essentially the water ion the ocean gets 'pushed' forward by the strength of the wind.  Not a problem in itself, until the waves reach landfall. Imagine holding a cup of water that is full to the brim.  Now, blow hard over the top of the cup... what happens?  That is storm surge!  Storm surge is not the same as flooding because with a storm surge, the event happens quickly, and the damage is violent and extensive...much like a tsunami.  Storm surge from Ruby is expected to exceed 4 meters in coastal locations.. thats a wall of water about 13 feet high.   I have seen so many villages since i got here that are built OVER the water... out of bamboo and other natural materials..  These folks had better get out of the way!  Hopefully, the word will get out to them in time.  If history is any indicator, they will lose everything but their lives but theywill return to the same location to rebuild again.. .probably sometime next week.   Amazing!

During my last PC service in Antigua, both Jean and I witnessed the damage wrought by hurricane Hugo, a Cat 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 135mph.  That was a long, scary night!  90% of the roofs on the neighboring island of Montserrat were significantly damaged or destroyed.   PC admin is obviously taking this threat very seriously.  All volunteers in the country have been ordered to prepare a "go kit" in case a quick evacuation is called.  The staging site for my area is a pension in Naga City, should an evacuation be ordered.

The administrator has called an emergency meeting of the municipal disaster planning council within the hour and I have been invited to speak.  It will be interested to see how that goes!

Being open to change

Caramoan disaster conference cancelled because of the threat of Typhoon Ruby which is expected to hit just south of Lagonoy on Saturday.  Well, how about that?  I thought that the threat of a typhoon was over, but here you go... Ruby expected landfall on 12/6, 13 months since Super Typhoon Yolanda hit this country.

Hopefully, it will shift direction at the last minute like the last one did.  We will see.  So now my weekend is open with only heavy weather to look forward to...

Speaking of changes in plans, Ive decided to take another direction with respect to my trip to Palawan.  Typically, when traveling for recreation, I prefer to keep my itinerary roughly planned, with no hotel reservations.  Heck, Jean and I did our honeymoon to Ireland that way and it worked out well!  In this case, I am booking hotels in advance for the most part.  This pegs me to certain towns on certain dates and that makes me a bit nervous.  I mean, you never know... anything can happen and then Id be forced to pay for another, likely more expensive room in different town.  But my experience in Lapu Lapu spooked me a little bit.  I didnt like arriving there with no plan and no known place to lay my head.  I guess Im getting old!  In this case, I do like the comfort of having a planned trip.  Plus, from a practical side... because Northern Palawan has very spotty electricity, I really can't be sure they accept credit and my cash is limited.  Booking the room online in advance allows me to pay with credit and do the research to uncover cheap, but nice places.  So far, Ive found two places that run about $30/night.  Both are cottages located on the beach, one in Port Barton and one in el Nido.  I was trying to get a tent in a campground at a spot that is supposed to be just out of this world - the place is called "Thelma and Toby's Island Camp Adventure" - but they are booked solid.  Disappointing, but "Cassandra's Cottages" looks pretty darned inviting as well.  Check them out by doing a google on "Cassandra's Cottages and Port Barton".

But enough of that.  I an pressed to write today about the senses I experience here in Lagonoy.  There are things here that the senses cannot deny.  The senses that define poverty:  the sounds of roosters in the morning, of pigs being slaughtered, the sight of naked children running in the neighborhood and the smell of shit in the street.

There are also other senses, however, and I choose to focus on them.. the sense of community that I witness.  The openness and trust to strangers that is palatable and rarely betrayed.  The experience of walking down the street and seeing just so many smiles - I tell you, it lifts the heart!  There is a sense of joy here that I cannot explain to someone who has not seen this.  The singing!  The laughter!  The dance! As an american, I had every reason to expect that these notions of decency and community were gone forever, but here they live and serve as a testament to define the progress that can be regained in our own culture.   I just hope that we, as americans, finally wake up and realize that there are still lessons to learn and that some of them begin with a kind heart and an extended hand to our neighbors - regardless of their skin color, religion, or social standing.