A Different Kind of Paradise

                First, allow me to apologize. I know I mentioned last time that the sun was shining, so I didn’t write much as to not waste the few precious hours of daylight I had in paradise. Shortly after posting that, our internet went out at the hotel for basically the remainder of our stay there. I honestly didn’t complain as, instead, I used this time to disconnect from the world and focus on “we” time (I’ve decided that this is “me” time, but while in the company of a few others). As an introvert, this quiet was truly a blessing. Now, I’m typing this post while on a 12 and ½ hour flight from Tokyo to Dallas. Although a long journey across the world, I oddly treasure this time on a plane as it continues to allow self-reflection and quietness. In these moments, I’ve decided to write my final post from the trip. As per tradition, please enjoy my most recent annual list – Top 10 Things Meg Will Miss About the Philippines:

1. The kind people. Veronica immediately comes to mind. She, like so many other Filipinos, are constantly giving selflessly. I strive to naturally obtain that quality!

2. The work ethic. Filipinos, specifically those in Tacloban, are the hardest working people that I have ever met. I only hope that I can always remember their drive and perseverance and bring even just a small amount of that back with me.

3. The various modes of transportation. I’m not really sure how to explain this one, but suffice it to say that nearly all of them are compact, economically friendly, and can fit at least twice as many people as you would think. One of my favorites are tricycles (“trikes”) which are 3-wheeled motorcycles which somehow fit 2 people in the front, up to 4 on the benches in the back, and a countless number of people holding on and standing. As long as it’s not too weighed down to get from point A to point B, it’s good! My other favorite mode of transportation is a jeepney, which looks like a mini, run down, colorful, jeep limo. That’s probably an awful description, but these vehicles have an open trunk that you can walk into with sideways benches for seating. Why do I think they’re awesome? Because when we were too muddy after working in Pago, they would let us sit on the roof rack on top. It sounds terrifying, but the views, the breeze on a hot day, and the constant, “HEY JOE!” we got while sitting up there made it awesome!

4. How humbled I felt during my time here. I recently told my mom that this was the most poverty I’ve seen and, perhaps consequentially, the harshest living conditions that I have experienced while doing humanitarian work to date. As you have probably gathered from previous posts, I can’t get over how blessed we are to have countless things we take for granted each day. I hope that I can continue to feel humbled and changed by this trip for days, months, and years from now.

5. Fresh mangos. THEY. ARE AWESOME. If you are ever in the Philippines and you see anything mango-related on a menu, get it. It’s already guaranteed to be delicious!

6. How much I learned about giving. I’m a helper by nature. Because of this, I’ll admit that it was a tough pill to swallow when I first got to the Philippines because I knew that I singlehandedly could not fix this destruction. (Did I actually believe I could? No, but with teaching projects in the past, it was very different. This is something I hadn’t really thought of as an issue beforehand, but it definitely caught me off-guard!) This was God’s biggest lesson for me on this trip as I learned that it literally takes a village and then some in order to make even the smallest of dents, but with all of these people combined, we were able to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. All of us took this spirit to Boracay, where we gave away sheets, clothes, and towels to a family that literally lived in a box covered by a blue tarp. They were so happy to receive these items and I personally got so much more out of simply giving these things to them.

7. Knowing that I made a difference. Again, I know I was only one link in a long chain of people helping, but there were a few fleeting moments that made me feel amazing. One example is when we bought beautiful canvas paintings from Rody in Boracay. While he was wrapping our paintings and finalizing our sale, I asked him how many paintings he usually sells in a day. (“Now? In the off season? No or one… Maybe.”) When we gave him money for the three that we bought in off-season, he was so excited, that he couldn’t suppress the smile from his nearly toothless grin. He looked directly at us, held the money in the air, and said, “I have food tomorrow now! Thank you!”

8. The raw beauty of the Philippines. One can’t help but see the vast green scenery in the rural parts, the beautiful white sand off-set by transparent turquoise waters on the beaches, and the endless palm trees. Although a lot of the country that I saw is rebuilding and developing, one can’t deny that it’s Mother Nature, not man-made things, that makes this country beautiful.

9. Constant smiles and waves. Don’t believe me? Go to the Philippines. People WILL notice you.

10. The beginning of a new chapter. As some of you may already know, Ben proposed to me while we sat watching the sunset in a beautiful cove in Boracay. I laughed, I cried, and I said a lot of things like, “Seriously?! Is this real?!” In a nutshell, we are incredibly excited about our future and all that God has in store for us as our love story continues to unfold for the rest of our lives. I will forever cherish this memory from this place for the rest of my life.

To conclude this post and my narratives of my trip, I want to end with a story. Ben and I were walking down the beach in Boracay one afternoon when we ran into an older local. He spoke great English and spent the next 10 minutes basically telling us his life story. We heard all about “his country” and “his island” as well as his travels to study in Germany. He remarked how, as a kid, he always wanted to get out of the Philippines, but once he got to Europe, it was too cold for him. Because of this, he would cry all the time and reminisce about the Philippines. Although he thought Germany was beautiful, he returned as quickly as he could to his country because he missed it too much. This man ended his story with, “Germany is pretty, but it’s a different kind of paradise for me. This is my home.”

I can totally relate. Like this man, the Philippines is undeniably a paradise, but I’m excited to soon be in another, more permanent paradise: my home.

Sir? Ma'am?

                As the typhoon passes and we walk up and down the beach in the sunshine, vendors verbally interrogate you with whatever they’re selling. “Sir? Ma’am? Sunglasses? Sir? Sunglasses? Ma’am?” In fact, I’ve heard these words so often for boat rides, hats, jet skiing, ponchos… That I kind of start tuning out whatever they have to say after I hear, “Sir? Ma’am?”

                In a nutshell, I apologize for not writing on here as often, but with sunshine has brought many fun and exciting things that are, naturally, outdoors. We went island hopping, snorkeling, and I’ve read on the beach A LOT. Basically, all you need to know is that I’m still in paradise, I’m finally able to bask in the sun, and that I’m definitely counting my blessings.

                Consider this blog post a yes-I’m-still-alive quick update, but I’m positive that there are more exciting memories, more stories to tell, and many more, “Sir? Ma’am?” interrogations ahead!

Do You Love Jesus?

                In downtown Tacloban, there’s a church that was an easy meeting point and, as a bonus, they allowed us to hang out there whenever needed. Late last week, while sitting in this church waiting for a few of our team members to show up before we went to a project, a little girl came dancing up to me out of the blue and asked, “Do you love Jesus?”

                I replied, “Yes, I love Jesus.”

                She followed up by whispering in my ear, “Do you hate EVIL?”

                I smiled and looked at her. “Yes, I hate evil.”

                On Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early to head to the airport. We spent the next 8 hours or so travelling to our next location: Boracay. (Take a moment to Google this location. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!) Upon arriving here, we were slightly disappointed to find that another typhoon is affecting the weather, making it windy and rainy. The afternoon was spent reading, exploring the island while donning our rain coats, shopping for souvenirs, and indulging in delicious food. Exhausted from travelling and sleeping on air mattresses for the past 2 weeks, we went to bed early and slept wonderfully for nearly 12 hours.

                As many of you know, Saturday also happened to be my birthday. When my parents asked how my birthday was, I responded, “It was okay!” They were disappointed to hear this, but I wasn’t really that disappointed; I was just being honest! Before my computer died while Skyping with them, I didn’t get to explain myself further… That instead, this year, I was able to focus on the gifts that God has given me, not just on my earthly birthday, but in life in general. After seeing several places in this world that are poverty-stricken, meeting so many people that consider themselves fortunate, and having the opportunity to enjoy luxuries that are in stark contrast to the majority of our world, I want to focus on the small things that many of us take for granted instead. (Note: This list is in order of things that happened throughout the day.)

1.       Hot showers. After having taken cold bucket showers for the past two weeks, I can now appreciate how wonderful a long, hot shower feels. Upon arriving in Boracay, this was one of the first things I did. I felt spoiled, ridiculously happy, and clean for the first time since arriving in the Philippines.

2.       My amazing boyfriend. It’s the little things he does to show me how treasured and loved I am. I’ll stop this one now to prevent myself from being too sappy, but just know that he’s the best today and every day and that I’m so grateful that God put us together in His timing.

3.       Great friends. Shawney wrote me a beautiful note of “Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Meghan”. She’s constantly making me laugh and we have decided that we have the same exact sense of humor (be warned in case you ever hang out with the two of us together!). Furthermore, I love having deep, meaningful, and thought-provoking conversations with her. Shawney serves as an example of how I hope I can live my life. I’m also grateful to be on this trip with Bonnie. She and I have grown so much closer this year, and, if possible, I feel like our friendship has deepened even more by traveling abroad. She is a passionate person in every sense of the word and I have loved seeing joy, generosity, and excitement in her through service projects. Bonnie and I are able to connect on so many levels – and now we have another beautiful memory to bond us together even more. In a nutshell, good friends make life more fun, more meaningful, and more treasured.

4.       A bed to sleep in. It’s warm, comfortable, and wonderful. How many people don’t have this luxury? I’ll never forget when I went to Belize in 2010 and was teaching a lesson about fairy tales. When I asked one girl what her biggest dream was, she responded with, “A bed.” Wow.

5.       Money. I don’t want to sound awful with this one, but the facts remain: Did you know that more than half of our world lives on less that $2 USD a day? How about the fact that the poorest Americans are still richer than 80% of the world? Recently, I’ve been marveling at the fact that I was born into such a fortunate situation. I am so grateful to have a job that I love, that I have a large income by most standards, and that I have the opportunity to spend money willingly and, by many, unnecessarily. I am spoiled rotten. You are spoiled rotten. What are we going to do with this truth?

6.       Food. More specifically, a hearty meal of your choosing that is delicious in every sense of the word. The hotel that we’re staying at serves a continental breakfast every morning that is one of the best I’ve ever had. You have three choices: American, Filipino, or International breakfast dishes, each of which is made-to-order. Naturally, I had the American one where I could tell the cooks that I wanted fried eggs, white toast, mango juice, and bacon. We’ve been drinking milkshakes (I had a surprisingly awesome one with potato chips mixed in it today, thank you very much!) and deciding between a bountiful amount of restaurants for dinner. I love food for these reasons, but how many people are out there that love food simply because it keeps them alive for another day?

Today, I challenge you to not take these gifts for granted. I know that I have before, but I’m being humbled and taught about what really matters in life. It’s not birthdays, it’s not materialism, and it’s not luxuries… It’s God’s blessings and gifts in their simplest and most basic form. Thank Him, praise Him, and be grateful for all that you have. I love Jesus, and my prayer for you today is that you do, too.

Give It Up!

                On Thursday, we went back to the school in Carigara to finish the mural. This time, all of the volunteers came and made it a true team effort. The comfort room was almost completed, so Shawney and I went from class to class, teaching them proper hand washing techniques. We provided each class with liquid hand soap and the Grade 5 class was so excited, that they cheered upon receiving it. Who knew hand washing could be so much fun!? After receiving this lesson, we sent students out in small groups to contribute to our mural. Ben painted the students hands, Bonnie and Kulia placed their hands on the wall, while Bekah and Stefanie made sure students washed their hands correctly. By the end of the day, 263 students from 7 classes had contributed. Students and teachers loved the mural that is centered on pride, teamwork, and cooperation. The HELP volunteers loved that we could do something small to make this school a little more beautiful, one helping hand at a time. At the end of the day, Veronica (who, by the way, made us the best carbonera pasta that I have ever had for lunch!) started tearing up when we were saying goodbye. My favorite thing that she said while hugging me was, “I’ll see you on the Facebook!” God definitely intended for me to meet this woman to provide her with hope and resources as well as to provide me with a phenomenal example of how to display genuine compassion to others.

                When we returned to Tacloban, one of the volunteers had the wonderful idea of getting massages. The massage itself was honestly one of the best that I’ve ever had (and trust me, I’m a sucker for a good massage!), but everything else about it was a little shady, including the price, the hours of operation, and the building itself. But really, who cares?! I’m alive and here to tell about a great hour-long massage that I received for a whopping $8.

                Ben, Bonnie, Shawney, and I had a short work day on Friday, as we asked if we could do a few tourist-y things in Tacloban before we left. Kulia brought us around to buy a couple of souvenirs and to go to an abandoned ship that was washed up from the storm. The girls opted to stay safely on shore and take pictures, but the boys jumped off this boat several times into the water. Upon seeing white people, I think everybody in the neighborhood came out to watch. Furthermore, the mayor’s office just so happened to pull up while we were there. They interviewed Ben and I separately about our experiences in Tacloban where I commented on how hard working the people are and Ben claimed that he had a great experience. Apparently, they want to send a message to the national government and the world about how self-sufficient the city is, so we were told to check it out in a few weeks on YouTube. We’ll see…!

                The team was very sweet and treated everybody to dinner on Friday night for my birthday. It was honestly the nicest place that I’ve been in since arriving in Tacloban as we had tablecloths, stemware, knives (Filipino meals only require a fork and spoon), and soap and toilet paper in the bathroom. (Really, it’s the little things in life…!) I made several comments about how I overdressed for the occasion as I was wearing a t-shirt and running shorts. I dedicated my meal to Veronica by ordering carbonera pasta and the waiters brought out a mini chocolate ganache cake for me. We had fun laughing, talking, and enjoying a good, hearty meal.

                So, why the title of this particular post? Several years ago, I started doing something. I have no idea where it came from, how it started, or why I even did it originally, but whenever I wanted to cheer for somebody, I would say, “Give it up for *insert name here*!” and start clapping profusely. Naturally, other people would join in. Apparently, Shawney found this hilarious when we were in Thailand together a couple years ago, and has continued doing it. By hanging out with her for the past two weeks, I’ve been reminded of how awesome mini-cheer committees are and, now, the entire house is constantly “Giving It Up”. (Although typically very genuine, my favorites are when we “give it up” for no apparent reason, like walking through the door or taking a bite of food.) Because we left Tacloban yesterday morning, I’d like to genuinely “Give It Up” for the followings things:

1.       Mildred, our cook. She makes wonderful food and I have been introduced to a phenomenal new dessert: mango floats. Mmm!

2.       All the members of our team. They. Were. Awesome. I truly enjoyed every single person that I got to spend the last two weeks with.

3.       Beth, our truck. She’s a trooper for toting around so many people on such poor roads. It’s honestly a wonder that she’s still working.

4.       The work that HELP has been doing in Tacloban. Everybody was so invested in these projects as, like I’ve been saying, this community was very clearly in need of support.

5.       Most importantly, I’d like to give it up for the people here. They’re friendly, hopeful, and hardworking. I saw a sign painted on a cardboard box the other day that sums it all up, “Roofless, homeless, but not hopeless”. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by mass amounts of people with great character? They deserve encore after encore after encore. I am so grateful for everything that I am blessed with, but even more grateful for being humbled and taught by the Filipino people.

Lastly, posts are behind again; however, I have traveled to Boracay (update on that coming soon!) and have a MUCH stronger internet signal! Here’s to more communication with the outside world and, perhaps, pictures finally being put up on my older posts!!!

Celebrity

                Monday kicked off a new work week. We began by travelling back to the elementary school in Carigara as the principal agreed to let us paint a mural with a motivating message on one of the main outdoor walls of the school. We had a great start by purchasing the materials, drawing the design, painting the back drop, outlining the mural, and beginning parts of it. I don’t want to give away what we’re doing, but I will say that Bonnie developed a wonderful idea that is kid-centered, motivational, and requires teamwork. When we finished for the day, we were all very excited about the beginning of this project.

                … But that’s about all that we were excited for. When we began cleaning up, the kids at the school went crazy – and trust me, crazy is an understatement. School had finished about an hour before that, but 50 or so kids were still hanging out at the school with us. They jumped on us, asked us to play games, and kept dipping their hands in paint when we weren’t looking. While we were trying to enforce rules and take on the role of “crowd control,” they thought that it was all a game, so they kept laughing and doing it. Finally, we picked up our materials, told them goodbye and said that we’d see them soon. As we walked down the street to Veronica’s house (the grade 1 teacher I mentioned a few posts ago), we each had several kids hanging on us, following us, jumping on us, etc. We thrust open Veronica’s door, said goodbye to the kids yet again, and sat in front of the fan in her living room to cool off and rest for a bit.

                … Or so we thought. The students began knocking on the door loudly and repeatedly. They climbed trees outside of Veronica’s house to look in and yell at us. They ran around the house and reached through the windows to touch our heads. They called our names over and over again, hoping to get our attention. They sang, they kicked, they screamed. THEY. WERE. EVERYWHERE. And what did we do? Ignore them, hide, and allow Kulia, one of the volunteers who speaks the language, translate for us. Somewhere in the 45 minutes of this “uprising” as Shawney calls it, I developed a conclusion: This must be what it feels like to be a celebrity… And, if so, I don’t envy celebrities in the slightest.

                Allow me to pause the story here to praise two people that have earned a coveted “Meg’s Favorite Filipino” award thus far. Veronica was incredible. She made us lunch (while her students were in class next door, by the way!), allowed us to stay in her home when she had an after school meeting, fed us snacks and provided countless drinks throughout the school day, had her husband drive us around, and brought us to the Carigara festival where she eventually (and sneakily!) PAID FOR OUR DINNER. Here is this woman who has so little and still wanted to give us everything to make us feel comfortable. I’m floored by her kindness and compassion and hope that I can show just a tiny bit of this in my own life on a daily basis. The second award goes to her son, Sam, who is 11 years old. He is in grade 6 at the school and is consistently being described as the “coolest kid ever” by the volunteers here. Not only is Sam our primary translator, but his mom’s generosity and selflessness has definitely been given to him, as well. Sam did exactly two things to win me over, both of which occurred during the uprising: 1. He yelled at his peers to leave us alone. When they didn’t, he picked up a broom and ran around chasing them. Take a moment to allow this visual to sink in. Sam. Is. Awesome. 2. As the uprising continued, he nonchalantly turned to us, shrugged, and said, “Want to play Scrabble?” … so we did. In case you are ever being mobbed from the outside, take it from me that Scrabble is, in fact, the best solution. Now you can see why Sam is, well, the coolest kid ever.

                Eventually, the paparazzi – I mean children -- left, so we went to dinner at the festival in town. Shawney and I tried beluit, a delectable food here. Don’t know what it is? Google it. Choosing not to Google? I’ll summarize it: we ate a hardboiled duck egg. That was 16 days old. Yes, there was a baby duck in the egg. Now, Google it.

Because Carigara is a good hour away from Tacloban, we decided to stay the night at a church there after we left the festival. We were pleasantly surprised to have a room with A/C in it and, after showering in the custodial closet of the church with a spigot (yes, that’s right) – we slept wonderfully.

                … Until we were woken up by a typhoon in the middle of the night. Now, several of our friends and families have warned us of this typhoon and we knew that it was hitting further north; however, we were under the impression that it wouldn’t be making landfall until Wednesday. Needless to say, we were surprised when the still-damaged-by-Yolanda roof started slamming up and down on the church loudly at 4am. Fortunately, the roof made the storm sound much worse than it actually was. Even still, school was canceled on Tuesday due to weather, so we woke up and had nothing to do. We didn’t want to bother Veronica for breakfast when she had a day off, so we donned our rain gear and walked into town despite the wind and rain to eat. Then, we decided to pack up and head back to Tacloban as our work was obviously postponed without children to help us paint. Because the majority of the team’s projects are outdoors, most of the volunteers were stuck indoors, as well. So what did we do? Go to the movies to see Earth to Echo.

                Today, we woke up to the sun shining, so we ventured back to Pago. Ben and I spent the entire day sifting dirt to make gravel and loading a dump truck with cinder blocks. It was exhausting work, but it was made fun because Ruby and her friend Rezilyn joined us the whole time. We spent the day laughing, talking, and joking. Even though Ruby had the day off, she chose to spend time with us and even began working some to help out. As promised, I did paint her nails (and Rezilyn’s!) after lunch because sometimes, even if you’re busy and working hard, girls just need to be girls. Also, in case you were wondering, our nail painting party turned into a dance off between Rezilyn and me. I think it ended in a tie as we just started dancing like crazy together in the middle of Ruby’s one room house.

                At the end of our work day, Ben, Ruby, Rezilyn, and I were walking down the road. After a week of being in the Philippines, Ben and I are used to having people constantly waving to us as we walk past, but Ruby and Rezilyn thought this was hilarious and couldn’t stop laughing. I finally asked what was so funny, and Ruby said, “You look different. They think you are so beautiful. You are like an artist.” I thanked her (“Salamat”) and asked if – instead of an artist – she meant to say a celebrity (“like Katy Perry or Jason Derulo?”). Ruby covered her mouth and laughed about her mistake, but eventually said that yes, she meant celebrity. Moral of the story: We really are treated like celebrities here!

Lastly, I want to give out another coveted award to Ruby. During this same walk down the street, she casually mentioned that her old home was by the sea. I asked her if it was destroyed by Yolanda to which she nodded. I looked her in the eye and said very sincerely, “I am so sorry, Ruby.” She looked at me like I was crazy, pointed in the direction of her neighborhood, and said, “No, it’s okay for me. I have a beautiful new home now!”

                If we treated the Ruby’s in this world like celebrities, our world would be a much different place.

Chimichanga

                Saturday was our first day off and, I am happy to say, we definitely made the most of it! Six of us volunteers woke up early and loaded into the truck. We left Tacloban, drove north and then west on rural roads, winded through the mountains, stopped to take scenic pictures (and to take pictures with a family that was jumping up and down and clapping excitedly to see white people), and, 3 hours later, arrived in the adorable seaside town of Pampolon. Here, we ate an early lunch, bought snacks and water, and then boarded a small boat to head to “Chimichanga” – our nickname for the beautiful, yet difficult-to-say island of Kalamggaman. Throughout the 1 hour boat ride, we kept remarking about how the journey itself was worth the trip; we were travelling in the bluest water that I’ve ever seen, away from the mountains of Leyte (the larger island that we live on). At one point, we even saw dolphins jumping out of the water close to our boat.

                … And then we docked at Kalamggaman, where the deep blue water turned to turquoise and clear. We spent the afternoon swimming, paddleboarding, and being completely and utterly carefree. At low tide, we were able to see the thing that drew us to this particular island in the first place: a natural sandbar that allows you to travel away from the island for nearly 150 yards. When we got to the end, the sun was beginning to set. I looked to my left, to my right, and straight in front of me and regaled at how serene and beautiful the water was. I’m not sure what else to say with my ordinary words to explain the beauty of this scene, but I’m convinced that nothing I say or show will ever be able to convey it well enough.

                Shortly thereafter, we headed back to Pampolon by boat, but this time, it was pouring down rain. We then took the truck back through the rural roads to head to our temporary home and arrived back around 11pm. We were exhausted and went to bed shortly thereafter. As I was laying on my air mattress bed on the floor next to the 9 other volunteers (just to give you the visual!), I was marveling at how fun of a day we had. On top of that, I couldn’t get over the fact that this island full of beauty and magnificence was only a day trip away from the poverty and destruction of Tacloban. What a crazy, beautiful, and messy world it is that we live in.

                Side note: Clearly, I wrote this post several days ago, but haven’t had strong enough internet to post it until now. I’ve also been working on another blog post for the first part of this work week. Once I finish and have an internet connection, I’ll post it! Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, e-mails, and texts. I’ve loved hearing updates from everybody back home! Keep them coming… even if it takes me several days to get back to you!

Stronger Than Yolanda

                When you lose everything, how do you move forward? What do you do to keep your head up? To be brave? Where do you find your strength?

                A few of the volunteers and I went to an elementary school on Wednesday where parts of the roof were torn off from the typhoon. One class was being held outside while another had the debris from the roof stored in the back of their classroom, underneath the gaping hole. We asked one teacher, Veronica, what was needed at the school. She kept talking about a bathroom… Rightfully so as I watched several of her students walk outside of the classroom, go into the alleyway that separates her room from the next, and go to the bathroom on the wall or the ground. After asking about the unpainted walls and lack of school supplies, Veronica mentioned that the school could use these, as well. I’m not sure if anybody outright even mentioned the roof, but one of our country directors took measurements anyway just in case. I will say that I find it amazing that we saw so many things that could be improved at the school but, when asked, Veronica mentioned solely the biggest need (a bathroom) over and over again. In fact, when we agreed to fund and build this bathroom (called a “comfort room” here), the community was so excited, that the parents came out after school and dug a hole for a septic tank.

While at the school, the teacher in Shawney, Bonnie, and I just couldn’t escape. We sang Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes with the kids in 1^st grade, taught the order of the planets in 6^th grade, and played with several kids that were hanging out at the school during their lunch break. When, we were leaving, Frederick (although his peers joked and told me that his name is “Biscuit.” Naturally, I call him this now. It’s too awesome not to!) was standing on the ledge of his classroom window, making faces and laughing.  Jessemae and Juliabelle, along with several other students, chased the truck down the road as we were leaving. As we were driving away, Jessemae said, “Bye, older sister Meg” in the native language. Adorable, adorable, adorable!

On Thursday, our country directors took us to a mass grave where locals told us that 2,000+ people were laid shortly after the typhoon, only to be taken and properly buried later. (Although we, in the U.S., call the typhoon by it’s international name, Haiyan, the people here have nicknamed it “Yolanda”.) Although thousands of people were reported as missing or killed, it’s argued that not even half of the people were publically accounted for. After seeing the destruction that is still in “rebuilding” mode and seeing this former graveyard on the outer edge of the city, I believe it. If 2,000+ people were buried in this fairly remote location, how many people were killed in the more populated areas of Tacloban? This moment was very moving for me as it helped me to grasp the intensity of this devastation just a bit more. (Side note: I also believe that thousands of people are unaccounted for based off of several stories that I’ve heard, many of which are too gruesome or sad to share on here.)

On Friday, several volunteers spent the day working in Pago, a village that is being constructed entirely by it’s future residents with occasional help from volunteers like us. This community is for the people whose homes were completely destroyed by the typhoon in San Roque (a village in Tanuan) as they are being relocated further from the water. When we arrived, they asked if we could help dig holes for septic tanks. We spent the next couple of hours without shoes on as we jumped into muddy holes in the ground, digging deeper and emptying out buckets of ground water that filled these holes. After lunch, I spent the afternoon carrying pails of water around the community to keep the cement wet and using a hammer to straighten previously used nails that were pulled out of old pieces of wood so that they could be re-used. During this time, I met Ruby, a 32 year old woman. Although she speaks little English, we formed a great relationship quickly, as she called me “smiley” and “friendly” while I called her “helpful” and “honest”. She taught me how to straighten the nails, cheered for me when I did a good job, and even started helping me out when I couldn’t get one right (“That one’s too hard for you. I’ll do it!”). She loved my coral-painted nails (thanks, Fran!) and was very concerned that I would hurt them by working with a hammer. Before I left, I asked if she would like me to paint her nails the next time I came. She was so excited about something so small and couldn’t suppress the smile from her face!

                It’s crazy to me that all of these projects and everything that is driving this city right now is still a result of the name I hear most often: Yolanda. This typhoon has a tragic identity, uniqueness, and meaning to these people. They don’t want handouts, they don’t want unnecessary items… They just want change. The motto for HELP ends with, “…helping people to help themselves.” Here, they already know how to help themselves… they just want somebody to help them in the wake of a tragedy.

                So, when you lose everything, how do you move forward? What do you do to keep your head up? To be brave? Where do you find your strength? I’ll tell you: You focus on the future and begin working diligently and as a team to make things better. When I see signs that say things like, “Choose to be Brave” or “Stronger than Yolanda,” I know that the Filipino culture has something that they could teach everybody worldwide.

                Lastly, some important things to note: Shawney’s luggage has arrived (!!!), the electricity went out on Wednesday night (while Bonnie was mid-bucket shower!) so we played Farkle by candlelight, and I rode on the top of a jeepney yesterday. We have pictures and videos of all of these things which would make my stories SO much better, but the internet is typically too slow to upload any media. We have a million stories to tell (some of which may be told by other volunteers on here in the future, as they keep saying things like, “Be sure to put that on your blog!” and I’m probably forgetting all of them), but I’m just trying to summarize our experience as best as possible. In a nutshell, all you need to know is that we are having an awesome time, constantly laughing, and loving helping these people. More adventures to come soon!

Just Roll With It

The Megtionary (I am so proud of coining this word… Just saying!) defines my most recent travels as the nearly 2-day long period where you live off a limited supply of food, clothing, sleep, and cleanliness. During this period, and especially when traveling internationally, one has a death grip on all of his/her luggage in a meek attempt to cling to a few necessary belongings for airport survival. As I write the first part of this post, I’m the “guard” of the three precious people I’m traveling with and their luggage packed with survival items while they sleep in the Manila airport. We have a 9 hour layover which makes for a long night! The good news is, we’re in the Philippines and we’re acting as if sleeping by a baggage claim is totally normal. The bad news is that we’re sleeping by a baggage claim and acting as if it’s totally normal; however, I don’t think anybody is too terribly upset about this as we are all ridiculously tired and just kind of rolling with it. After all, we didn’t volunteer to do this work to be travelling glamorously (my two-day-old clothes is proof of that)!

Yesterday, our flight from San Francisco to Tokyo was delayed which would have made us miss our connecting flight to Manila; however, having a father who works in the airport business proved beneficial as he caught this before we even landed in San Fran, contacted United, and got us moved up to an earlier flight before we had even landed (thanks, Dad!). Although awesome that we were able to make all of our connecting flights, it made us question whether our bags would show up in Manila. Allow me to script an actual conversation as we landed in the Philippines:

Ben: Do you think our bags are here?

Me: It’s still a toss-up… They’re either all here or none of them are here.

Ben: I’m going to go with everybody’s bags made it except for one bag… Let’s go with Shawney’s. Why not?

As Shawney and I are entering the terminal from the plane, we see a man holding up a sign. In the past, we’ve discussed how we’ve always wanted to have our name on a sign at the airport, and we see the sign and start laughing and reminiscing about this. Then, she looks up and says, “Wait! That IS my name!”

… Long story short: Shawney’s bags didn’t make it, so they had her name on the sign to inform her of this fate. We were told that she’d be receiving them by Wednesday morning, but she got a phone call today saying that her bag never left Dulles. Needless to say, my 7 shirts and 3 pairs of work-able pants are now being split between the 2 of us until her bag arrives (who knows when that will be?!). Thankfully, we’ve all managed to laugh about the ridiculousness of this situation and even bet chocolate milkshakes on whether her bags would be here by Wednesday (which is what they originally said). What else can you do? (It’s important to note here that Shawney actually cheered when they told her that her bags were still in Dulles as I now owe her a chocolate shake. I’m honored to call this woman my friend!)

Other things I’ve already learned to roll with: Sweating ridiculous amounts. Taking bucket showers. Having everybody call us, “Joe” and ask us, “Where are you going?” whether they care or not. People mispronouncing my name (what else is new?!). Surviving migraines on an 11 hour flight. Crazy cab drives – but nothing more needs to be said about that right now.

Most importantly, I will say that I don’t think the link I posted the other day did the city of Tacloban any justice. It is so apparent that a real need is imminent and seeing the vast devastation first-hand is much more striking than any photograph could capture. Today, we saw several projects that the team started – all of which we are very excited about. As we drove from the neighborhood where chicken coops were built to the local women’s shelter, I sat in the bed of a tiny little truck with the other volunteers, watching the Filipino people build their own future. If I’ve learned anything about this culture today, it is this: there is a real need here. Thousands of people have died, an entire city (and more!) has been destructed, and the people here are determined to make things better as soon as possible. Everybody is doing their part as they are driven, determined, and desperate… And, amazingly, they are able to handle any task in flip flops.

Just roll with it. Except for Shawney. She doesn’t have any luggage to roll. #toosoon?