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.