THe SiDe YoU DoN'T uSuaLLY See

Department of Health, DepEd, CRS, JPI, CSWO, DSWD, Samaritan's Purse, YWAM, Volunteers for Visayas, UNICEF, World Vision, Caritas, INTERSOS, LDS Humanitarian, barangay captains and officials, woman's shelter staff. Meetings, meetings, meetings. I knew when I came out here with Arturo that I would be doing a lot of the prep work, especially when it came to finding partners. That was bour goal in coming out 3 weeks before everyone else. To find people that we could work with not just this summer, but in the future as well. 

Doing that kind of work was something I'd always been interested in and while I was working with PIG/Revive I was able to spend a lot of time talking to potential volunteers but it wasn't to often that I got to talk to a potential partner. So having the opportunity to shadow Arturo for those few weeks, and then being able to take the things I learned to continue what we started has been an incredible experience. With so many NGO's working here right now Tacloban has been the best place to get that kind of experience. 

That being said my HELP experience abroad has been very different than most. The rest of our crisis team arrived just last Thursday and since then they have been able to spend every work day up in San Juanico working on housing projects, CR building, supply distribution, painting and a whole range of different projects. Although I was able to make it up to San Juanico on Friday, the rest of my days have been spent in Palo, Tanauan and downtown in meetings or shopping for necessary supplies for upcoming projects. Some of the meetings have been making initial contacts, but a lot of them have been follow up meetings where we have been able to solidify details for upcoming projects. 

Is sitting in meetings majority of the day the most exciting thing in the world? Not hardly, but it's  been extemeely insightful and inspiring to work with so many many different groups, all working their hardest to accomplish a common goal. It's been an amazing opportunity. It may be a different kind of work, but I really have loved it. Does that mean I don't like doing the hands on projects, or have zero intentions of picking up another hammer this summer? Not at all. The few times I've been able to go out to Armi's and pull out the tools have honestly been some of my favorite days. I will spend more time in the field but for now these meetings are what need to be happening. Plus it's been a blast being able to take some of the volunteers in to these meetings and seeing their faces light up with excitement when they see all the potential things we can do. 

Today Chris and I were able to go meet with Lili, a lady we've been working for over the last week to put together an encampment, without the overnight portion, for a group of 300 adolescents in the Tacloban area that didn't quite get the psychosocial help they needed after the the typhoon hit. I'll save all the details of what those days will be like until I can just write about the event, but our team is so excited to help give these kids an outlet while helping them learn how to deal with these emotions. 

A little later we were able to go down to Palo for a few hours. In order to make sure that the relief efforts on Leyte and Samar are not being duplicated by all the NGO's that are here UNICEF has organized meetings where the NGO's can come together and talk about everyone is doing. The have them in a number of different categories, today's being education. They covered everything from the number of classrooms destroyed and plans to rebuild to how Yolanda effected drop out rates in all the areas within Leyte and Samar. The numbers were completely mind blowing and have us some good ideas on ways we can help. I can't wait to see what kind of work we can do. 

All in all my experience has been a lot different than I thought, but I feel like it has been exactly what I need.  I have got to meet with some incredible people. I have got to spend time in places that some of these volunteers probably won't see. I have wound up in unexpected situations that will forever bring a smile to my face and I wouldn't have it any other way. Being in this side of things has taught me so much about myself and my ability to accomplish things I'd never thought I'd be doing. It may not be the typical HELP experience, but I love it!

PRoJeCTS, PiCTuReS aND PaSSPoRTS

Construction projects. Am I the only one that gets the biggest kick out of them? This last Christmas break my sister and I were able to build console tables with our dad. I was definitely a lot of work, but there is something so satisfying about taking a pile of lumber, cutting it to size, nailing it together, and watching it take shape right before your eyes. That and the memories mean so much more when you really invest yourself. 

Well Friday we had just that experience. After a rather interesting conversation at breakfast we got in to Beth's truck and made our way to San Juanico. Part of Beth letting us use the car the day before included us promising to help build her friend Armi's house. It would be good for us to try it anyways so that we knew what we'd be getting the volunteers into. 

The area was really neat, and quite unlike anything I had ever seen in the Philippines before. It seemed as if it had been nothing more than a field before the typhoon, but it was now it was home to a brand new subdivision for those who had been displaced by the typhoon. I'd seen a lot of houses going in here and there, but never so many in an area that didn't have them already. 

We did everything from cutting and placing 2x2's for the walls to putting in the floor up on the second level. By the time we were finished that evening the walls were framed and two of them were even finished. We bent more nails and had more slivers than I can count, but I laughed harder that day than I have while watching Chinese pranks on YouTube. Maybe we were beginning to suffer delirium from heat stroke but it really was so much fun!

After that Beth and Armi took us to see the San Juanico bridge. Let me tell you one thing I love about Beth. If there is a picture moment she will pull the car right over and make us all take pictures. On the bridge, after the bridge, or at the Samar sign. She had us stopped at them all, and heaven knows I almost laughed so hard I cried at each and every one of them :) 

Our next stop was a municipality called Basey. Beth had just started doing micro loans for some of the people here in the Philippines and one of them happened to be over in Basey. While Beth was working things out there Arturo and I made some new friends. Right next to their homes was a section of concrete littered with tents and rubble. Something about that area spoke loud and clear to both Arturo and I. We knew at that point that we wanted to set up some projects there. 

Just as the sun was setting we saw a Catholic Church up on the hill above us. The side of me that loves to explore kicked in at that moment, so the four of us headed up the stairs to see what was up there. What we weren't expecting to find was a big group of kids and a volleyball. It wasn't long before I had thrown off my backpack and we were all playing volleyball. There was only about 20 minutes of sunlight left, but we loved every second of it. 

Next it was mango shakes at a hole in the wall restaurant, naked children running through the streets and a circle of new friends, raw fish and all. Basey was good to us indeed. 

By the time we wrapped everything up it was completely dark. One of Beth's least favorite things is driving in the dark. Up until that point we hadn't really had to do it (except to the time we needed get Arturo's antibiotic, but that was right down the street). That hour long drive home was absolutely beautiful! The sky in that part of the Philippines is so unpolluted by light. Stars shine brighter. There were fireflies everywhere. At first there were just one or two here and there. Later on we passed tree after tree after tree full of them. I had never seen anything like it! It was absolutely incredible. Everything about that day was. The house building, the laughter, the sights, the kids. 

It wasn't until we got back to the church that my stomach completely sank. My backpack. It was right where I left it. On the grass up by the church. My debit card, credit card, drivers license, Philippine pesos, US dollars, the two phones we had just bought, passports; they were all inside. OUR passports. Not just mine, but Arturo's too. Had it just been mine i wouldn't have worried so much. It would take 6 weeks max to get a new one, and I was already planning on being here long past that. Arturo on the other hand was scheduled to fly out a whole lot earlier than that. I was sick. Absolutely sick. 

THe PaTH

Beth's oils or the antibiotics we bought without a prescription (from a pharmacy of course). We may never know what really made Arturo better overnight, but whatever it was made the top of my list! And Arturo's. And Suzanne's. And Beth's. And everyone else at the church. There was never anything in any of my medical training about Tonsilitis, but I'll tell you what, after watching it take it's toll those last few days I don't EVER want to have it.

Thursday was the first day we were really able to go out in the city to meet with potential partners. It was a day full of one thing leading to another which I absolutely loved. Being able to look back at the path something takes to get from start to finish has always been something I've enjoined. In life or in projects. It doesn't matter to me. 

The Department of Health. The Department of Education. The Department of Social Welfare and Development. At each and every single one we were able to meet with the department head. Being able to listen to some of the problems Tacloban has  faced in the past, as well as the problems that came as a result of Yolanda was such an enlightening experience.  I'm beyond thrilled to see what the groups that cycle through this summer will be able to do with it all!

I don't know if you've caught on at all throughout the last week or so of blog posts, but I'm all about the little moments in a day. Today I saw things that would break any heart. Like driving through town and seeing a building still completely filled with debre. Or the house you come across while walking down the street that has been smashed by a gigantic tree, but still people are living inside. Or when the department head tells you to go check in to the Department of Education just down the hill, and the way it is described is "the big building on the corner without a roof." Or the time you spend at  walking through a market five looking for an ATM that works because even though the bank has one Yolanda left it as nothing more than a box, like it did with so many other everyday items. 

 

But still there are the moments that just keep you laughing. Like the moment when a Mexican and an American decided to get behind the wheel in the Philippines for the very first time. Or the time you are told by a three-year old that everyone in the church is a "artista" or celebrity except for you and her.

What I love the most though are the moments that make you feel nostalgic. The moments when you find yourself doing your favorite things without even planning them to happen. Things like stopping at a corner stand to buy mini pineapples for a quick merienda, or walking the street talking about how a motivated person really can make a difference. Or how about when you decided to park the car for a moment just so you can walk through a little market where the kids stop to talk and at the end is a beautiful view of the ocean around you and the nearby islands that call it home. Or when you all of a sudden just decide to explore because you know what, life doesn't need to be hurried; it just needs to be lived. Those are some of my 
favorite moments. All of those things are the reason I do what I do. 

QuaRaNTiNeD

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and even in to Wednesday. Those were the days that Arturo spent sick in bed. All I have to say is that I am oh so very grateful that I have never had Tonsillitis. You know how sometimes being sick isn't so terrible because the illness isn't really that bad, and you may even get to catch up on some much needed rest? Yeah, nothing about that monster of an illness seemed like it was bringing him that kind of relief. He's not a sissy either, and it completely did him in. Here we were in a foreign country that is still in major recovery mode, living under one giant roof with people we'd only met a day and a half ago, and he was so so so so sick. 

Those few days were full of Beth teaching the ways of the oil pull, kalamansi juice shots, noodles, a failed attempt to the doctor, a lot of ibuprofin and finally some perscriptionless antibiotics. Who ever knew there were so many ways to treat the same thing? 

While Arturo was busy trying to fight the Tonsilitis I was at least able to get some logistical things taken care of. Beth and I went downtown one day so that I could get some things that we would need for the next couple weeks, as well as the rest of the summer. Tuesday Arturo and I even made it out of the church in an attempt to get him to the doctor. We didn't think about the fact that maybe the hospital would still be closed from typhoon damage. That led us to an hour or so at Robinsons where we got him some food he could eat, and something a little more comfortable to sleep on. Even that was a little to much though. 

By Wednesday he was beginning to feel better. Not much, but it was something. While we were sitting in the cultural hall eating lunch President Aban came up to us and began telling us about a program the church just set up for the Tacloban Mission. In a nutshell it is an excellerated way for church members in this mission to use the skills they have, and through theis program gain an education of sorts that will make them more marketable in the vocational world. They are given a loan and a stipend for the three months it takes to complete, and after that all they have to pay back is 15% of the loan. We decided to head I. To the chapel where they were holding a huge meeting about it, and afterwards talked to the program managers for quite a while. It was full with good stuff and got us super excited about the possibilities here. 

It wasn't an easy couple of days, and it definitely wasn't expected but like I mentioned before it helped me to appreciate the amazing people surrounding me! Everyone here was so kind, so friendly, and so caring. Having each of them around truly was the biggest blessing!

An EaSTeR BiRTHDaY To ReMeMBeR :)

The first time I came to the Philippines was almost exactly two years ago and ever since I have wanted nothing more for my birthday than to be able to spend it here. It's not that I wanted some big Filipino celebration. In fact my grand plan was to not let anyone here find out until after it had happened. That way they didn't feel like they had to do anything for me. That was the plan. 

Then we went to the Black Saturday Celebration. I was talking to Beth and my new friend Mhayty when all of a sudden he asked when my birthday was...uh..."Tomorrow" I muttered under my breath. I couldn't lie. 

Beth got so excited, "Oh my gosh, I am so glad you told me! We have to have a party" she said. 

"No really, it's ok" I replied. Then we moved on to talking about the celebration and I didn't hear much more about it. Maybe they"d forget. 

Then Saturday night rolled along. One of my church mates added me on Facebook. I don't know why I didn't think about it, but I accepted him right then and there, not thinking about Facebook being the big discloser of birthdays. Within moments I had a message from Ian. 

"Is today really your birthday?" He asked. 

That's the moment I knew my plan had failed. The celebrations began a few hours later at dinner. 

I don't know that many Americans have ever spent much time actually living under the same roof as 13 other Filipinos, but it is the best!! It was "Happy Birthday" at the dinner table. It was "Happy Birthday" in the halls. 

The next morning, on my actual birthday, I had forgotten that it was even my birthday until I went in to the cultural hall to get some water. 

"Happy Birthday" shouted Lani! Only to follow it with the Happy Birthday Song from Sesame Street, "You're a little bit older, a little bit wiser." I heard that song for days and I loved every second of it :)

I love that every once in a while I get to spend my birthday remembering the Resurection of he Savior and how his work on this earth makes it possible for me to receive the greatest gift I could ever receive. I know that I will be able to live with all the people I have come to know and love throughout my life forever because of His selfless sacrifice, and I am so grateful for that knowledge.  

After breakfast we walked to the other side of the church and sat down in the Chapel. It's not uncommon for visitors to be introduced in church. What I wasn't expecting was a birthday wish over the pulpit. But there it was. The sister who gave the first talk, whom I had never spoken to before, wished me a happy birthday right then and there. How she even knew it was my birthday is completely beyond me! Did it make me super uncomfortable? Maybe. Was it really sweet of her? It sure was. 

The remainder of the three-hour block was all the same way. Full of birthday wishes from people I'd never talked to. People here are so kind. I am constantly in awe at their ability to look outside themselves as they love and serve those around them. I hope throughout my time here I will be able to learn from their example, and be able to love not just those close to me, but those people who I barely know too. 

After church that day we stayed at the church. Unfortunately that was also the day Arturo began to get sick. We weren't sure at the time but the Tonsilitis monster had made its way in with a vengeance. Arturo would say I was bored out of my mind, but other than feeling completely helpless in getting him to from sick to better I really didn't mind at all! It gave me a chance to really spend some time with the others living here. Bishop and Lani. Juvy, Imel and their girls. Ian, Dallin, Clark and Christene. Albert, Gilbert, and David. I'll talk more about them tomorrow, but I loved the time I got to spend with them! These little girls especially. 

With an ube cake and a room full of friends to end the day, I'll have to say it was perfect! The birthday I finally got to spend in the Philippines was at last a reality :)