- Can you imagine a time where toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and mosquito spray would be your most prized possessions?
- Have you ever gone an entire day without looking in a mirror let alone an entire week?
- Have you ever eaten the same food twice a day for two months straight? What would it be if you had to?
- Would you rather be poor in the US or rich in a third world country?
- Have you ever been constantly surrounded by people, but still felt alone?
- Is bad company better than no company?
- What makes one think they might be able to sing in another country when they can’t carry a tune in the US?
- Why is it I never accepted the fact that I am a giant in the Philippines and continued to bump my head everywhere?
- How long have you gone without using the phone?
- Have you ever worn flip flops so long you put a hole in the heel?
- Would you rather sleep under a mosquito net and sweat all night, sleep with deet seeping into your skin, or have 10 mosquito bites when you wake up?
- What’s the longest you have ever gone without seeing a plane fly overhead?
- If someone is a morning person in one time zone will they be a morning person in a completely opposite time zone?
- Have you ever completely missed March Madness because no one around you knows or cares what it is?
- What happens when you throw Miss Efficiency into an inefficient culture?
- Is it a bad sign if someone is wearing a shirt that says “I am tuberculosis free”?
- How would you feel if your child came home with a broken bone and no transportation or money to take them to the hospital?
- How can you justify paying 200 pesos for school for your child when they can work in the field for 50 pesos a day?
- At what point in your life did $2 become unimportant?
- Given the choice is it better to eat more rice or fried vegetables?
- Do you try a dish at an unknown carenderia before getting on a bus for 10 hours or just eat rice?
- Do you think the Midwest is ready for halo halo? What would you put in your halo halo?
- Have you ever woken up and said you wish you worked more?
- What are your dreams? What are you doing to pursue them?
- How many of you want to count to see how many questions I wrote?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
20 Questions
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Living on the Ledge
I look to my left. Rice terraces. I look to my right. Rice terraces. I look up and I look down. More rice terraces. It was the most amazing view in the world, but hard to fully enjoy when you are lost trekking in the rain and approaching dusk.
My new friends (John and Eddie) and I started the day by hiring a guide for a light trek. After only a couple hours of a restless sleep on an uncomfortable icy cold night bus from Manila to Banaue we thought starting out easy might be best. Somewhere between then and now our guide decided to back out. So the three type A personalities figured how hard can it be? We can see the city from the viewpoint and hear it is only a two to three hour trek. So off we went.
It wasn’t the rain that poured down on us and made the mud path slip away from under our feet, the sounds of thunder approaching, balancing on ledges where one wrong step and you’d fall to your death, or losing the path home that made me the most nervous. It was when I saw a black snake that was about four feet long and two inches thick slither its way inches from Eddie. Is it poisonous? What would we do if someone was bitten? How I wish I had watched a little more of the Discovery Channel.
After thousands of very careful and deliberate steps we finally approached a shack in the midst of all the terraces and all exhaled a sigh of relief. Safety. And safely we finished the rest of the journey home.
As if that excitement wasn’t enough, we decided to do it all again the next day. This time our guide did not ditch us, however it did not make the journey any less adventurous.
The day began by walking through a forest full of leeches. Growing up in Minnesota I knew of leeches being in lakes. In the Philippines the leeches are in trees and drop on you as you walk by. Even though I was sweating to death with a tank top and pants, thankfully I put my jacket on and a scarf on my head as I soon discovered a leech on my pants. Sadly Eddie did not have the option of pants and ended up with one of the blood suckers on his leg. The leech grew as fast as the economy imploded and I thought calling the leech “The Man” (or a few other names of greedy people my path has crossed) was perfect.
Again the rain started to fall. It started as pure delight to cool us off from the leech protection until the path became narrow and slippery. Slowly and surely we walked step-by-step making sure our footing was secure. John was right in front of me when he put his walking stick down for balance over the narrowest part of the path. To his surprise there was no ground and he lost his balance off the side of a cliff. I shrieked as I saw his leg slip off the side and the fear in his eyes not ready to see my new friend die. Fortunately Eddie turned around instantly at the sound of my shriek and grabbed John’s arm as his fingers clenched on to the slippery ledge that made him fall in the first place. John was back on the ledge again with the rest of us, living.
We continued our strenuous twelve hour trek up and down the mountains to see the remote rice terraces and villages of Pula, Cambulo, and Batad with rice terraces created over 2000 years ago. Even though we must have climbed the equivalent of going up and down the John Hancock building five times I felt embarrassed struggling for breath as we passed the locals returning from Banaue balancing food on their head and wearing nothing but flip flops. That is until we learned from our guide on the last leg of the journey that we were the only people in his 16 years of being a guide that had did the typical two to three day trek in one day. With legs of jello and blisters growing as fast as the leech, I smiled with pride (and maybe a little stupidity).
My new friends (John and Eddie) and I started the day by hiring a guide for a light trek. After only a couple hours of a restless sleep on an uncomfortable icy cold night bus from Manila to Banaue we thought starting out easy might be best. Somewhere between then and now our guide decided to back out. So the three type A personalities figured how hard can it be? We can see the city from the viewpoint and hear it is only a two to three hour trek. So off we went.
It wasn’t the rain that poured down on us and made the mud path slip away from under our feet, the sounds of thunder approaching, balancing on ledges where one wrong step and you’d fall to your death, or losing the path home that made me the most nervous. It was when I saw a black snake that was about four feet long and two inches thick slither its way inches from Eddie. Is it poisonous? What would we do if someone was bitten? How I wish I had watched a little more of the Discovery Channel.
After thousands of very careful and deliberate steps we finally approached a shack in the midst of all the terraces and all exhaled a sigh of relief. Safety. And safely we finished the rest of the journey home.
As if that excitement wasn’t enough, we decided to do it all again the next day. This time our guide did not ditch us, however it did not make the journey any less adventurous.
The day began by walking through a forest full of leeches. Growing up in Minnesota I knew of leeches being in lakes. In the Philippines the leeches are in trees and drop on you as you walk by. Even though I was sweating to death with a tank top and pants, thankfully I put my jacket on and a scarf on my head as I soon discovered a leech on my pants. Sadly Eddie did not have the option of pants and ended up with one of the blood suckers on his leg. The leech grew as fast as the economy imploded and I thought calling the leech “The Man” (or a few other names of greedy people my path has crossed) was perfect.
Again the rain started to fall. It started as pure delight to cool us off from the leech protection until the path became narrow and slippery. Slowly and surely we walked step-by-step making sure our footing was secure. John was right in front of me when he put his walking stick down for balance over the narrowest part of the path. To his surprise there was no ground and he lost his balance off the side of a cliff. I shrieked as I saw his leg slip off the side and the fear in his eyes not ready to see my new friend die. Fortunately Eddie turned around instantly at the sound of my shriek and grabbed John’s arm as his fingers clenched on to the slippery ledge that made him fall in the first place. John was back on the ledge again with the rest of us, living.
We continued our strenuous twelve hour trek up and down the mountains to see the remote rice terraces and villages of Pula, Cambulo, and Batad with rice terraces created over 2000 years ago. Even though we must have climbed the equivalent of going up and down the John Hancock building five times I felt embarrassed struggling for breath as we passed the locals returning from Banaue balancing food on their head and wearing nothing but flip flops. That is until we learned from our guide on the last leg of the journey that we were the only people in his 16 years of being a guide that had did the typical two to three day trek in one day. With legs of jello and blisters growing as fast as the leech, I smiled with pride (and maybe a little stupidity).
Banaue
View from the hotel
I found my prince!
The Snake Trek
The Leech Trek
That is a face of someone just finishing a twelve hour trek
Sagada - Another mountain city we visited known for its hanging coffins
We think Eddie might have eaten a dog with rabies the night before?!?
Trying Beetle Nut which is kind of like a chewing tobacco yet it makes your spit red so all the streets look like packets of ketchup exploded
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Rip Van Zemple
It was apparent to me when leaving for the Philippines I’d have some adjusting to do without the comfort of a hot shower or my favorite pepperoni and green olive Pequod’s pizza, but never once did I think about my actual return to civilization.
As I walked up to the Ayala Mall in Cebu to meet my friend, Jad, I looked around in awe. I started laughing out loud because I felt as if I had never seen a mall or even a Starbucks before and knew I just left Chicago only six weeks ago. The culture shock made me feel like I was Rip Van Zemple and contemplate whether I was really ready to return. As much as I joked about living in what seemed like the early 1900s there is something to be said about the simple life I was living. Fortunately before I make a complete transition back to Chicago I have a little time to explore.
Thanks to Jad I saw a few places I never would have visited including Cebu (a beautiful city surrounded by mountains), Dumaguete (a university city that seemed a lot like Ormoc just cleaner and no pineapple on every corner, but the best dolphin watching in the world), and Siquijor (a quiet little island known for white sand beaches and witchcraft).
Be sure to stay at Jad’s resort if you ever get a chance to visit Siquijor (www.princesabulakna.com). It is the most peaceful paradise with a rainbow of flowers, sweet smells, and so many fireflies that the trees sparkle (and why Siquijor is also known as the Isle del Fuego).
Next stops are Banaue for rice terraces, Sagada for the hanging coffins, and Boracay for the beach…
As I walked up to the Ayala Mall in Cebu to meet my friend, Jad, I looked around in awe. I started laughing out loud because I felt as if I had never seen a mall or even a Starbucks before and knew I just left Chicago only six weeks ago. The culture shock made me feel like I was Rip Van Zemple and contemplate whether I was really ready to return. As much as I joked about living in what seemed like the early 1900s there is something to be said about the simple life I was living. Fortunately before I make a complete transition back to Chicago I have a little time to explore.
Thanks to Jad I saw a few places I never would have visited including Cebu (a beautiful city surrounded by mountains), Dumaguete (a university city that seemed a lot like Ormoc just cleaner and no pineapple on every corner, but the best dolphin watching in the world), and Siquijor (a quiet little island known for white sand beaches and witchcraft).
Be sure to stay at Jad’s resort if you ever get a chance to visit Siquijor (www.princesabulakna.com). It is the most peaceful paradise with a rainbow of flowers, sweet smells, and so many fireflies that the trees sparkle (and why Siquijor is also known as the Isle del Fuego).
Next stops are Banaue for rice terraces, Sagada for the hanging coffins, and Boracay for the beach…
A view of Cebu
The Ayala Mall of Culture Shock
A Shanty Town in Cebu. Cebu also has beautiful mansions but the twenty foot concrete walls they put up for protection make it hard to photograph (plus not as interesting to me).
Basketball is to the Philippines as soccer is to the rest of the world. Everywhere you go you'll find people playing basketball even in 100 degree heat.
That's what I call water front property!
Another Shanty Town in Cebu
About 80% of the Filipino population is Catholic so churches are also everywhere you look
A view outside of Dumaguete
Dumaguete
Touring Siquijor...
My Filipino boxer body guards. Maybe I can bring them home as a souvenir?!?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Facts of Life
You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both and there you have the memories of my time at the Holding Boys Center.
The Story of Jeffery
Jeffery is from Padre Burgos, a small town about three hours south from Ormoc. When people found him about 20 miles from his home he had been walking through the mountains for three days with no shoes and begging for food. He was running away from his foster family who had been beating him.
The time came for us to bring Jeffery back to the Social Welfare office in Padre Burgos and Agnes asked if I’d like to go with (why he ended all the way up in Ormoc will forever be a mystery). Excited to see more of the island I jumped at the chance for a road trip with Jeffery, Agnes, and me.
Little did I know the entire staff would be taking the road trip. There were six adults and three additional kids in one van to bring Jeffrey home and one adult to stay back at the center with twenty plus kids. Since this was earlier in my stay I was completely confused why so many people were needed, but it all became clear when we stopped at the beach for a picnic for three hours after dropping Jeffery off. I am still debating which part bothered me the most. Jeffery’s fear in going back to Padre Burgos, all the people, the amount of time we spent at the beach, watching the kids watch the adults eat until they couldn’t stuff another piece of fish in their mouth until they were allowed to eat, or knowing the smorgasbord was paid for by the center. The center that did not have the budget to get the kids a new basketball after theirs popped from being worn out.
The Trip to Jollibee
Taking the kids out of the center always breaks my heart in a million pieces. It starts when they strut out all proud to me in their “best” clothes. Most of these kids rotate between two outfits so it typically means the one that is clean. Pause for just a second and think about that. Two outfits. Two outfits that don’t even fit. Either they are way too small so their pants are now capris or so oversized they have to use material to tie the sides so their pants don’t fall down.
When we get to Jollibee (the McDonalds of the Philippines) the guard won’t even open the door for the kids until he sees me. I understand that this is so patrons are not bothered by beggars while eating, but it doesn’t make it any easier to see.
Then the stares and snarls begin and the questions start popping into everyone’s heads about what they are wearing and why the kids are in Jollibee, again, until they see me. Don’t they know they have their best clothes on just to come to Jollibee?
But then we order and their eyes are lit up like JD and Mom’s yard at Christmas time. I forget about everything up until this point and smile at their happiness. I often think I am getting more out of the trip to Jollibee than them.
The Barbershop
Eleonor’s mother was having a birthday party and she asked for 40 pesos to get a haircut so she could look her best. Since the kids will use the money to buy glue to sniff (called rugby) I decided to go with just to make sure she was really getting a haircut. My little angel, Jay, saw us leaving and asked if he could go with. Okay, so maybe I delayed our walk so he could see us leaving.
As Jay and I watched Eleonor get her haircut it was easy to tell he had never gotten a haircut let alone even be in a barbershop before. So once Eleonor was done I asked him if he wanted a cut too. His eyes got as big as his head from excitement and it was even better once he got in the chair. His eyes clenched shut out and shoulders tightened out of fear and as soon as the buzzer touched his head the gestures were intensified by ten from the tickles. It may be the cutest thing I have ever seen and sadly, this was one of the only times I didn’t have my camera with me so you’ll just have to trust me.
P.S. Eleonor never went to the birthday party. Her first reason was that she didn’t like her mother and didn’t want to go until she remembered I had bought her a haircut for the event. Then her story quickly changed to not having enough money to take the multicab home.
The Street Kids in the Street
Sara, another volunteer, and I were having a drink on the patio when a couple kids came up begging for money. I looked up and to my surprise it was Ceot and Jon Marco, two kids that were at the center the first two weeks I was there but disappeared before I got to say goodbye. That happens more frequent than I like. One day the kids are there and the next day they are gone. Forget the personal disappointment of losing a little kid I have become attached to or the difficulties of teaching a group of kids that is constantly changing, but I always wonder what type of conditions they are going back to and tonight I had my answer.
With my heart in my toes I gave them the biggest hugs in the world and took them to the market for a proper dinner. I asked them if they wanted to come back to the center for a good place to sleep and eat, but they were more interested in the food in front of them.
As if the feelings couldn’t get any worse of seeing the kids back on the street, the saturation van pulled up to Sara and me immediately when I got back to the patio. Do I tell them the kids are at the market? I felt like it was my responsibility, but another part knew the kids did not want to go back to the center. As weird as it sounds many of the kids prefer the streets because they feel like they have freedom. I thought they would think I had tricked them with buying the dinner. I knew it was far from the truth, but would they?
Responsibility won so we went back to the market to pick them up. They both ran as soon as they saw the van. Secretly I was hoping both would get away. Unfortunately Jon Marco was not able to escape the speed of the older kids and started bawling uncontrollably when he was caught. I tried to comfort him and tell him it would be better at the center, but the disappointment in his eyes told me he didn’t agree (and I wasn't so sure myself). Even worse I think he felt betrayed. This was the first time anyone saw tears in my eyes...
And…
The Story of Jeffery
Jeffery is from Padre Burgos, a small town about three hours south from Ormoc. When people found him about 20 miles from his home he had been walking through the mountains for three days with no shoes and begging for food. He was running away from his foster family who had been beating him.
The time came for us to bring Jeffery back to the Social Welfare office in Padre Burgos and Agnes asked if I’d like to go with (why he ended all the way up in Ormoc will forever be a mystery). Excited to see more of the island I jumped at the chance for a road trip with Jeffery, Agnes, and me.
Little did I know the entire staff would be taking the road trip. There were six adults and three additional kids in one van to bring Jeffrey home and one adult to stay back at the center with twenty plus kids. Since this was earlier in my stay I was completely confused why so many people were needed, but it all became clear when we stopped at the beach for a picnic for three hours after dropping Jeffery off. I am still debating which part bothered me the most. Jeffery’s fear in going back to Padre Burgos, all the people, the amount of time we spent at the beach, watching the kids watch the adults eat until they couldn’t stuff another piece of fish in their mouth until they were allowed to eat, or knowing the smorgasbord was paid for by the center. The center that did not have the budget to get the kids a new basketball after theirs popped from being worn out.
The Trip to Jollibee
Taking the kids out of the center always breaks my heart in a million pieces. It starts when they strut out all proud to me in their “best” clothes. Most of these kids rotate between two outfits so it typically means the one that is clean. Pause for just a second and think about that. Two outfits. Two outfits that don’t even fit. Either they are way too small so their pants are now capris or so oversized they have to use material to tie the sides so their pants don’t fall down.
When we get to Jollibee (the McDonalds of the Philippines) the guard won’t even open the door for the kids until he sees me. I understand that this is so patrons are not bothered by beggars while eating, but it doesn’t make it any easier to see.
Then the stares and snarls begin and the questions start popping into everyone’s heads about what they are wearing and why the kids are in Jollibee, again, until they see me. Don’t they know they have their best clothes on just to come to Jollibee?
But then we order and their eyes are lit up like JD and Mom’s yard at Christmas time. I forget about everything up until this point and smile at their happiness. I often think I am getting more out of the trip to Jollibee than them.
The Barbershop
Eleonor’s mother was having a birthday party and she asked for 40 pesos to get a haircut so she could look her best. Since the kids will use the money to buy glue to sniff (called rugby) I decided to go with just to make sure she was really getting a haircut. My little angel, Jay, saw us leaving and asked if he could go with. Okay, so maybe I delayed our walk so he could see us leaving.
As Jay and I watched Eleonor get her haircut it was easy to tell he had never gotten a haircut let alone even be in a barbershop before. So once Eleonor was done I asked him if he wanted a cut too. His eyes got as big as his head from excitement and it was even better once he got in the chair. His eyes clenched shut out and shoulders tightened out of fear and as soon as the buzzer touched his head the gestures were intensified by ten from the tickles. It may be the cutest thing I have ever seen and sadly, this was one of the only times I didn’t have my camera with me so you’ll just have to trust me.
P.S. Eleonor never went to the birthday party. Her first reason was that she didn’t like her mother and didn’t want to go until she remembered I had bought her a haircut for the event. Then her story quickly changed to not having enough money to take the multicab home.
The Street Kids in the Street
Sara, another volunteer, and I were having a drink on the patio when a couple kids came up begging for money. I looked up and to my surprise it was Ceot and Jon Marco, two kids that were at the center the first two weeks I was there but disappeared before I got to say goodbye. That happens more frequent than I like. One day the kids are there and the next day they are gone. Forget the personal disappointment of losing a little kid I have become attached to or the difficulties of teaching a group of kids that is constantly changing, but I always wonder what type of conditions they are going back to and tonight I had my answer.
With my heart in my toes I gave them the biggest hugs in the world and took them to the market for a proper dinner. I asked them if they wanted to come back to the center for a good place to sleep and eat, but they were more interested in the food in front of them.
As if the feelings couldn’t get any worse of seeing the kids back on the street, the saturation van pulled up to Sara and me immediately when I got back to the patio. Do I tell them the kids are at the market? I felt like it was my responsibility, but another part knew the kids did not want to go back to the center. As weird as it sounds many of the kids prefer the streets because they feel like they have freedom. I thought they would think I had tricked them with buying the dinner. I knew it was far from the truth, but would they?
Responsibility won so we went back to the market to pick them up. They both ran as soon as they saw the van. Secretly I was hoping both would get away. Unfortunately Jon Marco was not able to escape the speed of the older kids and started bawling uncontrollably when he was caught. I tried to comfort him and tell him it would be better at the center, but the disappointment in his eyes told me he didn’t agree (and I wasn't so sure myself). Even worse I think he felt betrayed. This was the first time anyone saw tears in my eyes...
And…
- How the center’s supplies are limited to trays for the kids to eat from, a few balls, a few badminton paddles, tattered books that are beyond their level of reading, a few items they have collected from who knows where, and a TV that they watch all huddled together in the hallway.
- How a couple of kids have broken bones, but no casts.
- The despair in Jay’s eyes when his ice cream toppled to the floor on his first bite.
- The curiosity Niel had watching a kid play with a remote control car almost as if he had never seen one in his 13 years.
- When you feed Baby James pieces of food to prevent him from choking he’ll snatch everything in your hand and stuff it all in his mouth. I am guessing it is just a natural instinct since he was starved for so long.
- How Baby James barely has the energy to cry yet he will play with himself all day. I know that is a little weird to write, but I found it so interesting.
- How emotional all the kids get when their parents come. Some is pride, but most is pain.
- The night Allen was caught trying to jump off the second story of a parking lot
- The day I learned about the kid who killed himself by slitting his throat just before I got there
- How often kids escape from the center while others never want to leave
- The day I learned one of my favorite guys, Jonathan, who is always so helpful and looks after all the younger kids, was in the center for rape
- The first time I saw a kid being beaten by a 2 x 4 for something they didn’t even know if he did (and turns out didn’t do)
- Learning about the night some of the kids were punished by having to kneel on sea salt for negligible misbehavior
- How the staff do absolutely nothing except beat the kids (this was not all the time, but enough to write about), share half the food I buy for the five of them and let the 30 kids share the other half, take the toys I buy for the kids, or never even say thank you
- Watching Ronald’s progress with long division
- How much they loved their pictures taken. What is interesting is everyone in the Philippines will have the biggest smile until the camera snaps and all of the sudden their faces turn serious and stone like. I still don’t know whether they prefer how they look with serious faces or if they are just self conscious of their smiles since most of them are missing teeth?!?
- The first time I saw Baby James stand up and walk around
- Hearing Jay repeat the regions of the Philippines a couple weeks after the lesson. He truly was listening AND retained it.
- How fast the kids learned how to make bracelets and their pride with each finished product
- When the kids finally understood the rules to H-O-R-S-E
- The day I got Jun Jun, the macho man of the group, to actually start participating in lessons
- The day we piled 30 plus people into the van and headed to the beach
- The energy in the room when dancing with the kids to “Low”
- Watching Allen, the quietest one of the group, break out the dance moves when I turned on “Low”
- The kids grasping on to the plush toy gifts for dear life
- How well behaved they were one Sunday when we had to sit through mass, walk the stations of the cross, listen to the nun tell them how they needed to live a life of God, and wait while everyone went through confession. I was ready to start joking around after about 10 minutes!
- How grateful they were for the new mattresses since their backs were no longer sore and getting better sleep
- How respectful they are of all their elders, especially me. They were always trying to carry everything for me, make sure I was okay, etc.
- How I got them all doing my brother Chad’s famous fist explosion and yelling Yahtzee!
- Or perhaps my favorite. The day little Jay put on his best shirt thinking that would make me want to take him home with me. Little does he know he didn’t need to put his best shirt on…
Going to the Beach
Before the Matresses
How I Found Baby James
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