So many hurting people...so many caring people...so much hard, dirty work...pretty much describes the last couple days. We continue to hear their Haiyan (they call Yolanda) stories. Worked with Vanessa at the warehouse today. She's a late 20's Filipino lady. I knew when I asked if she had children...the answer might be hard...but she'd asked about mine. She had two both died when Yolanda washed them away while they were with her Mom...a 5 yr old girl & 7 yr old boy. She described the storm: winds over woo MPH (category 5 tornado) for over 3 hours and 3 huge ocean waves over 20 ft tall with tremendous power smashing...smashing..smashing. The water formed gigantic whirlpools sucking in everyone & everything . The earth was shaking. Then the dead...everywhere. Vanessa wished she had died too. She started helping those around her and then hooked up with All Hands...it's why she's here now. She has a tattoo on her wrist she says she must read often..it reads: just keep breathing. And she and so many like her is what fuels the AH volunteers. Though I try to do my part, I can't carry the heavy beams, bags of cement & gravel for blocks over rugged surfaces to the sites. I tire after digging & mixing cement by hand (no cement mixers & we draw water from a well with a bucket) and then it must be wheel barreled to the sites. My arms are sore after pounding nails (no nail guns). But these young kids seem to delight in doing such hard physical labor. ..quickly volunteering to crawl down into holes filled with stinky water up to their waist. And all the time cracking jokes & teasing each other. Rog can almost keep up with them and they call him "the beast." He's worked lots on the tool shed. I felt immense satisfaction when I completed the railing & facade on one of the front porches. Each thing you do here you hope brings a bit of healing & comfort to someone.
Update 50
Resilient. I have a deeper understanding of that word. The Filipinos live that word. The young boy at the place where we eat lunch told me his Yolanda story today...all the time smiling. At first he and his sister went to a low cement building for protection from the wind which is usually what they do...but then the water came so they went to the highest spot and still the water was up to their chest...his siter was screaming but ha had to remain strong. Finally the water level lowered and he searched for his Dad...he found him. Then he went out in the street in front of their place and it was covered with bodies. They had much work to do to start up their business again. He ended his story saying the typhoons & earthquakes make the Filipinos strong. I am not sure it would have that effect on me. I asked him what he was studying in school. He replied he wanted to be a chef...adding "I hope to see you in America! It's everyone's dream to go to American!" The conversation made my afternoon work sawing re-bars & sewer tubing much easier. After our evening meeting, we watched a documentary on Yolanda (Haiyan) which verified the stories we'd been hearing...the unimaginable strength, length and effects of Yolanda. Though many meteorologist had been tracking the typhoon & warning the Philippine gov't that this typhoon would be much worst than any other...that warning was not passed on. Indeed even the head of the Tacloban weather warning station did not realize the danger and his body has not been recovered. Katie, AH staff member, was here about ten days after. She talked about how difficult it was to face the devastation. ..but then after she worked several months, took a break and returned...she wept seeing how the Filipinos had picked themselves up and started over. Resilient.
Update 51
Today 3 families were given a new home. The AH group was almost as overjoyed as the families! In the evening, we drove about 30 min to a small community without electricity that AH worked in earlier. After playing with the kids a short time, we set up a screen & showed "Despicable II" to about 90 kids. How fun to hear so much laughter! Great Day!
Update 52
Food here is either spicy or sweet. Don't think a day goes by without eating some type of cake or donut and most deep fried. Even the banana break is deep fried after it is baked! And it's cheap! How do you pass up a fried chocolate filled roll for less than 4 cents?? Meat is usually chicken or pork in a spicy, sometimes curry sauce with carrots, yams or green beans mixed in. Rice is served every meal except once we got spaghetti--with a sweet tomato sauce. Lots of cabbage slaw similar to ours. Kids seem to be eating crunchy snacks all the time and all are flavored: BBQ, chili, beef, cheese, pepper, pork, etc. Can't hardly buy a plain chip. Coke & Sprite...in glass bottles usually..are everywhere but finding a Coke Zero or Light close by is impossible...but I go the distance to find one. Today I found the first "limitless" fountain Coke Zero for $2.25. I guzzled my first one, then heard a bell ring & a waiter quickly came & refilled. As I finished that one, another bell rang...this time I saw the bell ringer who was watching me & smiling. One bell ring later, my thirst was finally quenched. AHHHHH!
Update 53
The language here is so unique...it hopes between the local dialect of the area and English. Last night we were watching the local news--about 2/3 in the local dialect intertwined with 1/3 English. When I asked a local about it--he just grin and said "It's our new language." Though we've heard it for over 6 weeks now, it still cracks us up!
