It's more fun in the Philippines is the logo you see everywhere. Why, they can even make a flight to Tacloban more fun...first load 1/2 late, sit on plane another 1/2 hour before take off, then fly the hour to Tacloban & just as it comes into sight, turn around and land in Cebu. Wait for an hour on the plane, go back to Manila, sleep in an not the nicest hotel, back to airport lines, get to gate, switch gates, load only 15 min late, wait in plane 30 min before take off...finally land... all for an hour flight...and the day after a night on the bus which had arrived in Manila at 4 a.m....but we did have several nice visits with many local passengers and our food bag is much lighter & easier to carry now. It's more fun in the Philippines!
Update 47
As we entered the Tacloban airport, the uniformed baggage men chanted a welcome in unison with huge grins--which was not at all what I'd expected from people who'd suffered such an immense lost just 1 1/2 year ago....over 6000 dead & still over 2000 missing. As we headed to our hotel with a jolly cab driver who had lost his home, we saw roofless buildings everywhere and shacks built from a mishmash of materials. A few obviously new buildings were interspersed between. We dropped our suitcases and headed out to search for tools we'd consider purchasing....stopping at a bakery...Rog's favorite stop...and there we met a couple who shared their tragic story of losing their 14 yr old daughter. Then at the hardware store, the clerk told us she'd lost 4 family members...how weak it sounds to just say I'm sorry. We found a huge burger & great fries at a Texas BBQ ...and also met the director of All Hands Leyte Project, Smitty who came in for a burger too. By 8 a.m. the next morning, we were getting the tour & basics of the All Hands (AL) headquarters here...also on the tour was a family of 4 who had come as a birthday present for the Mom. About 50 - 60 volunteers & staff are housed, feed & tooled up for their work projects each day. Their routine is a well oiled machine. We then met with Smitty & together decided the best use of the money our church's men & women groups had donated...2/3 for tools & 1/3 for boat construction. What a privilege to personally deliver the donated money. They were thrilled and so very thankful!! In less than an hour, Rog & the tool manager were shopping for much needed tools. I was assigned a work team that was building a septic system...soon scraping cement frames & back filling walls...and sweating. A hearty dinner awaited us at 5 pm & followed by a mandatory meeting that recapped the day's progress, announcements, welcoming new volunteers & assigned jobs for tomorrow. At 6:30, though exhausted, we went looking for a cold Coke Zero...and then back to our hotel for a much needed shower & sleep. Though all the other volunteers bunk 4 to 8 in a room, we pamper our old bodies by living in luxury...at least by Philippine standards...air conditioning & sometimes hot water. A well spent $22 a night!
Update 48
Day 2 found Rog building a floor & ma siding a house. The wood used is from the coconut tree...very irregular in density, size & shape but locally milled. AL houses were designed by a young Slovakian, Lucia who had just come to help & ended up being the main architect. She designed a home with a strong foundation that could withstand a typhoon & earthquake using readily available material (coconut wood/bamboo) that could be replaced easily if damaged, met minimum standard living code & fit on an existing tiny lot. Lucia designed a very functional & attractive 2 story building with a small porch all built on 3" stilts. Lucia's eyes sparkled as she told me how thrilled she was to see her vision--her baby--come to life! The volunteers that are making it happen are an amazing group of mostly young people...more girls than boys...from so many different countries. Many have been here for months...some years... and many keep extending their stay. They work so hard in such hot weather with only the very basic tools and in such rough conditions...but their end product looks like the Taj Mahal compared to the houses surrounding them. Those houses ...shacks were probably poor before the storm...and just poorer now. It's hard to imagine how the rusty metal, cracked wood, plastic pieces held together by wire, rope & a few nails can be called a house. I met the family who is moving into one of the AL houses...the satisfaction I feel make me forget all my sore muscles. After dinner & our meeting, we were treated to a saxophone concert by Joseph on the roof. As the notes floated in the cool night air, I couldn't help but feel like I was where I should be.
