This past Friday, December 17th, a flash flood hit the Philippines and dropped over 10 hours of rain.  The water reached rooftops while families were sleeping.  Today, over 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and there could be as many as 100,000 people displaced from the rain.

Together, prayer and action can change the world.  Please reblog or donate @ RedCross.org.ph

All I want for Xmas is to get out of my bubble….

Thanks for the ReBlogs on my previous posts!  Spreading the word about this tragedy even a little bit helps, because so many people haven’t heard about this and you never know who may want to do their part to contribute or donate.

@Orangepoopz, I agree—it’s pretty sad that NOT many people have reblogged.  I expect that.  I think that most people won’t because, naturally, people are more concerned with things that concern them.  Personal blogs are all about me-me-me, and that’s.. what …they’re made for… right?!  

Since I AM Filipino, this tragedy speaks to me on a personal level.  Whatever I can do for my homeland while out here in the U.S., I would do because I’ve realized that whole families in the PI are forced to share a packet of Instant Noodles for a meal… while we in the U.S. delight in our buffets and huge portions of food that would feed multitudes in other places of the world.  The $5 we spend on a Big Mac Meal can feed a whole family for a couple of days?!  How freakin’ ridiculous!  Most of us are unaware and so detached being oceans away.  It’s SUPER NORMAL not to care.

I would hope that in the holiday season, people are doing their part to put others before them.  Happy Holidays, everyone.  Tis the season for giving!  Most of us will experience the joy of opening presents this year and some may greedily wish for more.  Sadly, many of our brothers and sisters will be far from that and experiencing the saddest grief of their lives.  

What can we do?

This past Friday, December 17th, a flash flood hit the Philippines and dropped over 10 hours of rain.  The water reached rooftops while families were sleeping.  Today, over 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and there could be as many as 100,000 people displaced from the rain.

Please reblog or donate @ RedCross.org.ph

This past Friday, December 17th, a flash flood hit the Philippines and dropped over 10 hours of rain.  The water reached rooftops while families were sleeping.  Today, over 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and there could be as many as 100,000 people displaced from the rain.

 

Please reblog or donate @ RedCross.org.ph

This past Friday, December 17th, a flash flood hit the Philippines and dropped over 10 hours of rain.  The water reached rooftops while families were sleeping.  Today, over 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and there could be as many as 100,000 people displaced from the rain.

Please reblog or donate @ RedCross.org.ph

This past Friday, December 17th, a flash flood hit the Philippines and dropped over 10 hours of rain.  The water reached rooftops while families were sleeping.  Today, over 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and there could be as many as 100,000 people displaced from the rain.

Please reblog or donate @ RedCross.org.ph

This past Friday, December 17th, a flash flood hit the Philippines and dropped over 10 hours of rain.  The water reached rooftops while families were sleeping.  Today, over 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and there could be as many as 100,000 people displaced from the rain.

Please help by visiting and donating at this site: http://www.hikot.com/index.php?do=/help-iligan-cagayan/

My heart is breaking for our beautiful country… all the children and families who are suffering from this.  This is today’s news, and all of this is happening on the other side of the world… beyond our visibility and comprehension.  My filipinos, this is our motherland and our people whose lives are lost while most of us live comfortably—completely detached from their experience and suffering.  There’s so much devastation.  It’s heart wrenching to have no power over this.  What can we do?!

Everyone, please keep the Philippines in your prayers.  Keep hope alive and remember our motherland.

I’m still really taken aback by the lifestyle here and the impoverished state of the country, so there’s a lot going through my mind everyday about missing things at home, and having to adjust here. Things I didn’t think I took for granted at home, I actually do… wi-fi.. warm showers.. toilet paper.. a roof over my head.. space…

Last night, kids walked up to me asking for money and I just had to give them some.. not knowing if they’d use it for food or if they have to give it to the “Lords” they work for—to reach their quota to survive, but how can you refuse kids?! This is normal here, everyday. Kids are out on the streets almost everywhere I look and I wonder about their lives.. if they’re okay or do they get hurt and what’s gonna happen to em…. not just the kids.. but everyone else out here who’s homeless. Right now, there are rain storms in the Philippines. My power shut off twice since I’ve been here—took a shower in the dark even, and the thunder really rumbles. What happens to the multitudes of people who are stuck with nowhere to go?! There are SO MANY people. I’m getting used to seeing it everyday but I’m still really bothered by the thought of it.  I wish and pray that things would change here.

I’m just opening my eyes to see the vast differences between my two homes—the Philippines and America.   Some people in America be complainin about shit in their lives… I know I have. Having seen what I’ve seen here… a lot of it seems really stupid and selfish. Checked.

to the Philippines and beyond..

I’m going to the Philippines for a whole month to teach!  Is it weird that a “dream come true” means going back HOME?!  I’m so excited for this.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to become an infuential part of the dance community there, but I’m also looking forward to go back to my roots and learn about the culture I’ve left for 19 years.  Thank you, Fao for opening this up to me. 

 Some people go to the Philippines for a short while to experience the great parts of it—like the exotic islands and all the touristy parts, but I know a different experience.  I grew up in a house where water shut off every night at a certain time and in order to have a HOT bath, we had to boil water on the stove.  We didn’t have a flush in our toilet… we had to manually pour buckets of water down the toilet in order to drain it.  We also had a water pump in our front yard if we ever needed more.  In the school I went to, we didn’t have toilets either… we used squatters. Those are really uncomfortable for me :/  Every night when we went to sleep, we had to protect ourselves from mosquitoes and insects by hanging a net over our beds.  I remember there being lots of spiders and flies almost everywhere.  In the morning, our rooms were shaded by geckos that stuck themselves all over our windowpanes.  My grandma owned a big pig that eventually gave birth to other pigs.  We also had chickens and roosters.  I always thought these were pets, but my uncles eventually turned them to dinner.  My grandpa built his own house out of bamboo on a lake.  He had ducks and other things swimming in it all the time.  On the way there, you can see the countryside.. people riding waterbuffalos.. and even people bathing naked on the side of the streets.. It’s pretty funny.  My sisters and I were left there with my relatives, while my parents tried to secure a home and their careers in America.  We communicated by recording casette tapes of us singing.. mailing it back and forth.  They always sent us American food and all sorts of American things.  I tasted milk for the very first time after I moved to California.  That was my life in the Philippines.  

The Philippines is soo different, but because my early childhood was formed there, I’ve always felt a deep connection to the country and culture.  It’s formed a big part of who I am and the things I value in life.  I also owe this to my aunts and uncles who raised me under the custom Filipino traditions.  It reminds me of the things I take for granted here in the U.S..  I really appreciate these kinds of places—ones that aren’t so fortunate as America.  It’s gonna be a humbling experience to be there. I also appreciate the hard work of my parents for wanting a better life for our whole family.  They worked hard so that we could all be in the land of opportunity.  Without their dream of coming here, I wouldn’t be able to live out my dreams like I am now.  Thanks Mom and Dad!  You’re the best!

I might have a hard time adjusting to the lifestyle in the Philippines, but.. it’s HOME and places like this are great teachers.  I really can’t wait to become a part of this community and to meet the amazing people of this country.

Thank you, Lord.  I hope for the best.