Manila, the Philippines...
Hot... Dirty... Poor... Trash... Happy faces... Pollution... Jeepneys... Markets... Sweat... Mangos... Huge apartment buildings... Hauling your own water - to the fifth story... Cockroaches... Singing and praising God... Faith of the church there... Kids everywhere, smiling, laughing, calling out Hey man! or Maggadang umaga!... Fresh meat (or not so fresh meat) hanging in stalls... Trash... Ramshackle buildings... INSANE traffic!... Fruit smoothies... Tears of joy walking into Starbucks... A lot of Purell... Smoky Mountain Trash Dump... Guards with guns at all the banks... Bag checks/screens going into every mall... Jokes... The CONTENTMENT of these people... simple joys in life... Community...
These memories could go on forever. It's just what comes to mind when I think of my time in the Philippines over the past 10 days. Physically I guess it was hard, but these people have such a joy that it's infectious! I just can't help but laugh at their jokes, even when they're teasing me about my phobia of cockroaches. What an incredible people.
My team and I were blessed enough to stay with a couple families from the church we were partnering with in Manila. We lived in the government apartment buildings across the street from the new Smokey Mountain Trash Dump. The apartments were built to provide housing for the hundreds of people living in the trash dump - and there are 10 to 2 huge buildings - but there are still hundreds more still living in Smokey Mountain. When I say 'apartment buildings', I mean six floors of hard and bare dirty concrete floors with 12 'apartments' on each floor that consist of two rooms and typically house one or two families each. If you asked about air-conditioning or bathtubs, I'd have to laugh. Not a chance.
It was, however, an amazing experience. What an amazing way to get to know these incredible people! I truly do consider it a blessing to get to live and work and eat and share life with people like Violy, Rex, Pastor Rick and his family, Francis (an amazing cook), Manilyn, Jackie, Tess, and so many more. They were and continue to be an inspiration and a challenge to me. Thanks guys.
We did so many things during this time and everything was unique and new! One day we got blessed with a day off and got to go to a beautiful beach. It was such a joy to see the pretty side of the Philippines. I tried every food that came near my face and miraculously didn't get sick once (a trend that continued throughout my travels - thanks to all the prayers back home!). I guess the 'most different' was "balut." Even I got a little queasy on that one. Balut is a Filipino delicacy that is a great favorite of the native people. It is made by boiling a chicken's egg - a fertilized chicken's egg with a baby chick inside, don't get me wrong - a week prior to its hatching and then, after sucking the juices out, it is swallowed whole. You try not to actually chew it, because the bones and claws tend to get stuck in your teeth quite easily, but it's typical to cough up a at least a few feathers afterward. I am not joking; please don't think that I'm exaggerating in the least. I barely got up the guts to do it, but the thought of the great story that I'd have to shock everyone with back home was irresistible (stupidity was a common element in my travels). In the end though, I have to say that it was definitely worth it!
One of my favorite memories of this time was walking home to our apartment one evening. The sun had been down for a while and the air was cool, if not clear. The streets were filled with people meandering to the market, chatting with neighbors, boys playing basketball, kids chasing each other, everyone enjoying the cool of the evening. I could here the endless vide-oke (video karaoke) playing in the background, but for some reason it was a more mellow background sound than the blaring cacophony that it normally was. The sounds, smells, and sights of the evening blended together in a beautiful experience as I looked up and saw the moon... saw a full moon rising over a strange sky.
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