Yesterday was really crazy. It started off normal, teaching my two reading classes and enjoying snack with the kids. It was raining during class, which I still get excited about, but I had no idea how bad it was going to get!
Eventually, all the students had gone home except four of the grade 2 girls. They live in San Buena and were waiting for the trike to come and pick them up from the church. Since it was already afternoon, we were bagging the rice and soup for our ministry in Gruar. The girls were hanging out waiting, and came over to help me :) we bagged the rice and tied it up together, and I was so blessed to have their assistance. As we bagged, we talked about the book we'd read that day, "What Is Love?" It's so awesome when they remember what we read together. They could recite with me, "Love is... helping, sharing, listening, giving, saying sorry.." etc. So that was great fun. The rain was coming down hard by that time, and we played and laughed and ran around dancing haha. I ran to grab my camera because it was just such a special moment, I didn't want to forget it. Taking pictures is always a popular activity, especially for us girls!!! We posed with umbrellas and in the rain... haha. Then their trike came so we said goodbye and I went to hang out with the youth until we left for Gruar.
Ate Mona received a text message from the mother of one of our students. She warned us that in Gruar the water was already at hip level and flooding. My reaction was excitement! I had never seen a flood in person before. I would compare it to how the Filipino's would feel seeing snow for the first time. Shock, and awe. We packed the food into the pajero and drove over. We were a small group yesterday because most of the youth were stuck at home due to the rain. I could feel the water getting higher and higher underneath the car. I felt like the tires were submerged, haha... so I turned to Marivic and asked, "ARE WE FLOATING?!?!" Which evidently was a really stupid question, because she laughed and smacked me and called me something derogatory in Tagalog hahaha. We stopped, and I had the moment of panic! I was sitting next to the door, and all of a sudden I was nervous for what would happen when I opened the door! Would the water come rushing in?! Again, stupid, but my imagination went away on me lol. Ate Monz asked me to take lots of pictures, because she left her camera with her daughter, Martha. So I assumed the role of photographer and snapped away. I took 93 pictures yesterday. It was incredible. The water was only about half way up my calves but it was shocking anyway. Of course, it wasn't cold, but I quickly realized that in water like this, staying dry is completely impossible, so I began to embrace being drenched!
We couldn't go any farther than the entrance to Gruar, the water was just too deep. So we handed off the crates of food to some of the boys and men to bring in. Argie and Charlie went to help distribute, as well as a few people from the village. It's way too hard for me to describe the scene... men were swimming in the 15 foot deep water where a small creek runs during the dry season, kids were wading over to us to say hi, we were hiding underneath a tiny little shelter at the entrance of the village, and it finally dawns on me that many people's homes are filled with water. This of course, is a serious problem when you have little to call your own as it is. In the squatters, disasters like floods and fire and that much worse, because when you've lost everything you have, where can you begin to rebuild? Resources are maxed out as it is, when times are 'good'. I can see now how disheartening it is for those living in the squatters when the rain falls like this. And apparently this isn't even that bad. I asked Jonell, "so what would you call this, is this a flash flood?" He said, "flash flood?... no... just a regular flood." !!! It's crazy to me. At least this is a flood no one should die in. Mona tells me that Cainta is already at F in the monsoon alphabet. 'Falcon' has already come! 6 monsoons this year already, and we're not even in the thick of rainy season yet! The worst is yet to come- during the months of September- November. It was during September 09 that Manila experienced 'Ondoy', a terrible storm that killed many- including one of our Superkids. The water had filled her home in the squatter village, so she jumped out the window and was swept away.
School was cancelled today in all of Cainta on account of the rain, so I slept in till 11 and then watched a Filipino drama movie with Argie, Richard, Marc Cris and Jonell. The day has been pretty boring, a lot of bumming around and drinking coffee. Argie and I made lunch for the 6 of us at the church. Boiled chicken, sautéed in liver spread and tomato sauce with potatos and veggies. We ate it with rice (of course) but today as a special treat we had garlic rice! Mmm so good. I just pretended there was no liver in the ulam and it was fine haha.
I'm going to walk to the DVD store with Jenneth and some of the boys when I'm done my Tagalog homework for my lessons with Teach. Goodnight, Canada!
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