When I was five years old I toured a logging ship with my father who worked as a longshoreman in Aberdeen, Washington. It was my first time aboard a huge ship and I remember being in awe of the sanitary colors, the sounds of a foreign language and an overwhelming feeling of immense space. My most vivid memory of the tour was at the end when a man walked up to me and handed me a little wooden house made from small bamboo sticks, cigarette filters and a piece of bark that it was mounted upon. The little windows could open by an even smaller stick that could be wedged in the bottom of the window pane. The door could also open and close into the small living space which was located at the top of a small set of tall stairs. The entire house was approx 3 inches in diameter and 6 inches in total height. This small house was an escape for my imagination during my childhood days. I would sit with it in my lap for hours dreaming about what kind of people lived in the house, how they carried on through their day and how they lived in such a small space.
When I turned 14, I sent a letter to the address on the bottom of the piece of bark explaining how much I loved the little house and how thankful I was for the gift, so many years ago. I received a letter from the man who created it:
This little house became the ambassador for a new friendship to begin forming in the Philippines. Tony Valdenor (poppa Tony) wrote to me a few times and then handed off the pen to his daughter, Ann Mitzi.
With the letters came pictures and glimpses into the life of the Valdenor family. In this picture, left to right, Poppa Tony, Ann Mitzi, her brother Anton and Mommie Anita. I have several other photos from over the years but have misplaced my photo album, they will be added when I find it. :-) I am sure I put it somewhere, safe ;-).
Over the years we kept writing, and I kept the little house. My own family and I moved quite a bit after I turned 15 and I had several addresses over the years. But we never lost touch. I was married, divorced, had a daughter, married again… moved… moved again… and when Elisia (my daughter) was 5 years old she found my little house. I am sure her curiosity is what led her to destroy the little building… and not out of malicious intent! By the time I found her sitting in the other room she had taken the top part of the house off the stilts and was working on mashing it back together. I was terribly upset that she had found it hidden in a box where I was keeping it safe until I could find the proper place for it. She had certainly found it! I kept the house in a baggie for another couple of years and finally decided I needed to dispose of the broken mangle pieces… Boy do I regret that decision today!
There were a couple years where our letters became very "hurried"… I chalked it up to being busy with our lives! Ann Mitzi had completed college and was training to become a police officer, I was busy being a mom and starting a massage practice… The internet was becoming more popular and we began corresponding by e-mail with intermittent letters. In 2009 we found each other on Facebook and for the first time I could send Mitzi a letter whenever I wanted to! She was getting married and having a baby, pictures of her life were available almost instantly and we had a way to communicate more than a few times per year! This also ended our writing to each other, except for Christmas cards - however I think even that went away after a while.
I meant to send something when her son, Tyler Seth was born, but I became so busy with college that time flew by and before I knew it, he was already two years old. Last fall I went to Portland to install an animation installation for my MFA program. During the installation I heard that there was a typhoon heading for the Philippines. I remember thinking, I need to Facebook Mitzi and see how they are doing. I was not prepared for what happened…
Typhoon Yolanda was the worlds worst typhoon in the history of the world… It hit the coast of Eastern Samar/Tacloban/Balangiga on November 8, 2013. This picture was taken by Autonomo Sr Abellar Amano, shortly after the typhoon hit Balangiga, Eastern Samar.
This is the hometown of my Valdenor family. I was very worried about them as I knew that Mitzi and her husband were both police officers in Palo, Leyte where they also live. Palo, Leyte was one of the worst hit areas because of the storm surge that also came with the rain and wind. There were thousands of people laying dead in the streets and many were missing, including my friend. All I was seeing on my end were pictures of devastation, death and turmoil...
I prayed, checked missing persons reports, e-mailed her family members… hoped… prayed some more.. It had hit me very hard that this entire family had made a huge impact in my life and now the entire connection may be severed. They may be hurt or even dead, they may have lost everything.. News was slow and information contained within each region. It was three weeks before I heard that she was found, alive, and safe! They had lost their lodging house, businesses destroyed, buildings collapsed… but the entire family was safe… During this time I began to think that I have never heard my friends voice, never seen her in real life… Would I ever have a chance? I would love to meet the family and see her father once more… But the Philippines seem like they are very far away…
Graduate school was in full swing and I was in the middle of my master thesis writing, animating, planning a wedding for our daughter… and yet this little voices and fellow grad student kept fueling this idea to travel. I spoke with my animation mentor about animating this story of my friend and she said this sounded like an amazing story and wanted to know if I could get voice recordings from Mitzi and her family. As I began to ask Mitzi for voice recordings and possible videos there was a distinct disconnect. She was not sure how to use Skype and recording her voice was not a possibility. If I was going to do this, I was going to have to go there. But how could this even work out? There were only 6 weeks left in the quarter and I was already swamped with work. But my friend Amanda kept pushing me to study abroad… Kept dropping hints… Kept bugging me… urging me…
I finally decided to just ask and see what could come of it. I went to our faculty chair and asked if I had the available credits. We figured all of them out and oddly enough I had 1.5 available credits. Tracey was excited and in full support of my idea so we went around to see what other doors could open. First we stopped at Financial aid to see if it was to late to submit something for spring quarter, door wide open. Then we went to the registrars office to see if I could add credits to spring quarter in order to solidify my financial aid support, door also - wide open. Then we went to the international studies office to see about adding me to their case load for spring and they too were able to assist me, and awarded me a $1,500 travel grant on top of the door being wide open… Everything was pointing to yes!!! I became very emotional at the thought that I would be able to travel and actually meet my friend who I had been writing for 24 years…
And guess what?? I bought my ticket…
Leaving Seattle May 7, 2014
See you in two weeks!
Piglet, my travel companion - I also read the book, Te of Piglet while on this journey.
While in Vancouver I wrote in my travel journal: Smallest plane ever! The universe sent to me, two angels, Eddie & Josie. They are from the Philippines and have been married for 41 years. They now live in Snoqualmie Washington but were heading home to Manila for a few months. I met them just before I boarded the plane to Vancouver. I was very nervous when I sat down to wait for my plane but when they arrived my nerves were quickly set at ease. They told me so much about where I was going and how wonderful the people are. Josie told me all the foods I need to try… It feels so amazing to have confirmation about this journey. I have a 6 hour layover before boarding the plane to Manila. I am both nervous and excited at the same time. After 24 years of letter writing, pictures, glimpses, sneaks peeks, what will I find? What will I encounter? What will it smell like? How will the ground feel? What will the water and sand look like? Will I recognize my friend at the airport? I go with an open heart & grounded third eye. St Brigid, be with me on this journey… My Piglet is my confidant and we will make the best of all this craziness!
Leg 2 from Vancouver to Manila Once again the universe is amazing! The plane I am on is huge! Business class even has reclining bed/seats… JEALOUS! So I get to the very back of the plane & someone is in my seat. No sooner did I notice this that there was an announcement over the loudspeaker that some upgrades were available. I asked the stewardess and she escorted me to an exit row seat! I was very cold though as the door was leaking air… But I had leg room! A man sitting next to me gave me sound advice on how to navigate through the Manila airport! Yay! May the doors just keep opening all the way through my trip. I find it highly ironic that my body is chilled and I am heading to the tropics. But Piglet and I are excited to get there!!! I have been thinking about how immense this all feels. Ireland was dream come true, but what about all the dreams we push aside? The Philippines was always a very far away thought… I may as well be traveling to another world. When I half-heartedly said I needed to see Mitz after the typhoon, I never imagined… Maybe I need to start imagining as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
1. I am on the plane to the Philippines
2. Something magical is happening
3. I am a teacher of art
4. I am doing this, by myself
5. My life is a testament to doing good
6. I will have many more adventures
Objects that stand out: Piglet, water bottle, my bags/luggage, electronic devices, candy, pillows, spirals, BLANKETS. Observations: People are people, very generous and beautiful people. What story do I want to animate? How literal do I want to make it? Experience will no doubt answer this. Another impossible thought, my animation that comes from this will come together & be accepted, appreciated and loved by those who have a heart…
My first glimpse at the Philippines, landing in Manila :-)
Coconut trees… Two things struck me as I got of the plane. The first - HEAT! It was very hot, very humid…. very hot… did I mention it was hot? The second was the smell of the Philippines, like a sauna smell combined with a green house and a faint nag champ incense tone. Very strong odor… pleasant, new… different!!!
The ladies voice is pleasant enough but geesh, its loud! This is not helping my comfort zone (not that I had one to begin with.) But I made it to my connection. 1st thing off the plane I found and purchased a cell phone so that I can call home and Mitzi. Then I took a taxi cab to terminal 3 - they do not use the lines in the road… They just go wherever they want to ,and motorcycles go in between the pedestrians and cars… Oh, its hot………………… Its disorienting to hear a foreign language. They speak some english but I am finding that most of the people I try to speak to do not understand in depth. Customs was no problem. The airline checked my bag all the way through to Tacloban, Mitz has not responded to my message on Facebook - Hope she does not forget me. I miss my husband terribly… A part of me wants to be done and just head home but that is not my reality. Funny thing about rabbit holes, once you jump in, you have to finish the journey…
Manilla Airport - Terminal two
Taxi ride to Terminal 3
Billboards and chaos
My first jeepeny :-)
Sitting at Terminal three waiting for my flight to Tacloban.
"I have 90 minutes before the next leg begins & then I have no idea how long it will take to get to Mitzi's house. I need a nap and a shower and mostly for my body to chill out… Coconut trees, Te of Piglet, tired eyes, headache…. its all good :-)"
What I remember most in Manila is how loud the announcers were. The speakers must have been turned up very high and there was feedback on the mic. I met a couple who were on their way to Palawan to see the underground river… I remember thinking I have to return with Patrick so that we can travel there together. :-) It was nice to have someone to chat with and they commended me on traveling alone, as a woman. I found that a little humorous! But I would soon realize that women are not as independent as I am. I did however find a mocha!!
I made my way to Tacloban on a small plane, seated at the very back and once again the universe was waiting for me. I found a fellow traveler who had been on the plane since Vancouver, Canada and a young school girl who was visiting home from Manila. She had not been home in quite some time! They shared stories with me about the Philippines and were very excited about my journey to see Mitzi. More angels along the journey!
I left the plane and almost forgot my camera… But a kind stewardess brought it to me! That would not have been good… I made my way to the terminal and begin to see the destruction of Typhoon Yolanda… The airport in Tacloban was missing all of its windows, walls and doors… The baggage was being pulled by one man on a trolley, it had to be very heavy…. and about nine men began to sing a welcome song to us as we waited for our bags to be delivered. They set them a top of the non-moving conveyor belt and we took turns grabbing them. I made my way out of the airport and entered a foreign world, full of words I did not know, landscapes I did not recognize and no familiar face. I began to panic… just a little. :-) Many taxi drivers kept asking me if I needed a taxi, I kept telling them no, my friend was picking me up. I called Patrick and he sent Mitzi a message that I was at the airport, and I tried to call her again. This time she picked up the phone!!! We had a very quick conversation and I told her I was at the airport ready to be fetched, she assured me she would be right there. In those moments before she picked me up, I felt a rush of emotions… I was here.. I was about to meet her… I was in a land I had no bearings in… I had to pee… LOL
After what felt like a considerable amount of time, but truly was only 10 minutes… Mitzi, her husband Joland and son Tyler Seth arrived to pick me up!!! I recognized her as they pulled up, hugged her and got into the nice air con vehicle they were driving. It was filled with boxes of things like juice and canned goods. They took me immediately to MacArthur park where I found a man selling balut (cooked baby chickens in the eggshell). Ann Mitzi and I took our first picture together after 36 hours of traveling over 6,556 miles!!!
Mitzi, Tyler Seth and Joland
MacArthur Park
Their vehicle and the man selling Balut
Before heading to Balangiga, we stopped by in Palo, Leyte to pick up a few items from their home. Their roof was destroyed in the typhoon along with a heavy amount of water damage which will entail having to replace almost all of their furniture. Here are a few pictures leading up to their home.
Some damaged buildings from Yolanda
A new landscape
Beautiful horizon
getting gas
row houses - leading up to Mitzi's house
When we arrived in Balangiga, I really needed to use the comfort room… After talking with my friend Haley I had no idea what to expect as she said I may be welcomed by a squat toilet. What I walked into instead was a dark room with a toilet, no toilet paper but I so did not care!!! I would not have to squat for two weeks and I was very excited about that! Luckily I had some tissue in my pocket so it all worked out. I filled the bucket with water and dumped it into the toilet to flush it. Walked into the portico and welcomed the family I had been writing to, or rather, they welcomed me. I did not know they were not used to hugs. So I hugged them all! They welcomed me into a room where a full dinner was spread out on the table and in front of, at the head of the table, was an empty plate surrounded by smaller plates of food that were intended solely for me. I could feel the chaos of the sounds, bright colors, heat and foreign food begin to clamp down on me but I breathed through it, and reminded myself I was alright. We shared the same feeling that we could not believe I was really there! But I do not remember a lot about the conversation that evening. Jet lag was setting in, hard… They led me to my room which was upstairs in the pension house. A small red room with a wooden window that could be opened, no screen, no glass, just out towards the open air. To the left of me were two American men staying in the pension house. What are the odds?? They were there on a mission trip, rebuilding the Church of the Nazarene. Johnnie gave me a quick run down on the toilet, which I had already figured out, and the shower situation. I said good night to my friend Mitzi and the rest of the family, found one of my cold packs, took some advil and lay down in the dark with the sound of crickets chirping outside. My breathing was erratic, I was panicking and kept reminding myself how amazing this trip is, how wonderful it will all be…I began to calm down and eventually fell asleep... then 4 am hit me like a ton of bricks!!! I swear the rooster is the national alarm clock….
Continues:
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