Meo's Journey of Awakenings: Celebration pg 2

"Wow, talk about intense… This place is insanely hot - not like any other heat I have experienced… I am sure I would no problem doing a sweat after being here, its crazy…. I am having minor panic attacks from being pushed so far out of my comfort zone, but this will lessen I am sure. Waves of emotion sweep over me. There is an interesting smell here, like flora and fauna meets smoke and heat. I keep telling myself this is amazing and it truly is!!! Just very foreign… My first meal with the Valdenor family sat me at the he'd of the table. Mommie Anita prepared rice, potatoes, pork, chicken, beans… so much food!!! It tasted so amazing but after a few bites, the jet lag caught up to me. I excused myself from the table and headed to bed. The roosters began crowing around 2 am & I was wide awake by 5 am. Writing is helping - at least I can put these thoughts down here. The drive to Balangiga was filled with a sense of community. The people were in the streets, at the store, hanging out, eating, laughing, walking together…. Such a foreign concept! Right now I am sitting in my little red room with the green door, have my fan on and I am listening to the music coming from downstairs and roosters… Time to find something to do!"

My first day in Balangiga, Eastern Samar

I also met a friend - his name is Benton :-) He really liked my beef jerky!

It was very busy morning as the house was preparing for a wedding reception that Mommie Anita was catering. People were moving in and out of places, wiping things down, getting things ready…

I offered to help and was given the task of wiping wine glasses. I was assisting Joy who is 16 years old. She was happy, I think, for the help. I was served breakfast, a snack, lunch, another snack, dinner…. And probably a few more snacks somewhere in there. :-) It was a busy day, my first in Balangiga, and was filled with wonderful people, warm smiles, good food and a bit of an awakening… I had the honor and privilege to witness culture in action by being an observer to a wedding reception. I was invited by a group of men to sit with them and have a talk. We chatted about ships that cross oceans, American politics and the food. One of them, Captain Tommy, drove ships to Iraq with top secret cargo. They had just come from a medical mission in Guian, Eastern Samar.

Views from the window

Down the stairs in the pension house

A saint nestled in a corner, in the pension house.

This is where their catering hall used to be, Typhoon Yolanda left it in ruins.

All that is left is the floor, the stage and the comfort room.

Two buttfreckles found homes :-)

Mitzi and Tyler Seth

Busy work for the reception

Poppa Tony's hardware store

For the reception, Lichon!!!

This bug was very kewl!! The wedding party thought it was funny that I was taking pictures of bugs and cooked pigs LOL

Another friend??

I named him Macha… :-)

Lunch time at the Valdenor house.

Random driftwood pieces.

YUM!!!

The wait staff - not sure of the first guys name on the left,

but in the middle is Berlito and on the right is Rey!

The reception and Mommie Anita taking part in the dancing -

this was fun to watch! Thousands of pesos are giving during the dance

as the audience dishes it out while people dance. :-)

What struck me to be the most amazing is how people who are recovering from a major disaster give freely, from the heart… It is a beautiful thing to witness… and something I feel we have lost.

The street where the Valdenor's live

A lizard friend :-)

Captain Autonomo!

Another excerpt from my journal: "We take so much for granted. I knew this before I arrived here, but today, I am at a loss for words. The people here just want to live/life, not just survive. My host family has had to use up their entire savings to rebuild after Yolanda and still do not have enough money to cover the rebuilding of the catering hall. Poppa Tony has two hardware stores he is running, on top of the catering service and Mitzi's store. But their resolve, and the resolve of these people, is phenomenal! They all stare at me. Today in the market a little lifted my hand to his forehead and held his hand out, asking me for something - I assumed money. Mitzi says that is a sign of respect to an elder when they raise your hand to their forehead. How to you explain American poverty to someone who has nothing? Most of the houses are barely standing - pieced together. There is devastation everywhere and the only help they are receiving is foreign aid. Today the power went out during the reception - a brown out - it was normal? What would have happened in America??? Tyler Seth does not have a car seat, he runs around the vehicle like I did as a kid, jumping over seats and being young. No seatbelt for me either… and I cannot stop thinking about hw we over protect our kids and ourselves at home." It truly is a different world, a beautiful world….

Later, we went out around town and Mitzi took me to the market. It was beautiful!!!

PUPPY!!!

Tyler Seth

We also went to visit Tyler Seth's ya-ya (nanny), Joan and her two kids, Nicole and Nikko. I had brought a doll for her daughter and a car for her son and Mitzi wanted to take me over there to give them to the two. :-) As always, I am greeted with smiles, curiosity and laughter!! The children were really shy at first, but eventually, after I gave the toys, they began to warm up enough to smile! The little girl would not let go of her doll… And the little boy very carefully removed the cardboard from his little car. He very carefully put it back on the car and just held it in his arms. It hit me, pretty hard, that these little gifts mean the world to these two children… I felt as though I should have brought more toys with me… :-(