As you probably know the Indonesian tsunamis have been incredibly destructive. Watching the video on CNN and the BBC as well as listening to the radio leave me with the impression that what happened is indescribable. Yoyong seems mild when compared to waves 10 meters tall that reached from Somalia to Malaysia – a further reminder of the awesome and frightening power of the earth. The issues that arise with such an occurrence will require an equally incredible relief effort; 25,000 plus dead – an insane number.

No waves reached the Philippines, as far as I know, sparing these islands on this occasion. Even so, people are worried. In 1991 a major (8 plus on the rictor scale) earthquake hit (the epicenter being in this province, no less) that is still talked about; the Philippines are home to a great deal of geological activity, mostly earthquakes and live volcanoes, in addition to the tropical storms (such as Yoyong). The heartening thing is that those who survive the many “natural disasters” pull together to begin again. People will do so again in response to the current situation.

Christmas has come and gone yet the carolers remain. Bands of children and old ladies, armed with guitars and empty oilcans, roam the street hoping to sing a few pesos out of your pockets. Perhaps this tradition began with the intent of sharing joy over the Christmas season, but it has since devolved into a loud and importuning method of begging; the singing doesn’t stop until you drop the cash. After the New Year I believe caroling will become a cultural faux pas, until next September anyway.

Out of curiosity I did a job search through an on-line engine the other day. No one ever told me just how many crappy jobs are available! I feel very lucky in that my interests and abilities will probably allow me to find a job that is enjoyable and fulfilling. I see no reason to spend time doing something unenjoyable or unfulfilling – and, some may think naively, believe I won’t have too. Being stuck in such a situation is unfathomable for two reasons: one, after service work in a traditional sense will hold a degree of novelty, and two, that money is not the foremost consideration. Feeling connected to the effort, finding pride in the doing, and that the labor be worthwhile are my primary concerns. What I may do won’t be decide until later – probably the Fall – as finishing what’s at hand and coming home are now my twin preoccupations. I have no worries about this “next step”. Time remains for it to work out and I feel confident in both my abilities and experience to help the process along.

Have a safe and happy New Year.

During the preparations for another world map and in scheduling a meeting with the local Rotary, certain truths have come to light. The most pertinent being that these activities should have been undertaken earlier, perhaps at the very beginning of my service; this is especially true with the Rotary. They have proven both receptive to my ideas and excited to offer help. Had I capitalized on this before it would have a.) given me something concrete to work towards, b.) introduced me to a wider group of motivated people, and c.) possibly provided impetus for project ideas then underway. As for the maps, seeing is believing. When people observe a project that works, or is working, they are more likely to offer their efforts towards other projects. I tried to take on too much too soon, and only realize this now. The lesson? Keep it simple. Keep it small. Keep it attainable. The successes gained through efforts meeting those criteria become the stepping stones of larger endeavors.

In keeping with this observation, I’ll be working over the Christmas weekend to ready some environmental education lessons and games for a mini-workshop. The outdoor club who previously wished to organize a camp realized how much work bringing kids to camp can be (additional factors being cost and liabilities) and have opted for plan B: bring camp to the kids. Over the next few weeks I’ll introduce EE concepts to them through teaching lessons and playing games. This, I think, is the shortest distance between two points. Though my background in EE consists of only one season the materials available to us are easy to follow, once the basics are introduced; I don’t need to be an expert to share. The group is looking to help raise environmental awareness in rural areas and provide tools for turning awareness into action – a day long “camp” session given at a school will be a flexible (and cheap!) way for them to achieve this goal. My cowboy methodology (to the teachers out there) should suffice.

Another early morning rat crunching session today. The Winter Solstice truly is the longest night.

My current reading is The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell. I find their mettle quite impressive and their locution equally enjoyable. Places and experiences surface in vivid detail rendering to the armchair experience an edge of the excitement the participants must have felt. In degrees the unknown has always tugged upon humanity; the two classes of explorers: those who go and those who read their reports by candlelight. I look forward to being on the water again, though this feeling has beginnings prior to this journal. While I may never fill in a white space on the map, at least what is seen will be new to me.

2:00 AM. Who is eating cereal? Fumble around for the broken headlamp…it’s here somewhere. Swear. That sound is much too loud to be crunchy cereal, besides, there isn’t any here. Light attempts to flood the room, failing miserably. Stumble out from under the “insecticide impregnated” mosquito net; manage not to tear it down. Cat. What are you doing? Go outside, pee. Crunching resumes. Grab the bit of tail out from under the cabinet, pull. Weak light reveals cat teeth embedded in a field rat’s head. Place the mess outside, firmly close the door, crawl under the blanket, forget to turn off the light.

While I’m not entirely sure how Kurt (named by my neighbor in memory of a former volunteer) came into my possession, though she clearly intends to stay. So long as the rat and roach population is kept in check I’m inclined to allow her free range. It is important to impress upon her that the proper place to eat rat heads is not near mine; I’m still trying to figure out how, exactly, one teaches a cat.

Christmas is approaching, though a Filipino would say that it’s been doing so since the months that end in “-ber” began. It’s strange to see Christmas lights, Santas, and fir tree silhouettes everywhere – totally incongruous with the weather. A lasting impression from the American colonial experiment. If the music blasted from the beds of slow moving pick-ups in the market are right, Rudolph summers in Batanes and mommy still kisses Santa Claus, albeit under a banana leaf. New Year’s fireworks are already echoing off buildings and mountainsides, reporting the imminent loss of digits with their explosive reports.

I feel detached from all the preparations and hubbub, though the feelings will change Christmas Eve. I’ve become something of a veteran of holidays in strange places. While those with whom I would most like to spend the days with are far away, my thoughts turn in their direction bridging the distance. Knowing that the same kindness is extended to me bolsters the sentiment. I do look forward to spending the holidays in my barangay, visiting with those who have made my time here special; a request for baked goods on Christmas day has been made, and I’m happy to oblige.

Last week was spent playing with mud in Malico; their oven is coming along nicely. My next visit should see its completion and indicate if previous experiences translated into a better product. I think it will and am excited to see the results. Imugan has begun preparations for their own oven; given the location it should be even more interesting. They have arranged for an inside placement which requires a chimney to control the smoke. Putting a chimney in an oven changes several factors and requires more thought than the simple design used for the previous two. I look forward to the challenge; even more, I am glad that the interest is high enough to follow through.

I should clarify something: my primary site remains here; Imugan and Malico are simply communities that have latched onto my interests and wish to work together. We plan work days about two weeks apart and thus far have used the time allotted effectively. The difficulty has been making this happen here, in Paitan.

Instructions arrived yesterday indicating how these last two years will, officially, come to a close. Aside from the paper work the process is pretty straightforward. One bit of information caught my eye: the fact that I could close out two weeks to one month early, and am in fact encouraged to do so. I don’t wish to focus on this possibility, when the idea of ending this chapter and beginning the next is such a tempting thought. These thoughts can distract me from my purpose stated earlier: to spend my remaining time, as much as possible, in the pursuit of positive and helpful activities. Building ovens, painting maps, procuring books. I will let things unfold as they will. This is generally the most honest approach, and applies now. It may at times be difficult to remember this, but I will try to so do.

Yes, typhoon Yoyong was pretty feisty here in Vizcaya, and quite destructive throughout its course in the Philippines. In my barangay homes were inundated by the Magat River, fields and crops destroyed, irrigation canals clogged, and hundreds - thousands perhaps - trees felled. All in all, a natural disaster. While the hurricanes that regularly hit Florida are destructive the citizens of that state are lucky to enjoy the services of a huge corps of volunteers and the national guard - something definitely lacking here. For the first few days after the storm I helped my landlord, Arthur, clean out their home and return sundry possessions from the Day Care Center, to where they had evacuated. People approached the clean up work with resignation, some saying that the storm was sent by God in retribution for their sins - a sad and difficult theology to swallow; little by little things will return to normal.

In fact, things were normal enough the day after the storm that, after the waters had subsided, the sari-sari stores were open and sugarcane gin flowed once again. Given the breadth of change, desiring to sit back and reassess over wine is an understandable course of action.

The greatest amount of work lies in the fields. Rice cannot be planted in a rock filled patty; most of the rock from the roads was washed into the adjacent irrigation ditches and fields creating the bulk of required repair. The first order of business has been to clean the debris from homes and clear the roads; both tasks were accomplished quickly and effectively.

If anyone is interested in sending funds to help provide relief from this latest series of storms (four in less than two weeks), follow the URL listed here:

• Operation Blessing International

As for me, all is well. My home was unaffected by the storm, other than branches falling from nearby trees on the roof.

Regarding my previous post: I have followed through on my self-admonition to find positive ways whereby my service may end. Certain efforts have already produced results; others remain promising. I maintain that my previous decision to abandon the water project was the right thing to do, and am happy that other avenues of usefulness have presented themselves.