Cureless

I wish there’d always be the “after-storm” atmosphere in the Philippines. It’s when there are less people riding the MRT that you can feel “hey, it’s ACTUALLY cold inside the train”.

Typhoon Yoyong left the country yesterday. And it was yesterday where classes and government offices were suspended nationwide. It was also my uncle’s birthday yesterday. I got some news from him and I’m glad it didn’t do much damage there in our typhoon-haunted province as compared with what the other past typhoons did.

Well, I actually miss feeling the stormy weather in our province. Typhoon Rosing, which visited the country in 1995 had probably given me the most vivid memory of the experience felt during typhoon seasons. It was All Saints’ Day during that year, we just got from the cemetery, the rain began to fall and then, strong winds came. Our whole barangay, including the town was a disaster, the river overflowed, and there was flood everywhere. The day the typhoon passed away, we were helping the elders build blockades made of sand inside sacks to prevent the flood from getting into our own houses. We didn’t have electricity for more than a month, and that I remember because during the celebration of my 12th birthday, I invited my classmates and we used lamps for the lighting.

Fixing our place was tiring but enjoyable nevertheless. Here I found people actually living the “bayanihan” value. Everyone was helping each other to do the work without expecting anything in return. I experienced that, and I’m optimistic people now would still be willing to give their share in whatever endeavor their group is aiming for.

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I wonder at how people spend people spend a lot of money on social gatherings and yet, still can donate their share to charity. I don’t ever want to do that.

If there are many things I learned from joining a socially oriented organization, one would most likely be putting categories into people’s lives. For one time, you’re this rich kid living with your family in a deluxe home, enjoying the pleasures any social being could ask for. For another, you’re with these poor kids, doing your best to make them happy, and wishing the world had given better opportunities to these people.

For some people, it’s hard NOT to place themselves inside boxes of categories. They expect acting differently when placed inside a different box. That’s reality but I wanted something else different. I want to live the way everybody see me.