Peace Moves: “It’s more fun in the Philippines!”

“It’s more fun in the Philippines!”

The last few days in Brisbane were a mix of emotions as I packed up, ran errands, participated in the fantastic TEDxSouthbank Women conference, and said goodbye to friends. It really struck me that in the year that I have been in Australia, I feel so thankful to have developed such a wonderful network of fellow Peace Fellows, students, lecturers, dancers, Rotarians, community members and strong friendships. It felt a bit strange not to be heading home to the States, but rather to be heading off on a new adventure with a whole host of Aussie relationships that I will be missing in addition to the ones already in my heart. At the same time, it is strengthening as I head into a new experience to know that there are new wonderful people to meet and build relationships with.

After flying through Kuala Lumpur, I arrived in Manila. I made it to my temporary hotel and checking in with family and friends, I began to get increasingly frantic warning messages about the incoming Typhoon Pablo. I was supposed to arrive in Mindanao the same day as Pablo. I delayed my plans, trying to stay on top of the news and in touch with my program director. A huge typhoon, Pablo tragically wrecked immense damage throughout Mindanao, especially in the region of the Compostela Valley., with the numbers lost continuing to grow. The region I am now it, near Cagayan de Oro in the north, and fortunately seems relatively back on track. While devastation is evident, were no causalities. This is a far cry from last year at about the same time, when this area was struck by a flash flood due to Typhoon Sendong and suffered dramatically. I have met families who in the middle of the night last year climbed palm trees and waited there for five hours until help came, seven months pregnant and with small children. This year there was a forced evacuation in the area. Even though the bridge to one of the local sites was destroyed by the river, by Sunday when I arrived, it had been rebuilt. The raw loss is a good reminder of how thankful I am for the opportunities in my life, and the health and safety of my loved ones.

The resilience of the local Filipinos I have met is remarkable. In a volatile land historically full of volcanoes, earthquakes and cyclones, there are still smiles- especially when I try to speak one of the local languages -Bisayan. I have already met wonderful people, from Rotary connections in Manila who greeted me with dinner and tips about the Philippines, to unexpected new friends and an adventure to see the small volcano Tangatay. In the local community of Tagoloan where I am staying, families have shared their homes, their traditions and their meals. The lovely ‘Auntie’ next door, is making sure that I have enough home cooked food to eat!

I am excited to be working with Dance 4 Peace-Pilapinas, the Philippine branch of a US organization. While Dance 4 Peace is a young organization, the enthusiasm and dedication are evident. My program director is charming, fast-walking, has a friendly greeting or word for everyone, and is an educator with a vision for peace and engagement in his country. In addition to teaching workshops, working on strategic planning and research, I have also been included in meetings for further partnership and learning about the local culture and traditions.

Travel here is a definitely a challenge and one series of meetings last Friday involved multiple kinds of transportation:

-7 jeepney rides
-1multicab
-1 "tricycle”
-1 motorbike
-& lots of walking

All an education unto themselves!

I look forward to all the different kinds of learning while I am here and building a new network of meaningful relationships. As the button I received at the airport says, “It’s more fun in the Philippines!”