no shirt, no shoes, no service

I was recently in an international airport waiting on a flight when a group of Budhist monks walked by. I live in a Budhist country so that isn't an uncommon sighting in my current life.

What caused me pause, is that they were inside and barefoot.

Monks are usually barefoot.

I just thought about those signs in the States that read, "no shirt, no shoes, no service." What if that was the policy on this side of the world? A shop keeper would be forced to turn away a monk.

Things that make you go, hmmm...

what to do?

In places I've lived in the US I have seen beggars. I often offered to buy them food and was sometimes turned down.

When I used to lead teams overseas I would tell participants that although it seems heartless, it is best not to give money to beggars. Most of the beggars don't get to keep the money you give them, it usually goes to the person who is pimping them. Those scenes in Slum Dog Millionaire are not made up. Children are pimped as beggars. Children and women are disfigured in order to earn more money as beggars. I don't really want to reward those actions, even though I feel compassion for the person in front of me who is begging.

Now I live overseas. Beggars approach daily. We've lived here long enough to know which beggars work which corners. Beggars congregate in tourist areas - the Russian Market and Riverside. There are land mine victims, women with children, and sometimes just children. Sometimes the children look drugged - which I am told is not an uncommon practice. This picture is one mother who approached me near Russian Market. Her child is alert and not lethargic. I bought them a green mango, which was the only food that was available in close vicinity. She took it and left.

Kenyon spends a lot of time at the Riverside area during the day while I am at work because he likes the restaurants there and they have wi-fi. He told me he purchased a mother and child food once. He was so angry because she didn't eat it. She immediately took it to some man standing on the sidelines a little distance away. According to Kenyon the man seemed upset she had food and not money.

I had a similar experience with a little boy inside Russian Market. I bought him fried noodles. He didn't eat them. He handed them over to some man.

I don't know how to deal with this. I don't know what to do. Should I ignore the desperate people begging because they are being pimped by an evil man? Should I give them money because at least it will satisfy their pimp for that day and maybe they will get to eat? Should I give them food in the hopes that from time to time they will actually get to eat it?

What to do? What to do? I don't know. What is the right thing to do?

threading

Threading is a hair removal technique popular in Asia. Have you ever tried it? For our wedding in India my friend Somya threaded my eyebrows. That was the first time I'd ever heard of such a thing. It was the best! I did not (and still don't) understand how someone can do this to themselves. Somya tried to teach Fiona and I the fine art of threading. It was hysterical (and pathetic). At the beach in Cambodia there are ladies who will walk around and offer threading. I had my legs and eyebrows done.

What a life - sitting at the beach, listening to the ocean waves, and having a spa treatment done. There are many perks to living in Asia - this is only one of the many.

putting family first

I was recently riding around town with one of our female, Cambodian staff. Her name is Dalya. I really like this lady. She is smart, ambitious and an excellent worker. She is in her late 20's, married, has two boys and is currently working on her master's degree. I think she has a bright future.

I wanted to get a local perspective on the brothel business. It is impossible to drive around Phnom Penh and not see brothels in nearly every neighborhood. At night, they are even more noticeable as they are usually the only businesses open after 7:30pm. As a Cambodian woman, what does she think about all the brothels? Her answer has stuck with me.

D: None of the wives like brothels. When men start visiting those places, they stop thinking about their families.

Insightful. When visiting a brothel, men are spending money that should be going to their families at the brothels. Men are spending time that should be with their families at the brothel. The one thing no one knows how to successfully do is curb the demand. Traffickers would move on to other businesses if this one weren't so lucrative. Every major religion (Christianity, Islam and Buddhism) teaches fidelity as a key tenant to righteous living. I think one way to help stop human trafficking is to encourage marital fidelity and upholding marriage vows of remaining faithful to one spouse.

In this part of the world, most men have their first sexual experience in a brothel. Despite the attention given to sex tourism, local demand is really what keeps these businesses alive. A recent study showed that 70% of those who visit brothels are local and often government officials who should be uphold laws outlawing such behavior.

How do we create a culture where manhood is defined by virtues like being a good husband and father, rather than by sexual conquest?

oven mits

I've mentioned before that ovens are unusual in Cambodia. When I meet people around town, one of the first things they ask about our place is, "do you have an oven?" We are lucky enough to have an oven. With our baking items I packed one of our oven mits - it was already well used, but I wasn't sure I could find one overseas and didn't think it was worth adding to the list of things to buy. So, in the box it went as is.

Our oven mit arrived here and I realized how worn it was. Disgusting really, but finding an oven mit replacement was impossible. Then I went to Bangkok with Lesley. There was a home store with bath mats that aren't made out of used scraps of fabric, the kind I was used to in America that are colorful and plush. There were decorative items like pillows and candles. It was in this store that I found an oven mit. I was so excited I asked Lesley to pose for a picture with my treasure.

It's crazy the things we took for granted at home and how accessible everything was to us. I just never realized until it wasn't available anymore. Convenience and accessibility are a privelege of the developed world. If you are lucky enough to have it, appreciate it.

Suki soup

There is a certain dining experience I never had until I moved to Cambodia. It's called suki soup. Basically, it is what I call the Asian version of fondue. They put hot coals in front of you, then bring raw meats, vegetables, and noodles. Then you cook your own dinner. I actually enjoy it more than fondue.

These are the people who introduced us to suki soup. The couple, Ray and Christine, lived in our apartment building when we arrived. They have since moved back to Canada to have a baby, buy a house and start a "normal" life for a season. On the far right of the photo is Jenni. She lives in the same apartment building between Lesley and I. She is from the US and part of the ladies group I hang with.

I enjoyed suki soup so much that I took my dad to eat some on his recent visit. When he was leaving Cambodia he said it was one of his favorite things. I knew he'd like it.

On my recent field visits, I went with some of my colleagues to eat suki soup in the province. They introduced seafood to my list of suki soup experiences.

unexpected meeting in Bangkok

I really enjoyed the people I worked with in my last job - loved them really, miss them still. When my dad came for a visit we had planned to spend a couple of days in Bangkok - his favorite city on earth and one of our old haunts when we would travel together to India a few times a year. I thought it would be great to be together again in Bangkok.

To my surprise I got an email from a colleague from Kenya who, by providence, would be in Bangkok around the same time as his wife had a work conference there. Fabulous! We made a plan to get together for a dinner. I couln't believe my luck!

This is Grace and Patrick. They have two boys (who were still home in Kenya) - Solomon and Ethan. This family is very special to me. You may not have known it, but he was a subject of many earlier posts here and here most recently.

We met up at the night market. Ate in the food court and then went shopping. In my opinion, Bangkok has the best shopping in the world. I've been a lot of places and each place has something unique to offer, but I've yet to find better shopping than Bangkok. I think Grace and Patrick enjoyed it too. At least I hope they did.

We had a great time catching up and making new memories. At the end of the night we put them in a tuk and sent them on their merry way. Until next time friends...when we meet up again somwhere in the world.

Christmas in Asia

This picture was taken from a recent visit to Bangkok with my good friend and co-worker Lesley. There were all kinds of gaudy holiday scenes set up when we visited. In typical Asian style there were many people posing for photos among the lights and sets. We couldn't resist! When in Asia....

Kenyon and I are spending our first Christmas in Asia. No trips home for the holiday. I am actually pretending the holidays don't exist this year. It's been rather easy since the weather is still warm like summer (we are in the dry and sunny season now - they call this winter. Christmas day it is 95 degrees and 87% humidity). I am also in a Buddhist country that doesn't acknowledge Jesus birthday in any way and living in the developing world where they haven't quite mastered the art of marketing - let's be real, there is almost zero holiday marketing with the exception of a couple of shops catering to foreigners.

I spent Thanksgiving day working on a grant proposal for UNICEF. Christmas Eve was (not) celebrated at a large, annual AIDS meeting that I attended at a hotel in Cambodia. It was a lot of pomp and circumstance, as these meetings usually are. Today, I did buy tickets for us at a nice hotel in town that is serving a large buffet lunch and giving all day access to the pool. I packed Christmas decorations and shipped them across the ocean. Why? Because this is my favorite holiday, but I am just not in the celebrating spirit this year so I haven't unpacked any of the decorations I packed.

I did receive a couple of Christmas greetings worth sharing. One of my colleagues (an Australian living in the UK) sent an email that was unexpected, but so appreciated. The portion that I liked best reads:

For those of you that are staying in country during the holiday season- I know how hard it is for you to be away from loved ones at Christmas- but this as well will be a time that you will remember all of your lives. I know what it costs to be working in your circumstances, and so at this time, I hope that you will really know that you are thought of and honored for the sacrifices that you have made on behalf of the work.

What a thoughtful note sent through email by someone who understands my current experience. The second holiday greeting worth noting was a text message I received from our favorite pizza joint. Cambodians love, love, love to text. It's cheaper than calling and an easy form of communication. Anyway, this text was basically wishing us a Happy Christmas. I appreciated the gesture, it made me smile.

So, Happy Christmas to all and to all a blessed new year!

Men get trafficked too

It isn't just women and children who are vulnerable to traffickers. It might surprise you to learn that men get trafficked, too.

We work in an area of Cambodia on the border of Thailand where it is not uncommon for young men to be trafficked. They are usually looking for work and are offered something that seems legit - work in construction or at a hotel. They willingly travel with the trafficker and when they discover the truth of their situation, they have already given up their travel documents and are usually held in a place they cannot escape easily, they are likely in a foreign country where they cannot speak the language to ask for help. Yes, young men are trafficked for sex work. But what is more common is being trafficked for forced labor, in this part of the world it is usually on a Thai fishing boat.

We recently did a survey in three border communities on the topic of human trafficking. During this survey we discovered a young man in his early twenties who told his own story of being trafficked. He and his brother wanted to help their family by earning money and make their way in the world. They were offered what sounded like a great job in Thailand. They took the offer and found out it was a fishing boat. They were willing to work hard so they figured it couldn't be that bad. From what I hear, the conditions are horrible - not fit for human living. I also hear the staff are treated terribly - like slaves.

In this particular story the brothers worked for years. For years they hadn't left the boat and didn't really get a day off. For years they lived in filth and endured beatings and harsh treatment. For years they had not received payment for their work. This man's brother felt courageous one day and approached their supervisor requesting to be payed for their labor. The brother was beaten to death in public. He became the example to strike fear in the heart of anyone else who thought they deserved to be paid.

Eventually, the man telling the story escaped. He spent five years on those fishing boats. I hope to develop a program to protect other young people from a similar experience.

According to our survey, 80-96% of people who travel to Thailand for work (mostly manual labor jobs as day laborers) would stay in Cambodia if they had an opportunity to earn a living here.

Desperate people, there are many. Those willing to exploit their desperation, there are too many. There seems to be a constant supply of human capital for the traffickers. The only solution I see is to improve their livelihoods to make them less desperate. That is not an easy task, many try and fail, we are dreaming of ways that it could be done. We are open to suggestions...

Esther

Last week I attended a graduation celebration for one of our projects. This was a group of 50 churches who have been studying how to help their community - it includes a little bit of theology (what role does the church have in the community from a Biblical perspective) and some practical ways to make a difference. After the education sessions they write action plans and we walk beside them for a year as they begin to implement them and we also give them a little bit of seed money for these projects. We asked these groups to focus on at risk youth and compassionate care for the sick.

At the graduation ceremony there was a girl around the age of five running around. She came up to me and we played for a little bit. She had long brown hair, big brown eyes and an adorable smile (though she was lacking most of her teeth in the front on top and bottom). One of the staff later told me her story.

They told me she is living with her grandmother. Her father is an alcoholic and often beats her mother. When this would happen, the little girl would throw herself out the window to make it stop - I guess this was a distraction technique and I imagine that is how she lost her teeth because it didn't look like they'd fallen out naturally. She had done this many times and since they were on a top floor, she would get hurt. That isn't the worst of it.

This five year old girl was gang raped by 4-5 boys. The boys were only 10 and 11 years old. I could have cried. Esther did not have parents to protect her from this hurt. What happened to those boys that they would even come up with such a thing so young? The situation is absolutely tragic.

Please pray for Esther and her family. Pray for her future. Pray for healing for all of those involved. Pray for the grandma who is now raising a 5 year old in her old age. I never know what the right response is in situations like these.

The best thing I know to do is challenge the local church (made up of individuals like you and me) to invtervene in such difficult circumstances. Not to cast judgement, but to give hurting people a place to belong and hopefully find healing. If you are a church attender, there are likely hurting people in your congregation. Is your church a welcome place where they can find refuge and relationship?

Interesting International Facts: eating dog meat

did you know?

When eating dog meat it feels warm once inside the digestive system. I haven't experienced this myself, but I was told this recently by some of our staff from Indonesia currently working in Myanmar.

Yesterday, I posted about the dog restaurant next door. When my dad was visiting we went on a little walk in the neighborhood one night. He saw the dog heads in a bowl and the entrails in the glass cabinets. He saw the customers packed in - it is a very popular restaurant with the locals. We also saw something I hadn't seen yet. A man with a dog on a rope, selling it to the restaurant owner. Bob said, "poor animal, it doesn't know it's been led to slaughter."

The next morning he told me, "I didn't expect for that to bother me as much as it did."

It is unusual for an American to consider eating dog, but there are things we do that others would consider odd. I live next door and my approach is to walk by without looking. The grilled dog heads in a bowl are rather disturbing and it is a nightly occurance.

Maybe this is a good time to extend an invitation to visit us in Cambodia - anyone? anyone?

Khmer Rouge trials

I've written before about the genocide that happened in Cambodia in the 1970's. I believe I have also briefly mentioned the human rights trials that began this year in response to those horrific events. This week I read a news update to these trials. You can read it too here.

The article captured the distrust and fear we encounter in our work everyday - not just when they are talking about the horrors of the past.

Going on record rattled 62-year-old Man Maisan - under the Khmer Rouge, having your name on a list meant certain death, and for her, the terrifying association had not faded. “Are others doing this, too?” she asked. Despite her initial trepidation, she had plenty of reasons to come forward: her parents and only child died under the regime.

I am still trying to figure out how to gain the trust of Cambodians. I am told it is never fully given. Is it possible to truly build relationship without trust? I ask myself that often. What do you think?

Manila - last day

This morning we submitted the proposal to OFDA. Essentially, my job here is done. I requested to go home early. There is so much to do for our transition in Cambodia and in a couple of weeks I am headed to Thailand. I should be home if my duty is completed here. They agreed with my request. So, I am getting on an airplane in the morning and headed back to Cambodia.

As you know if you read the post from yesterday, I didn't get much sleep last night. My day also started early - 6am. I joined a local church in a medical outreach. Basically, we traveled in to one of the areas where the water is starting to recede. I wanted to observe what treatment looks like under these conditions.

You can imagine all the stuff that is floating in the water, or underneath the surface that can't be seen. People end up with some nasty cuts, or if they had open wounds they get infected. I saw a man today whose big toe was nearly severed. Yuck! Since word got out that doctors would be in the area, lots of people with ailments showed up. In the three hours I was there this morning, they had already registered 500 patients and only had four doctor volunteers and a couple of nurses. The system they had was impressive - intake, waiting room, consultation, they even had a pharmacy set up for those who were issued prescriptions (this part we could not have gotten away with in the States).

Their work met a critical need in these communities. As the water remains, the health issues compound. The lasting effects of the flood could be a health crisis - malnutrition (due to lack of food or diarrheal disease), infections, parasites, mosquito born illnesses, and the list goes on. We are doing what we can to avoid such a calamity and it was encouraging to see another local church serving their community. (NOTE this was done completely of their own effort and resources. We simply showed up.)

We have work going all over the island right now - a truck was on the way to the North to deliver much needed supplies, but had to be diverted due to landslides. Since it was looking for another way around, we just detoured it to the west of the island where the incessant rains are currently doing the most damage. We will work with the UN World Food Programme to airlift another batch of supplies to the north. then we have the work in Manila which I have been most involved in.

I have learned a lot participating in this disaster response experience. Just because I'm returning home, doesn't mean the work stops. the work here will continue at least until the end of the month and possible beyond until the end of the year. Please don't forget the people of the Philippines who have been hit by a terrible storm season.

Manila Day 7 - side effects

My goal for the day was to finish the grant proposal to the US government, Office of Federal Disaster Assistance (OFDA). It is currently 2am here and I am still working on it. I had submitted it to our International Headquarters office for review a few hours ago and received a call about an hour ago asking for clarification on some items. One of their questions required me to go downstairs in my pajamas and a bathrobe to ask the front deck guys working the night shift something only a local would know.

Most nights since I've been here I haven't slept more than 4-6 hours. I start work early, I work late. The challenge for the proposal is my reliance on a computer and the city is experiencing brown outs because one of the power stations was affected by the storm. Today's brown out lasted most of the day, which made computer access a bit of a challenge. My computer only has enough battery power for about 40 minutes - totally impractical in a brown out. I had to search for an area of the hotel with generator power (I can tell you my room was not one of them). I parked myself there for hours. The power came back on and I did some internet stuff (wireless doesn't work without electricity). I sent the draft to be reviewed by colleagues who've done this kind of thing before. Then I incorporated their comments.

About 9pm our time there was our daily bridge call, which is our opportunity to update headquarters about the days events. It's 9am morning time for them. While I was on the call, describing the proposal to them, the power went out. I lost cell service immediately, I assume because the cell tower must have also lost power. I still needed to send the final draft of the proposal to them. Once again, I found an area with generator power and, luckily, the internet was working. Success in sending the proposal to the US office! And now I am up still working, at least there is electricity.

At lunch I noticed a few people carrying flashlights with them. One girl had it in her back pocket, ready for the inevitable. It is quite a list of things to have to remember when leaving the house - umbrella for the rain? check. keys, purse, wallet? flashlight?...I just don't think I would have thought to bring my flashlight with me while shopping for groceries.

I did, however, remember to pack a light source in my carry-on bag. I was coming to a disaster, I didn't want to assume electricity would be available. On our trip to Lesotho earlier this year I found a handheld flashlight frustrating when trying to get anything done - reading a book before bed, eating dinner in the dark, going to the outhouse. Hands free was the way to go. I had borrowed a head lamp and fell in love. So, I bought my own and now that is what I pack. I was so happy to have my headlamp last night as I tried to find my way around my hotel room in the pitch black.

I had planned to write a post about the day earlier, but I fell asleep, dead tired earlier...but now that I'm up I thought I'd take advantage of the time.

Manila Day 6

My thought for the day is pretty simple - humans have a short attention span. People are still living in flooded areas. It is predicted that many of these areas will have water remaining for months. Daily survival is still a struggle for most. The health issues are starting to compound. The problems for the people affected have not disappeared, instead they are living in a prolonged state of emergency. All of this may be true, but the rest of the world is moving on.

the front page of the local paper didn't have the storms as a headline story. I looked on CNN a couple of times today and didn't find any stories in their top links on the storm. the rest of the world is moving on, but people are still suffering.

For those affected by the storm, the next few months (not days) are going to be very important in helping them reestablish their lives.

I do have a second thought, why do natural disasters seem to disproportionately affect the poor? there are lots of explanations like, the house construction isn't as good - you get what you pay for. or they don't have the savings to rebuild as quickly as a middle or upper class person does - so the duration of their suffering is extended by their lack of resources. maybe the land the poor are forced to build on is cheaper because it is less desirable and, therefore, more prone to disasters like flooding. whatever the reason, natural disasters seem to have a disproportionate effect on the poor. don't get me wrong, I'm not saying mother nature is out to get the little guy - fire, tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanoes; these things do not discriminate, the will impact anyone regardless of race or class. But, when it happens the impact and ability to bounce back is greatly affected by the amount of resources one had to begin with, before the storm came. have you noticed that? we don't have to look far, the 9th ward in New Orleans is an example of this phenomenon. what are your thoughts on the matter?

Interesting International Facts: burger and a massage

did you know?

At the Burger King in Manila you can get fast food and a 15 minute back massage while you eat it. No joke. On our way out to TayTay today we had to change vehicles. They dropped us at the BK because it was close to the intersection we needed to be at. I decided to take the opportunity to get a quick refreshment and ordered a delicious coke float that cost all of $0.75. As I was enjoying my tasty treat and waiting for my ride I noticed there were girls walking around giving back massages. Curious, so I asked my host about this. She told me they are free, but you should tip and they last about 15 minutes. We didn't have time for me to try out this service, but I did decide every BK all over the world should have this. It give whole new meaning to "Have it your way" (the BK tagline).

Manila Day 5

I had a good day. Very different from previous days...not that they weren't good, just different.

This morning at breakfast, my new friends at the hotel gave me a thank you card and a postcard of the Philippines. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness. I decided I will share the thank you card with the team, but I'm keeping the postcard for myself as a momento of my time here. I plan to take it back to my office in Cambodia to remember the generous, courageous and joyful spirit I encountered here.

I spent most of the day with a colleague from our Canada office. He had set up some time with local missionaries. I am discovering that missionaries are a great resource for information. They can tell you where things are and what is happening, people come to them in a crisis. We spent the entire day in one community (TayTay), at one evacuation shelter. I had the best time just being with the people. That is hands down the best thing about my job - the people. The kids have been cooped up for days. They needed to get their energy out. So, we played, we sang songs, and I taught them the hokey-pokey. They really liked that. They learned my name and I learned some of theirs (the one's I could pronounce anyway). Experiences like that are why I came to the field. I want to be where the people are, not holed up in an office or sitting in front of a computer. I really enjoyed my day. We laughed a lot. I think laughter is therapy for the soul. As I was leaving the kids asked, "Sheri, are you coming back?" I don't think I can, but I enjoyed playing, dancing and laughing while I was there.

Interesting International Facts: eyebrow greeting

Did you know?

In the Philippines it is a common greeting to raise your eyebrows. I was told by a local this is the most acceptable way to acknowledge that you notice someone, even more than a smile. I tried it and it works. I raise my eyebrows, they raise theirs back. If you are ever in the Philippines, now you know how to appropriately greet people in public.

Manila Day 3 - "this is a disaster"

Today, we went Northwest of the city. This area was near a lake at the bottom of a hill. As the water up stream became too much, those communities opened the dams a bit to allow water to flow...and so on and so on until it reached this community. As you can imagine this community is now massively flooded. Unfortunately, there is no where else for the water to go, it has reached it's destination. They are predicting it will take months to recede. Months!

Thoughts for today...

Dengue fever: there are few things in life that I am afraid of. Living overseas, specifically in SE Asia, there are two things I fear. First, being bitten by a dog with rabbis. There are so many street dogs around. Many of them can be aggressive. That scares me. Second, is dengue fever. It has no vaccine. It has no cure. If you get it, the remedy is stay hydrated and basically suffer. If you get too sick then go to the hospital for an IV or blood transfusion. I don't like things I can't prevent, I want to be actively protecting myself against such illnesses. I read in the paper this morning that there are rising cases of dengue in our area. The standing water is breeding mosquitoes. A certain kind of mosquito carries dengue. There are obviously an increasing number of those mosquitoes, thus an increasing number of dengue cases. I covered myself in DEET this morning just praying it would ward off the mosquitoes. I was lucky to remain bite free today. Many of the people, including very young children weren't so lucky. I saw so many people covered in mosquito bites all over their bodies. In our proposal we planned to distribute mosquito nets, that could be a very good thing right now to help protect against diseases like dengue.

evacuation site: in the community we visited today we noticed many abandoned homes. The water was chest or neck high, we were in one of the make shift rafts that we rented from the locals. One of the people I am traveling with said those evacuated communities had an eery silence, I must agree. We then stopped in at one of 540 evacuation sites. There are over 300 families living in this small school house. Most classrooms house multiple families. As we walked around the numbers ranged from 11-21 families per room. These are not large rooms. They've moved the classroom furniture to the roof so the families can sleep on the floor. Each family has staked a claim, a small square in the room. In that small square they store the remainder of their worldly possessions and the family members spend time there (eating, sleeping, cooking, waiting). The first floor of the building is flooded. School was scheduled to open next week. Not going to happen at this location because there is no where for the approximately 2,000 people living there to go. The government is looking for an alternative location to start school.

attitude: the people we are visiting have lost all their material possessions, many have lost loved ones. They currently live in water world with a lack of food and often in cramped quarters with previous strangers. You would think these facts would entitle them to being grumpy and ungrateful. I can't say I wouldn't be feeling those things in similar circumstances. What we are finding instead are people with smiles on their faces and an incredible sense of humor. We came across a man today who was trying to salvage anything left in his home and take it to the evacuation site. He's in neck deep water and piling things he finds in his make shift raft. He sees us. He smiles, then he says, "this is a disaster." He doesn't say it like he is bitter or angry. He says it with a hint of sarcasm and a smile - I could picture him saying, "now this is what I'd call a disaster." People have been very welcoming to us, even as they trudge through the murky waters and I sit relatively dry in my rented raft. I learned about a bit about life today, we can choose our response to things. Your worst nightmare can come true and you can grow depressed and angry, or you can keep smiling and find moments worth laughing about. I hope I would have such a gracious attitude under such difficult circumstances.

the storm that will not end: Typhoon Parma spent most of the day hanging out in one northern region of the Philippines, then it turned back toward our direction. The rains had stopped this morning, but now they are back. Just what this place needs - more water! When will it end? We are told there are four more months of rainy season. Four. More. Months. Yikes!

Manila Day 2

newspaper: in the paper this morning there was a full page add about what to do to take care of your automobiles engine in the event of a flood. It was actually an interesting read. I also read an editorial where the guy is talking about a natural disaster providing an opportunity to reassess priorities - people, not stuff ,are what matter most.

work: I spent the morning working on grant proposals and submitted one just after lunch. Then we went to the field.

volunteers: our national (local) partner has an amazing network of volunteers. Over 200 volunteers have packed around 9,000 food packages. They also help distribute the goods. Our partner is the local church. Regardless how you feel about God, it is my belief that the local church, when functioning right, has incredible potential to be a force for good in the world. Today, I witnessed the local church at it's best - people giving selflessly to anyone who had a need. They were giving with a smile and willing to get their hands dirty (sometimes their whole bodies, literally). It was inspiring!

water world: Since arriving in Manila, I'd only seen paved streets that were wet with rain, but definitely not flooded. Today, I saw something I have never seen before. We drove a short ways to the south part of town and the picture is completely different. Waist high water. We are not talking clean water either, this stuff is filthy. It stinks. There is all kinds of trash and debris floating in the water. People have no where to go, so they just walk in it. The kids swim in it. They have made these make shift boats out of anything they can find, including a bath tub. They transport stuff, women and children on these boats through the streets. There were also a number of air beds being used as rafts. In one area, they have started building raised walkways made of sticks. Their ingenuity is astounding! Our host tells us that people are developing rashes because of the water - I'm not surprised. The food that had been given in this area in the beginning is already gone or growing stale in homes with no electricity. For this distribution we only have 400 food kits. There are thousands of desperate people living without basic necessities. We are driven in to the community in a giant military truck, riding in the back with the food. If I had enough, I would have given something to everyone.

dignity: as I watched the crowds form to receive our measly offering I was struck by the question, how can we restore their dignity? earlier in the day as I was working on grant proposals it had come up that some of the needed items were underwear and sanitary napkins. I am the only woman on this team of men and they considered sanitary napkins an unnecessary need. I made a case to include them as part of the hygiene kit. I watched many of the women at the distribution. Many were in their pajamas (not uncommon in Asia in public), but the difference was lack of undergarments. I noticed them trying to retain their modesty (very important in Asian culture). A nearly impossible feat while wearing cotton pajamas in waist high water. I know food matters for survival. I know in order to make food that kitchen items such as a pot to cook rice are necessary. I know the need for clean water. I don't deny the value of any of these things. On a list of competing priorities with limited resources, some things have to go to the bottom of the pile. After my experience today, I've decided to those who survive something like this disaster restoring dignity is also a worthwhile goal. At least for the women, sanitary napkins and undergarments are an important part of that response.

contrasts: after spending the afternoon in the water and muck we went back to the part of town where my dry hotel is, with my comfortable bed and warm shower. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant until I was full to the rim. I thought about how in my surroundings it was easy to forget what I had just seen and experienced. it was easy to forget that there are people up the road who don't know what they are going to eat tonight for dinner and don't have a dry place to sleep. I wondered how often in my day to day life I am oblivious to the struggles of those around me. How often do my comforts blind me to the needs of others. I'm sure it is more times than I can possibly count.