Goodness, today was busy! And slightly out of the ordinary. But first things first.. helping Marlys find a new table for the Eicher House, which is currently under some renovation, and will be moved back into once the project is complete. Unfortunately, this trip downtown proved unsuccessful, as the store didn't have what we wanted in stock. However, I did get to hear some rad karaoke while waiting. Filipinos love singing and love their karaoke, and will belt it out wherever there's a karaoke machine [talented or not]. There just happened to be one on the same floor/room as the furniture store/food court. Quite the mish-mash of a layout, but I'm discovering this may just be the Filipino way. While making our way to the store, Marlys pointed through a small hallway that led to a small back room, unintentionally hidden between two stores. She shared it was in that room that she felt a calling to start an orphanage, as she was saddened and disturbed by the number of children she saw alone, and very malnourished, on the streets while visiting the Philippines with her father. I guess back then, it was just accepted that this was these childrens' destiny, but Marlys wanted to change that. She doesn't claim it was an easy endeavor, on the contrary. However, with the help and support of some of her friends and her family, slowly, her vision became a reality. She and a small handful of her friends, who also shared in her vision, had lived in the Philippines for quite a number of months before seeing anything truly materialize. They put a lot of trust and faith in G*d, and shared that He showed them enough signs along the way that helped them keep pushing forward, despite feeling utterly discouraged by all the challenges they faced. For that, I am forever grateful.
'Edwin the Driver' picking some Tambis fruit for me [listed as one of my favorites when I was in the PI]
We arrived back at the office in time for Carmelita to suggest a visit to NBI [National Bureau of Investigation]. This was recently suggested by Mr. Amper, as he felt NBI could be of more assistance afterall. So, off we went! Again, wonderful Edwin [the driver] was there to cart us around [little did he know this would turn into an all day affair]. NBI turned out to be of no assistance, as they apparently only handle missing person cases. They suggested we go to the Comelec office, where everyone who has registerred to vote is listed in the system. Back in the CSC jeepney we went and off to downtown Cebu. The buzz of the office reminded me of what I'd imagine the buzz of a local presidential campaign support committe headquarters would be during election year in the 70s - stacks of papers and files everywhere.. people on phones.. people sifting through papers.. all in a dimly florescent-lit room [a small one at that]. Carmelita worked her magic as usual and had a handful of people assisting us, despite a line starting to form of other patrons needing assistance. The guy at the computer [who seemed pretty irritated] typed the name of my birth mum as reported on the copy of my birth certificate I had. However, the only names that matched were of those who were either in their 80s now, or not much older than me. We asked them to print out a copy of the list anyway. Said irritated computer guy walked us out and told us he'd try other variations of the name after business hours since it was too busy now, and call us if anything came up, and also suggested we try radio and tv stations.
Radio and TV stations? What?? Carmelita explained that this is a popular resource Filipinos utilize on a regular basis [how very un-American..] and said it was an option if I wanted to venture it. My mind was racing with questions: Do I really want my life publicized? Do I want it publicized in THAT way? Would anyone listening/watching even understand me? What would be the chance of my bio mum even listening/watching? And then I thought about how long I've been waiting for this trip, how long it took me to save for it, how long I've been curious, and how long until I might come close to finding my answer(s). I realized, I couldn't leave without at least trying all avenues so I could confidently say, "I tried everything". So, away to the local radio station we went - which also happened to share the same building as the local tv station, Channel 7 GMA. Both were equally awkward, and I left pretty dissatisfied, but reminded myself that now I've tried everything. I was live on air - and the only English-speaking person within miles, I'm sure. And Channel 7 interviewed me right on the spot - no prep questions or anything, just the interviewer, me, the fat microphone, and a huge camera in my face. My biggest issue with Ch 7 was their last question: "do you miss your mom?" What kind of question is that?? First of all, she's not my mom [unless you're talking about my mom back in the states, and yes, I do miss her]; second of all, how can I miss someone I've never even met? Keep in mind the camera's still rolling, and still very much in my face, so I had to think quickly. I responded with, "..I'm curious about her." The interviewer's face told me he didn't like my answer nearly as much as the answer for which he was hoping. But I wasn't there to provide him with some dramatic sob story about a young woman desperate to find her mother.. that simply isn't my story, but it was pretty clear that was the story they were trying to manipulate mine into being [sorry to disappoint - not really]. They told us they would air it on the news tonight at 5:00p.
the street buzz as we drove home from GMA
more street buzz
We left, and I was exhausted [emotionally & physically - this heat is seriously sucking the energy out of me, but my adrenaline continues to pump when necessary]. Carmelita texted everyone [Paul, Sandy, Marlys] to update them on the events of the day - oh yeah, texting is all the rage out here! My thumbs are quite happy I only need to do it minimally. Anyway, we got back to the office and Sandy, Paul, Marlys, some of the Teen Home kids and staff [as the office shares its building with the Teen Home], and I sat and watched Ch 7 from 5:00p until 6:00p and absolutely nothing to show for our time spent sitting there staring at the fuzzy tv. Talk about doubly dissatisfied! Actually, the news was completely monopolized by the big fire that broke out today and was very close to where the Teen Home and Office are located, so I'm only singly dissatisfied. Two of the the CSC staff live in this area and had to leave work early to make sure their families were safe and to try and salvage any of their belongings. Not sure if anything was salvageable, but at least their families were OK.
Teen Home/CSC Office
Finally, dinner time! The usual suspects [Paul, Marlys, Jennie, Sandy, Mitch, Ruth, Andrew, Tammy, Michelle, Joel] met up for dinner at Mooon [yes, it's spelled with 3 o's], a Mexican restaurant they enjoy. I had the Tuna Belly meal w/ rice.. yum [though, I'd take tuna belly raw (toro) first any day].
No comments:
Post a Comment