Okay, so if experiencing all that wasn’t enough, I wanted so much to come home to a family that would comfort me and I’d tell them how much they mean to me and how much I love them.

Instead, I came home and got an ear-splitting lecture from my aunt.

I was already suffering from a post-traumatic experience depression and I come home to hear her screaming at me.

She said I was so smart and so intelligent and then during the storm I was too stupid to even think.

Okay, so I may have chapped her words a little, but she said a lot more that bruised me a LOT.

I remember crying on the stairs as she went on and on about how stupid I was, couldn’t even brave the waters ( hello? She wasn’t THERE!), couldn’t come home earlier (2nd day? What? She want me to die or something?). I was already so tired, I hadn’t even taken a bath yet and I was still dealing with my inner demons about my experience. My sister wasn’t home so I couldn’t tell anyone about my experience. My brothers, I don’t even know if they realize I was gone but if they did, they hid their worries well.

I found out that my street didn’t suffer the same consequences as I did. Despite my worries, my home and street didn’t even get flooded. We just lost power and that was it.

Here are some aftermath pictures of Ondoy/Ketsana.

Ondoy

Ondoy

Manggahan Bridge

People on rooftops for safety

Ondoy's Damage

This picture’s not mine, but I liked it. Stylish way to go through  a flood huh? At least they were able to get food.

Jetskiing through the flood

Here’s a tear-jerker about Ondoy/Ketsana and jetskiis.

Judge saves 100 lives.

Teen dies saving many lives.

Here’s another set of pictures taken in Recto, Manila. I remember this place, it’s an underground road and all jeepneys would pass it to get to Quiapo. I never imagined it would be like this! Credit to DPPers again.

Recto, Manila

Recto Manila, near FEU and Isetann Mall

Another superb picture taken by Cha Mercado of DPP. It’s a before and after shot. All credits to her.

Before and After picture by Cha Mercado

All in all:

Dear Ondoy/Ketsana,

Please check out what you have done to the Philippines.

Ondoy Aftermath

Nope, we’re not happy. We’re suing you for the 341 lives you took from us, including the teenager who died saving 30 people and a baby and my schoolmate and all others who died with your few hours of shower. Aside from that, I cannot really blame you for everything but ourselves for being such pompous asses to not handle waste management properly and be so cruel to Mother Nature. Instead, we thank you for the experience and for enlightening us to our mistakes.

Thank you.

Right now, Philippines is struggling after Pepeng and Ondoy. Our lives are trying to move on, trying to find ways to get over what happened. Others like me, are suffering from post-traumatic stress and have been finding ways to appreciate life and family more.

I really hope nothing like this happens again.

Death toll now rises to 858, Ondoy and Pepeng (Ketsana and Parma).

May they all rest in peace.

Day 2

Day 2 was no better. Despite my wishing the water would be down, I woke up to the same situation. Except that this time, we can see how high the water really is.

I woke up around 7am, I think, I immediately ran out to check the water and was disappointed to see the reality that the water wasn’t going down anytime soon. I was hungry and tired and sick of wearing someone else’s clothes (really, I couldn’t complain as it was the best I could have at the moment).

We were too shy to ask for any food, although we could hear our stomachs grumbling already, because we knew we were running out of food. I didn’t dare complain nor did I even answer when Ate Jane asked us if we were hungry. I didn’t want to be a bother as I was already lucky I was still alive.

He was going to swim to the other house for food

Luckily, we did have breakfast, hotdogs and fish and I was able to eat two rounds to fill my stomach and ready myself for anything that may happen within the day. The morning was looking brighter than it was yesterday and finally, the sun was shining, not bright but it wasn’t raining. At around 10am, we heard buzzing and realized that it was a chopper.

My head pounded and all I seemed to hear was “OMG, I’m going to be saved!” In my dreams. The chopper just surrounded us, took shots of our poor condition and then left. That didn’t stop us. We were running out of food so we went up to the 3rd floor of the apartment building which was an open spaced, tiled floors with railings. We ran up there, us girls and the elders as well. We started screaming, shouting, “HELP” and “FOOD” and anything else we could think of. The people next door who had built a tent at their roof top were swinging a red cloth around to signal help.

It was the first time I’ve ever experienced this, as I used to watch this kind of situation in the news all the time. I never thought I’d be suffering the same situation. I still couldn’t complain. How could I? SOME people only had roofs to live on and I may not be with my family, but I had shelter and food.

The choppers went down at Ever Gotesco

Basically that’s what we did the whole day, wait for helicopters, shout and scream when they come, let our hopes rise when they stop momentarily only to go again and burst our bubbles. It was disappointing how they would come and take pictures and videos and won’t even drop us some food.

We were waiting for those rubber boats we see in the TVs before, but none came. Around lunch, the people across the street started using their airbed as a boat. They didn’t have any water, so they went to the pharmacy next door to *get* some mineral water that had been stored.

*Really, would it still be stealing despite the situation?

Airbed as Boat

By the afternoon, we were counting on the water to go down from the stair steps, and soon enough, we could see the street’s sign board again – which had disappeared during the night.

We did have lunch at around 2pm, we had this vegetable kind of soup with monggo (beans) that I actually really like. Ate Jane was a really good cook which was torture because every bite made me hungrier. I was going to go back for another round – hoping – but unfortunately, the food wasn’t enough anymore to cover more than 10 hungry stomachs.

In fact, I felt I didn’t have the right to yearn for more. We didn’t have the worst situation.

I felt sorry for the men who had been working at the condo unit near the street. They had shelter, alright and were too high above. But they didn’t have any food or change of clothes at all.

Choppers would go down to some houses

Around 2pm, a helicopter had gone down near our street (somewhere there anyway). One of the men had come to the house across from us with 5 plastic bags of relief goods. We were so ecstatic that help had finally come and even waited for the men to come and row one of the bags to us.

Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to want to share.

Around that time, I was also shocked to learn about an old man who was currently now on his deathbed. Only an oxygen tank had him breathing and he only had 3 hours or so left to live. No one could get out of the street, current was too strong. No one could call, all phones were dead. Not even the Mission Hospital which was only a walk away (well, technically, a swim and a life away) could do anything about it.

By 4pm, we watched the guys from across the street row toward us. We thought they’d come to their senses.

With my friend's uncle

Despite our wishes for food and rescue, it was my friend’s uncle who had come from Makati to rescue my friend and her family. We found out that there had been no boats due to the raging current that occurred on the pathway going to our street.

Along with my friend’s uncle was the only relief goods the other families had decided to share: a plastic bag of boiled eggs and skyflakes plus a Red Cross bag of Bingo (biscuits).

Could we complain? It didn’t matter. I just wanted to get out of there.

My friend's uncle swimming

My friend's uncle with the bag of relief goods

Bingo wasn’t much. But I needed something to bite. I knew we were going to be longer than we bargained for. There may be rescue for my friend, but I still wasn’t sure about me. Besides, without a boat, I didn’t think we’d get rescued yet. My friend’s uncle gave us the food and then he waited for the men to return from their *fishing* of drinking water.

He returned with them and then promised to return to us with a boat and rescuers. By then, we were tired of shouting and screaming at the choppers. We already had our hopes bruised enough.

We waited around 2-3 hours, and almost lost hope. It was getting darker. The *lake* had gone down to 10ft, but not enough for any vehicle to pass through. And suddenly…

Rescuers throwing cereals to each house

Here comes our rescuers, throwing cereal (?) to every house with people in them. My friend’s uncle was with them and everyone was excited to finally get home and get dry.

I wasn’t sure why, but I remember I wasn’t as excited as they were. It turns out I have really good instincts.

Rescuers had come for the baby only

They weren’t going to take us. They were only here to get the baby, the dying man and the pregnant woman at the end of the street. As much as I wanted to go home, see my family, talk to my parents, cry and cry and take a real bath and get a change of clothes, I couldn’t. I still can’t make an appeal. Who was I against a dying man, a baby and a pregnant woman right?

Although I wanted to cry then at the disappointment of not being rescued, I composed myself, hid my fear and fatigue and laughed it off.

I swear. I could be an actress and I’d win a grammy for being so convincing.

More rescuers

These people braved the waters with only life-buoys but they had to come to help with the rescue team. My friends and I could only look on and laugh at the fate we had encountered and yet, we found how this event brought us wiser and closer to each other.

My friends and I spent the night just talking and getting to know each other. We laughed with the people we were left with and enjoyed *dinner* of pancit canton and eggs. We had run out of food so the pancit canton was our last food. We really needed the water to subside.

It was around 2am in the morning when we awoke to the sounds of screaming.

“Mga kapitbahay! Magnanakaw! Ilawan nyo, ilawan nyo!”

“Neighbors! Thieves! Flash them! Flash them!”

The water had gone down by this time, I could see half of the cars now and I was sure the water’s level was only about 5-6ft.

How could someone even think of stealing after such tragedy? After all, even the rich went through the same experience. Even the rich had to undergo the same tragedy, fight for their lives! It was appalling. I couldn’t imagine how someone would actually still think of stealing. What a disgust and disgrace.

I fell asleep again after that and by 7am, we awoke to a brand new morning of clean up and muddy waters. The water level was low now, knee high, and I was anxious to get home. After a short breakfast (bought by my friend’s father) and getting my slippers which had gotten stuck in my friend’s house, my other friend, the other one who was also stranded without family, and I trudged home. The water on the way seemed to be getting higher as before we reached the main street, it was about thigh high. At the main street, water had gone completely, so we walked from De Castro to Floodway and then rode a tricycle home.

*HOME SWEET HOME*

Some pictures aren’t mine, owners are from Digital Photographers Philippines. Owners can come claim for credit. Thanks!

Mission Hospital

If you thought the hard part was over – it wasn’t. Not entirely. Mind you, it’s only been 3 hours since we left school and we haven’t arrived at a safe place yet. Inside the truck – which was a 10 wheeler truck we guessed was the same one that took our garbage from us – I had some minutes to think and being above water, we were able to see the condition of the flood. It was a shocking realization to see that unfortunately, the flood wasn’t just at Junction. It was everywhere – or at least along Ortigas Extension Road.

How was I going to survive this? Up to where would the water stop, because as we went on, the flood just kept rising and rising. Would it be just safer to stay inside the truck until we found a dry land? If we found one.

My friends were taking out there nerves on making funny jokes and laughing it off. They were waving at cute guys who had been wading about the differing-high water level (probably because the road wasn’t even so there were parts of where we went through that had higher water level and others that had low level flood). Because Filipinos are known to laugh off their problems, they waved back, also sharing in the humor of the not-so-funny situation.

I smiled, I laughed humor-less because as a paranoid person, I was getting insane thoughts in my head quicker than they were. At that time my mind’s judgment was at the point of being impaired and I had only two choices to make: To get home or to get somewhere safe. My mind had been pleading for both but somehow I knew one way or the other, I’d have to pick between the two of them.

If you were in my position, what would you have chosen? Your safety? Or would you actually try to wade in the rising water level and raging current and risk hitting and getting hurt by unknown materials, bacteria and meeting people who’d take you for advantage? I don’t know about you, but I chose safety. Getting to a safe point was my priority at that moment. What was the point of getting home if I wasn’t safe? If I tried to go home and instead I got ripped off by the current, hit lose materials or harmful objects and die in the process? I was scared. At that moment, I wanted to live. You know how I was depressed some time ago? How my life sucked and maybe I’d be better off dying? Well, I didn’t want to die. It was one of the major things I realized that this experience has given me. I didn’t want to die.

Mission Hospital in front of Jolibee

My aunt texted me and said they’d meet us in Jolibee at the front of Mission Hospital in De Castro Village, Pasig – just a short ride from Cainta. At the exact moment we received that text, we – well, the truck stopped in front of Mission Hospital and Jolibee. We talked about it for a few moments, I was hesitant to go down, because in just a few more blocks I’d be in Floodway, just a tricycle ride away from home. I was also hesitant to let one of my friends go down (she lived in De Castro and was dying to get home) or to make a mistake of going to Floodway when my aunt was already waiting for me. So we went down in front of Mission Hospital. It was a mess. There were people everywhere and the hospital was slowly sinking already as the water was up to my hips. We waded across the street, hand in hand, the fear of being washed away by the current eating us up. I remember my feet getting caught in the current and I had to let go of my slippers or I’d slip up. My slippers came out floating and I let go of the other as well. A nearby traffic enforcer who no longer was enforcing but watching what was happening on the side waded himself to get my pink, newly-bought slippers.

“I’ve already caught a lot,” he said with a laugh.

I couldn’t help smiling and thanked him.

My friends asked me if I could see my uncle and my car anywhere. I couldn’t. Jolibee was built on high ground so it was a relaxing change that the water there was only up to my ankles and looked surprisingly clean – cleaner than the murky brown water in Junction anyway. We got some shelter under the back of Jolibee and got to text my aunt again. They weren’t here. Apparently, they got stuck in traffic and water in Floodway. I mentally slapped myself for not having gone down in Floodway instead. Although Floodway was only a few blocks far from De Castro and normally, I could walk it, it wasn’t the same case.

I was dripping wet, sweaty and on the obvious call to pneumonia. I was freaking dying of hunger, tired of having gone through water, my hands and feet were clammy, I was now freezing and despite the jacket I was wearing – that was also by the way, soaked – I was shivering. So maybe I made some rash decisions. But don’t blame me. I was panicking and scared.

As we were debating on whether to move on to De Castro at my friend’s house or stay or whatever left options we had, I caught sight of two tall, absolutely gorgeous guys who had been swimming in the flood and bathing in the rain. Of course, my mind was too filled to really notice, but while we discussed our options, the older looking guy cut in and suggested that we take a rest at the nearest shelter. He said it was too dangerous to go out and swim to Floodway through both ways (there’s a shortcut to Floodway through De Castro) and some men had been taking advantage of poor, weak, cold, freezing young women like us. Okay, so I may be bit mean, but admit it, sometimes we all look to the personal appearance to know if someone is okay or safe to be with and by the look of these two cute men – they seemed better and more respectable than the other guys I could see running around the water. Some of them even offered to carry us – for a price that I didn’t really want to know what.

The green house is my friend's house. It was taken around 4-5pm I think

Although hesitant (my paranoid mind really didn’t want to move from my place anymore – I didn’t want to move from Jolibee anymore and I was shivering now), we – my friends and I decided we’d get to my friend’s house first – where we could eat and get something drier to wear. The two guys offered to help us get there. I’m the smallest among the three of us girls so the bigger guy took my arm. He was practically carrying me already and I didn’t have the mind or the attention to feel anything except fear. I remember we were laughing about something we were talking about but I don’t remember what anymore. Anyway, they walked us about two or three blocks up to my friend’s house. We thanked them and with our fear and troubled minds – we even forgot to ask for their names (or numbers. Lol).

Reaching my friend’s house wasn’t exactly the end of it. Apparently, their house was also drowning. Still, we got dressed, got something to eat and dried ourselves out. My friend and her family had to get some of their stuff up to the 2^nd floor to at least save them from the loss. Tvs, computers, speakers, food, drinks, whatever they could salvage. We arrived there at about 3-4pm. For awhile I thought I was safer. I texted my family about their condition and in my fear and panic and trauma just by looking outside, I told my sister and brothers to forget about trying to rescue me and get themselves to higher ground if the house was also under flood.

De Castro

We kind of had a mini-fight then with my sister. I was pleading for rescue and damn, the outside was looking scarier by the minute. I asked her if she knew someone who could call rescue, she should call and now. I texted my aunt and uncle to turn back around and go home and make sure my siblings were okay. I couldn’t get out of here now – the raging water and the rising flood was something my 5’0 and underweight body and asthmatic health couldn’t handle. My sister was panicking too – I could tell. She was blaming me now, why didn’t I go home early, why’d I even go to school, why didn’t I get picked up by my uncle. I couldn’t take it. She was blaming me and the rising water was no help. Unlike her, I preferred to think of my next step. The next step – I didn’t know what that would be. But texting them to ask anyone – anyone at all for help – was all I could think of at the moment.

If only the rain would stop...

If only the rain would stop maybe the water would stop rising. Just maybe. By 5pm the rain and wind was growing stronger. If what caused the flood wasn’t the storm – it was definitely this one. Rain pounded on the roof and the wind was whistling – it was the epitome of scary and typhoon. With that, water was definitely not going down. I was praying now – mentally and under my breath. Praying for the rain to stop, praying that we’d be safe, praying that we’d get through this. By 5.30pm we finally accepted that the water wasn’t going to go down. My other friend who also lived in Floodway and I discussed swimming to Floodway where my sister was going to pick me up (the idiot said she would swim to where I was and I couldn’t stand the thought of her getting hurt just because of me. My sister was a far better swimmer than I was but I wasn’t going to let her put her life on the line for me nor did I think she’d be able to handle the waves and current either).

People with low houses took shelter at 2nd floors in their neighbor's house.

We talked it out and decided we couldn’t leave without my other friend’s baby and their family. Besides, it was way too late. Water was probably chest-high now. I talked to my friend’s family and we knew it was time to go some place higher. If the rain wasn’t going to stop, the 2^nd floor would certainly be reached by the water. We got some neighbors to help us and some tall guys to carry the baby and my friend’s 5 year old brother above the water. The guys took us to an apartment building that was built higher than my friend’s house. Once again, we swam out, I was carrying my bag and a plastic container filled with baby stuff. The water was about 5ft now, I was tiptoeing and swimming to get across the street to the apartment building. When we got there at the 2^nd floor (seemed like the 3^rd floor to me at first because it was so much higher than the 2^nd floors of nearby houses) we found that our cellphones – and only means of communications – got soaked and wasn’t working well anymore. My Samsung Omnia was flashing and my Nokia back up phone’s had keypad problems. Not to mention the batteries were now soaked.

Watching the flood rise after taking shelter at a higher place

So there we were. One family with a baby and a 5 year old kid, three 19 year old girls, and 8 middle aged bachelors and bachelorettes – stuck in 2 apartments.

We watched for awhile the rain and the water rise. We watched in awe as the cars slowly disappeared one by one under the water. The men and women who were living in the apartment were call-center agents and apparently owned their own cars and had awesome Polaroid-like cameras that they used to take pictures of this unusual event. I was soaked, scared, freezing and fearing the unknown and my mind was raking up next step plans while they were smoking, taking pictures and laughing. I couldn’t blame them. As Filipinos, I knew they were taking their nervousness out on laughter and smoking. Why make matters worse right when tonight may be your last night? And of course, they had to sing “I Gotta Feeling” of the Black Eyed Peas. Remember “tonight’s gonna be a good night…”?

People taking in as much drinking water as they can

We ate some biscuits, talked a bit and the redressed to whatever clothes we could find. Then we settled in the small living room. I was tired, I was really worried – for myself, for my family – and if by any chance I wasn’t going to survive this – I hadn’t talked to my mother in almost 2 months and I didn’t get the chance to tell any of them how much I loved them. We had spaghetti for dinner that night – courtesy of Ate Jane (the owner of the apartment unit we were staying at) and it was only then I realized that I was really hungry. I ate about 3 plates I think.

Outside, the call center agents were jamming and singing and drinking. It kind of pissed me off because I couldn’t be like them – pretend I don’t care. Pretend that the water was 9ft and rising and that the Innova which was the last standing car had disappeared. Pretend that we may have to move to a higher house and if we had to, we would need to swim and we may die in the process. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t sing and drink and stare out the terrace and say in a calm voice “Hey, the water’s getting nearer.”

Dirty, murky water

After that, I didn’t want to look outside anymore. My paranoia was getting the better of me and it wasn’t a joke anymore. I wanted to cry, I wanted to call my mom and dad and tell them how much I loved them, I wanted nothing more than to hug them and be with them at that moment. We were all tired so we lay down – all of us (my friend’s family and us), 2 adults, one baby, one 5 year old kid and 3 of us friends lay down in a room with only one single bed mattress and one 2ft wide sofa. I took the side of the mattress in the corner because I wanted some privacy. I turned away from them and clutched my cell phones (the only thing I decided I’d take if the water would reach the apartment). I regret not bringing a rosary but I recited the Joyful, Sorrowful and Light mysteries while sobbing as quietly as I could. I thought about everything. I was worried for my siblings. I missed my parents and I blamed myself for everything that happened during the day. I was scared and I didn’t want to die. In my mind, if the water rose to a point that I’d have to swim to the other 5 storey house (which was only a few houses away) I would and I’d do everything I can to survive. I wasn’t ready to die and that I was sure of. In my head I was already picturing the worst cases and it wasn’t helping me. I fell asleep crying that night.

That night made me realize two things – how important family was and how life is really about survival. Maybe at some point while I was fighting away the current and crossing around the raging waves, I could have just let go if life wasn’t so important to me. I could’ve just let go. But instead, I fought, I fought, I used my strength and I didn’t let go. I was proud of myself for not giving up. And I was proud of myself for having fought the whole day.

I was living in a nightmare.

I felt like I was living in a nightmare. I wanted to go home so bad. I just wanted to go to sleep so that when I wake up in the morning, maybe the water would be gone and I wouldn’t be so scared anymore. Just maybe.

I woke up to September 26, 2009 thinking it would be a normal day. It was raining, not hard, but it had been raining all night. That wasn’t new to me, it’s always raining especially recently. Overnight rain was also very common so there was nothing to worry about.

It was a Saturday and I had Saturday classes, my General Chemistry class took place at 7am-12pm on Saturday and I didn’t like being late to my Gen Chem class. I woke up around 4.30am like I always do to do some morning work and my follow fridays (okay, I do my follow fridays late because I wait for everyone else). I even remember complaining on Twitter about the rain and that it was making me lazy. The rain wasn’t pouring very hard, or any harder than usual so I knew we had class. I ate, got ready and went to school, using the route I don’t usually use because it’s muddy when its raining but I didn’t want to be late for class. I didn’t notice anything new, except that it was already a bit flooded at the street (where the route of the tricycle goes through). It didn’t really make me think though. It had been raining for days straight now, so what was new? Besides that part of the village, I knew was a bit low and flood wasn’t out of the picture – I just didn’t really think it’d be over the head within a few hours.

So then, I went to school, all normal, not even the news had any information that the storm would be harsh, no news had come beforehand that anything would be different, and if I can remember well, Rizal was only on a storm signal #2 that morning. I went to school, waited for class.

Unfortunately,  I waited for nothing because the professor didn’t arrive. By 10am, we were given permission by the Dean of the college to go home. By that time, the rain was coming on harder. It was kind of normal already for me, I’ve gone through so many storms and got home fine. I’ve seen rain pour worse and I’ve been farther home at the rate of the rain at that time. At the front of the school, there’s a low area where it’s always flooded during rain. At that time, it was already flooded. I didn’t panic, neither did anyone I was with at that time. Everything still seemed normal. It’s happened before, harsh rains, slight floods – normal. That time, I already wanted to go home, so we’ve been anticipating a slightly lesser rainfall to go out and get home. I was going home with 2 friends, and we said, we’d wait for the rain to calm a bit. By 11am, rain wasn’t slowing down and I was getting hungry. I texted my uncle and my sister if they could come and pick me up instead. The front of the school was flooded and I knew that the van wouldn’t be able to handle the flood, so I said that I would meet them in a nearby mall, Robinsons Galleria in Junction of Cainta. To get there, I had to cross the highway or the Junction (a four crossed highway street). By then, we noticed that the front of the building was already flooded, the water was rising – and quicker than we realized at the moment. I even remember laughing at the cars that had to stop because their engines had been wet by the flood.

My friends and I (we were all girls, by the way) decided to go through the rain just to get home. We stopped a bit on the way to buy slippers for me. By then, I was already getting a bit worried. Junction’s water at that time was already by my ankles and I didn’t really know what to expect anymore. In truth, I was more obsessed with going home and getting something to eat than in the rising water.

I finished buying my slippers, put them on and my friends and I trudged on. Before we can cross the street to Robinsons Galleria Junction, we had to turn a corner. As soon as I took one look at that corner and the surroundings, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I don’t even remember what was on my mind then. I think it was half panic, half fear.

The scene I saw when I finally registered into my mind what was happening:

Cars, vans, big revos and jeeps had stopped along the road. But it wasn’t what really caught my eye. It was the height of the water. About 3ft already, the brown, murky water was like the waters of the ocean during a raging storm. Waves, big waves rolled around the unusually flooded streets, I remember even thinking of surfing at that time. We were near the corner then and to my surprise, the rush of the water, now up to my thighs was overwhelming. I’m a thin girl, so every rush of the water had me and I had to hold on to my friends. By then I was already panicking. Who wouldn’t? I’ve been living in the Philippines for almost 8 years now and I’d never experienced anything like this before! We stood there at the corner, probably registering into our minds what was happening. My brain was incredibly slow at that time and once I got myself thinking again, it didn’t take long for me to realize that my uncle wouldn’t be able to get to Robinsons to pick me up as our van couldn’t drive through high floods or its engine would stop.  Still, I was determined to get home and I was still in communication with my uncle. All I knew at that moment was I must get to a safe place.

My friends and I decided that we couldn’t do it, we couldn’t go through that waist-level ocean-like flood. We turned around, slowly creeping our way back to the store where we bought my slippers and where it had some roof to shelter ourselves for awhile. It’s only been about 30 minutes from school and I was already drenched. We didn’t think to go back to school at that moment. We just wanted to go on so we can get home. The highway facing the school seemed to have a lower level of water so we quickly decided to move on.

Our adrenaline rush kicked in as we stepped into the thigh level water. It wasn’t the murkiness of the water or how icky the water felt against our skin. It was the rush of the current that had us holding onto each other for dear life. I swear in that moment, I thought I was going to die. The current, the waves, with every ten wheeler truck going by and every tidal-wave like roll of the flood, I thought my body would be rolled on with the current. Suddenly, some men who were half naked (in shorts) came up to us and offered us a hand.

“We got you,” they said.

I’d never been more grateful. They helped us cross the highway and I didn’t know how else to tell them how grateful I was for their help. And okay, well, the guy who pulled me was kinda cute.

Never mind that.

Anyway. I remember slipping up just before I reached the other sidewalk and the guy had to hold me steady for awhile to keep me up.

By the minute I was walking along the corner of this street, I was already regretting it. The water was getting deeper by each second and I was half soaked – and I had an umbrella. On this side of the road, I knew I couldn’t turn around anymore. I just needed a safe place. I was scared. It was just my adrenaline rush that had me going.

“We can’t stop now,” I remember telling my friends.

We kept going. Imagine. 3 girls, none of us even 5’5 tall. We weren’t athletic, nor muscly built. Just normal, thin, petite girls trying to get ourselves to a place we can feel safer than it was in the middle of the water that could run us down by its current.

We were on the other side of the street now and we were turning a corner. I was getting scared of the water because the water was above my hips now.

Suddenly, I heard a rumble and I screamed along with my friends as the wall made of thin metal or yero as it is called in Tagalog, fell back.

I froze. I didn’t know what part of me it was or whatever that made me stop, but I couldn’t move until my friend pushed me from the back a little harshly, probably from the long line I was creating. I breathed a sigh of slight relief. I was alive. We moved on, and I almost lost my slippers, had to balance myself on a tire to get my slippers back. We had to stay away from the sides (where the stores used to be) because the walls could collapse and we may not be lucky the next time around.

Finally, we realized it wasn’t an easy job to get through. We got some plastic from the houses near the street, which were already buried halfway, by that time) and we wrapped our cellphones inside them. We needed to cross just one more street to get to the mall and it wasn’t going to be a dry journey. I was hesitant to cross again because of the raging current and was immediately grateful again to a bunch of guys who helped us cross.

Filipino men are great. They helped us throughout the street and even tested the next corner for us to check if we could handle the current.

We went on. We were so close to the mall that I just wanted to stay there where it was safe. But it wasn’t home. I knew we couldn’t stay at the mall. At this street, just a few ft away from the mall, the water was lower and I was grateful.

Then we saw the 10 wheeler. I remember seeing news before this happened when I’d watch people climb onto 10 wheeler trucks just to get home. I never thought this would happen to me. We climbed on as this was our only hope. No cars could get through the height of the water anymore. It was only this truck. We climbed in with the help of some men.

I never thought I’d experience this you know. The way I fought for my life, the way that I had visions of my body floating, lifeless around the flood, the way that I’d be ridden off by the current and then hitting some kind of material or tool that would eventually cause my death. It was frightening. I was scared and I couldn’t laugh off the situation anymore. I was really scared and there was nothing I wanted more than to be at home. I couldn’t think clearly, heck, I couldn’t think at all! Was it like this everywhere? Was it like this where my family was? Is the Philippines going down? Is this my last day? Was the water going down in a few hours and would we be laughing about it later on? Would the water even go down? I remember watching news about people who stood on their roofs while the water slowly seeped over to them – would I end up the same?

Part 2 soon.

Some pics are from Ms. Andreana of http://www.misswicked.org/
She also braved the waters during Ondoy. Salute to you kapwa-Pinay!

Family Picture taken in Baguio

I wrote this poem for my mother who I don’t really always see eye to eye with. I’m kind of really the outdoorsy type and she hates it when I go out even though I’m already 19. I love her to bits, I do but we constantly fight – sometimes so much that I don’t even know why we fight. My mother lives in Papua New Guinea with my Dad and I kind of grew up without them so they don’t know me that well.

We couldn’t really send a gift, so we did this at Jolibee on Mother’s Day and we sent the pics to her.

Taken as a Mother's Day present for my Mother

She and I fought beyond all odds
She had thoughts and I had doubts
I loved her to bits but I never showed such
She took me wrongly and said I was too much.

She cried and bade me goodbye
She said I’d hurt her and I didn’t know why
She told me I’d changed
And was becoming deranged.

It hurt me to know she couldn’t trust me enough
I was lost and lonely, not all that tough
But I went on, regretting not a lot
She grew angry and thought I should not.

She said so many hurtful things
Protested with all my doings
She put me down most of the time
And even took all that was mine.

Yet in the end, I was at a loss
Losing her would be too much of a cost
I love her and I always will
Some things will always be still.

She may have been wrong, she may have been right
And I could have fought with all my might
Beyond that, she’ll still be my mother
No matter what, she’ll always be forever.

Mother's Day

If my mother every reads this: I love you so much. =)