上礼拜的周末在菲律宾。短短两天，一次名义上不能称作旅行但意义上超过旅行的旅行。
There are things I wanted to share about this trip, with as many people I can. So this is going to be in English for the reason that (1) whoever chances upon this blog can read it and (2) the following paragraphs are just what I have been talking to my non-Chinese-speaking colleagues and friends, so it is simply easier to organise my thoughts and words again in English without thinking what Chinese words/phrases would best describe my feelings. I am never good at writing, not to mention in a foreign language, so I guess this does not come as a a complete story and it is going to be lengthy. Rather, I'd suggest you read it as if I am just talking and sharing.
The island we went is called Malapascua, a small isolated island that is 3 hours drive plus 1 hour ferry away from the nearest airport. There are a handful of diver shops, "resorts" and bars near the beach. But this is not where we are heading to. Walking further down the lanes by a few hundred meters, there live the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (aka Typhoon Yolanda). There I saw the small communities each made up by 4-5 families squeezing in a few wooden structures. I would not call these structures proper houses. They are more like run-down shelters built by plywood with a door and some square openings as windows. There is no glass or anything, so the villagers just put up a thin cloth as "curtains". You might think this does not sound too bad. But believe me that thin plywood "wall" won't stand any strong wind or rain. Typhoon season is coming again and it got really chilly with the heavy rain, I wonder how they'd survive another typhoon like Haiyan.
Like any other area affected by some natural disaster like typhoon, clean water is scarce here; so is electricity. When I talked to one of the teachers at a local school, she said the residents have been living their life without access to electricity for months. Except for a few business owners who can afford to buy a solar panel, most of these people live in complete darkness after sunset. I do not know how I can describe this best, but it was very shocking for me to experience it myself or even to think about it. I have been to really under-developed rural areas and I remember the occasional electricity cut-offs in my grandparents' village when I visited them as a child, but none of these can be compared to this: a life without electricity for months. I tried to imagine how it felt like and the only thing hit me was a sense of isolation and helplessness.
I was standing there, right in front of the shelters, after the solar panel and battery were deployed. The moment the wire connection was set right and the LED bulb was lit up, I couldn't hold my tears. That 50W solar panel is only good enough to power up 4 LED bulbs and a AC-DC converter to charge one mobile. But that is enough for those households to have basic lighting at night and keep a communication tool. I saw the big smile on the faces of the men and women staying in those shelters. That single moment made me ponder how many things have been taken granted for in our daily life while here things as simple as one light bulb could mean so much.
The next thought I had on that day is a true pride in the project. I knew even before the trip that we are doing something meaningful. But it deeply touched my heart when the moment came to witness that something we have been working on really helps to solve problems for people in a real world.
However, this is not all. The next morning, a lady came to me. She asked "can you also install one solar panel in my house?"I was stunned. Until then, I realized how much more we need to do; until then more than proud I felt ashamed. We have been working hard to raise funds and get donations yet this is far from enough. Out there more communities need help, not only from me or my fellow volunteers from Project EnKindle, but everyone.
I usually do not want much attention so I hate it my mom writes about me in her blog. This time, I am asking her to write about the work we have been doing. Undoubtedly people have different take on this and some might not give it a shit but this is one of the many ways that I can still help. Of course not everyone can make monetary donation or come to Philippines to help on site, there are things I wanted to share through this:
(1) Appreciate what you have now, things as simple as running water, or a light bulb
(2) The impact of such natural disaster is usually beyond words or imagination so if possible, help in anyway that you feel comfortable with
(3) The world has many other problems that need attention and help. Everything counts; everyone counts.
ABOUT PROJECT ENKINDLE: Project EnKindle helps to provide mobile and easy to deploy renewable energy solutions for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines. It is a mid-to-long term rehabilitation plan to address the urgent need for electricity by these affected communities, especially lighting, charging of communication device and powering of essential devices. More info here: http://www.projectenkindle.org/
There are things I wanted to share about this trip, with as many people I can. So this is going to be in English for the reason that (1) whoever chances upon this blog can read it and (2) the following paragraphs are just what I have been talking to my non-Chinese-speaking colleagues and friends, so it is simply easier to organise my thoughts and words again in English without thinking what Chinese words/phrases would best describe my feelings. I am never good at writing, not to mention in a foreign language, so I guess this does not come as a a complete story and it is going to be lengthy. Rather, I'd suggest you read it as if I am just talking and sharing.
The island we went is called Malapascua, a small isolated island that is 3 hours drive plus 1 hour ferry away from the nearest airport. There are a handful of diver shops, "resorts" and bars near the beach. But this is not where we are heading to. Walking further down the lanes by a few hundred meters, there live the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (aka Typhoon Yolanda). There I saw the small communities each made up by 4-5 families squeezing in a few wooden structures. I would not call these structures proper houses. They are more like run-down shelters built by plywood with a door and some square openings as windows. There is no glass or anything, so the villagers just put up a thin cloth as "curtains". You might think this does not sound too bad. But believe me that thin plywood "wall" won't stand any strong wind or rain. Typhoon season is coming again and it got really chilly with the heavy rain, I wonder how they'd survive another typhoon like Haiyan.
Like any other area affected by some natural disaster like typhoon, clean water is scarce here; so is electricity. When I talked to one of the teachers at a local school, she said the residents have been living their life without access to electricity for months. Except for a few business owners who can afford to buy a solar panel, most of these people live in complete darkness after sunset. I do not know how I can describe this best, but it was very shocking for me to experience it myself or even to think about it. I have been to really under-developed rural areas and I remember the occasional electricity cut-offs in my grandparents' village when I visited them as a child, but none of these can be compared to this: a life without electricity for months. I tried to imagine how it felt like and the only thing hit me was a sense of isolation and helplessness.
I was standing there, right in front of the shelters, after the solar panel and battery were deployed. The moment the wire connection was set right and the LED bulb was lit up, I couldn't hold my tears. That 50W solar panel is only good enough to power up 4 LED bulbs and a AC-DC converter to charge one mobile. But that is enough for those households to have basic lighting at night and keep a communication tool. I saw the big smile on the faces of the men and women staying in those shelters. That single moment made me ponder how many things have been taken granted for in our daily life while here things as simple as one light bulb could mean so much.
The next thought I had on that day is a true pride in the project. I knew even before the trip that we are doing something meaningful. But it deeply touched my heart when the moment came to witness that something we have been working on really helps to solve problems for people in a real world.
However, this is not all. The next morning, a lady came to me. She asked "can you also install one solar panel in my house?"I was stunned. Until then, I realized how much more we need to do; until then more than proud I felt ashamed. We have been working hard to raise funds and get donations yet this is far from enough. Out there more communities need help, not only from me or my fellow volunteers from Project EnKindle, but everyone.
I usually do not want much attention so I hate it my mom writes about me in her blog. This time, I am asking her to write about the work we have been doing. Undoubtedly people have different take on this and some might not give it a shit but this is one of the many ways that I can still help. Of course not everyone can make monetary donation or come to Philippines to help on site, there are things I wanted to share through this:
(1) Appreciate what you have now, things as simple as running water, or a light bulb
(2) The impact of such natural disaster is usually beyond words or imagination so if possible, help in anyway that you feel comfortable with
(3) The world has many other problems that need attention and help. Everything counts; everyone counts.
ABOUT PROJECT ENKINDLE: Project EnKindle helps to provide mobile and easy to deploy renewable energy solutions for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines. It is a mid-to-long term rehabilitation plan to address the urgent need for electricity by these affected communities, especially lighting, charging of communication device and powering of essential devices. More info here: http://www.projectenkindle.org/
