Well it’s been a few days since I’ve updated this journal/blog. No excuses really, I just haven’t been tending to it. Trevor and I are continuing to get our bearings down as we have another week before the Mapa School opens up next Sunday and we’ll be headed up to the mountains. I think we’ll check out Cagayan de Oro or Cebu sometime this week. Otherwise, I’ll keep passing the time by reading, playing guitar, and taking in the sights.
I ran into a rather interesting guy yesterday in the internet café. Joseph, as he called himself, had made millions rather early on in his life and had retired at 39. Since then he had been traveling around the world (www.worldglobetrotters.com). He had some very intriguing theories that he was talking to me about; the guy was literally a walking encyclopedia. We talked about the staging of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Bush and Kerry’s involvement in Skull and Bones, the Bush family ties to supporting the Nazi regime in the 30’s, how dairy is especially unhealthy (cow milk is mostly pus), the root of all religion being things like the sun and human reproduction, and many other interesting topics. He had taught at Harvard for a while and had been to just about every country on the globe. It was a totally random and unexpected encounter, but very cool nonetheless.
Additionally, Tom and Diane always have great knowledge to impart to us throughout each day. I feel like I’m starting to get a much better handle on how things work here. We talked about how the Department of Education really operates in the Philippines. It possesses a huge potential to bring in money as about 50% of the population here is in elementary school and lower. In order to get into public high school, students must do well on an entrance exam. If a child’s parent did not vote for a particular candidate in the government, then it’s very likely that the child will not make the cut, regardless of his/her test scores. While this is certainly unjust how can one begin to unravel a problem like this?
Insects are continually falling on me from my ceiling as I write this. This morning I went to the bathroom to be greeted by a sizeable gecko, better than a snake I suppose. Speaking of snakes, our hosts keep telling us all about the abundance of deadly coral snakes, which makes me slightly leery of the ocean here. I mean I used to swim in a pond filled with snapping turtles and snakes; I hate to think I’m more of a chicken now... Until next time.
-Steven Campbell
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Trevor: Pictures So Far...
Camiguin from the ferry
One of Diane's Patients
The view from a beach in Mambajao
The Hospital Ambulance ("STOP DEATH")Trevor: Sunday, May 27, 2007
I think, after being on Camiguin for almost a week, I can say that I have finally adjusted to the time zone and to the heat. I no longer sweat buckets when I simple venture outside, and I don’t sleep for twelve hours every night.
On Friday, Steve and I caught a ride into town with Diane, and we made a stop at the regional hospital. While Diane talked to her patient, we stayed in the jeep, which just happened to be parked next to the sole ambulance for the hospital. The ambulance is little more than van with some of the back seats taken out and a stretcher on the floor. Apparently, the ambulance often has trouble reaching people in the more hilly areas of Camiguin. People often have to be brought down from hilly areas by another vehicle, and then loaded into the ambulance which, needless to say, does not save time in emergency situations. The back of the ambulance is adorned with the words “
Over the past three days, I’ve had the opportunity to explore Family to Family’s work here even more deeply. Tom has let me borrow copies of their newsletters, which date back all of the way to 1975. There are 130 of these documents, and I hope to read all of them in the next few days. The 15 or so that I have read have given me great insight into just how much Tom and Diane have had to go through during their time in the Philippines. This country is a beautiful place, but many foreigners who visit do not notice the problems of poverty and disease that pervade the
Most of the people here are very friendly, and when Steve and I go running, all of the kids either want to know “Where are you going?” or “Where are you coming from?” It’s definitely a different greeting than we’re used to.
There’s a basketball court nearby, and we shot around with some of the local children. Now as we walk by one of houses, we hear “Hello Steben! Hello Trebor!” Hopefully we can get along as well with the students at the school when it opens a week from now.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
From Trevor: Wednesday May 23, 2007
This morning, I woke up about 4:30 to hear the roosters crowing. It seems the roosters here don’t just crow at dawn, but whenever they feel like it. So much for being natural alarm clocks.
This morning, there were ants all over the bathroom, they seem to come and go basically as they please, like Steve said, nature is basically integrated into everything. In the US, it would be pretty normal to just get ant traps, but here, you just brush them away and keep going. That works for the most part, except when an ant gets between your toes, like one did for me yesterday. My toe is about double its normal size.
Diane gave us a tour of Mambajao. What strikes you here, as soon as you see the town, is the disparity between the rich and the poor. The governor of the barrio has a large compound which is perhaps funded by public money right next to the ocean. Then there are families where the daily occupation is searching for food for that day.
We visited patients in the hospital with Diane. The hospital in Mambajao serves as a secondary hospital. The ER is open to the outside, with beds from wall to wall. The hospital has many facilities, including a number of wards and an operating room. A major difference between the Mambajao hospital and hospitals in the US is the difference in privacy for patients. There was nothing to divide beds in the wards, and patients would be lying extremely close to each other. One of Diane’s patients, a three-year old boy, had fallen backwards onto a pot of boiling water, and had second degree burns on the backs of his legs from his waist to his feet. It had taken him a few days to even get his own room in the hospital. Diane said that it was the first time she had seen him when he wasn’t screaming in pain. Tomorrow we’ll be traveling around the island with Diane to visit patients.
The market in town is also an amazing sight. There are people selling every fruit or vegetable imaginable and every part of animal imaginable. All of these sales occur under a large, open-sided roof with an almost unbearable temperature. We bought a few of the small, apple-like fruits called Sarguilas. They’re a little sourer than apples, and have large pits. I asked Diane about chili peppers, and in fact, they do use them in the Philippines, so maybe I can have my spicy food after all.
After we got back to the house, I talked to Tom and Diane about my documentary. I think we’ll be focusing on a few individual children, and use their stories to tell the overall story of the school. I’m really excited to start filming at the school. We have our first staff meeting Sunday June 3, and we move up to the school that day.
Of course, Steve and I had to “BM it up”. Badminton has become our sport, and let me tell you, these are some epic battles. Of course, I schooled Steve as usual.
As we sat outside at dinner, right next to the ocean, I began to think more about the day’s events. It’s amazing to me that there can be such poverty and, to some extend, sub-standard health care in a place that is so beautiful.
This morning, there were ants all over the bathroom, they seem to come and go basically as they please, like Steve said, nature is basically integrated into everything. In the US, it would be pretty normal to just get ant traps, but here, you just brush them away and keep going. That works for the most part, except when an ant gets between your toes, like one did for me yesterday. My toe is about double its normal size.
Diane gave us a tour of Mambajao. What strikes you here, as soon as you see the town, is the disparity between the rich and the poor. The governor of the barrio has a large compound which is perhaps funded by public money right next to the ocean. Then there are families where the daily occupation is searching for food for that day.
We visited patients in the hospital with Diane. The hospital in Mambajao serves as a secondary hospital. The ER is open to the outside, with beds from wall to wall. The hospital has many facilities, including a number of wards and an operating room. A major difference between the Mambajao hospital and hospitals in the US is the difference in privacy for patients. There was nothing to divide beds in the wards, and patients would be lying extremely close to each other. One of Diane’s patients, a three-year old boy, had fallen backwards onto a pot of boiling water, and had second degree burns on the backs of his legs from his waist to his feet. It had taken him a few days to even get his own room in the hospital. Diane said that it was the first time she had seen him when he wasn’t screaming in pain. Tomorrow we’ll be traveling around the island with Diane to visit patients.
The market in town is also an amazing sight. There are people selling every fruit or vegetable imaginable and every part of animal imaginable. All of these sales occur under a large, open-sided roof with an almost unbearable temperature. We bought a few of the small, apple-like fruits called Sarguilas. They’re a little sourer than apples, and have large pits. I asked Diane about chili peppers, and in fact, they do use them in the Philippines, so maybe I can have my spicy food after all.
After we got back to the house, I talked to Tom and Diane about my documentary. I think we’ll be focusing on a few individual children, and use their stories to tell the overall story of the school. I’m really excited to start filming at the school. We have our first staff meeting Sunday June 3, and we move up to the school that day.
Of course, Steve and I had to “BM it up”. Badminton has become our sport, and let me tell you, these are some epic battles. Of course, I schooled Steve as usual.
As we sat outside at dinner, right next to the ocean, I began to think more about the day’s events. It’s amazing to me that there can be such poverty and, to some extend, sub-standard health care in a place that is so beautiful.
Steven: Thursday May 24th, 2007
So much happened today that I’m sure I’m going to leave out a lot. The internet connection is too shoddy here for me to upload all of my photos, so that will have to wait until I get home. I'll put a few on the page just so you all can get the gist of what I'm talking about.
Trevor and I got up early to head out with Diane to see her patients around the island. Diane is actually a registered nurse who did part of her training at the Mayo Clinic. She is very knowleadgeable about the medical conditions affecting the island and how to deal with them. Anyway, we all grabbed a quick bowl of oatmeal and then were on our way to circumvent the island. After seeing a plethora of patients, I’ll try to recollect what sticks out in my mind.
Rehabilitation clinic:
Children are lying on the floor; the room has a faint tinge of sorrow. Most of the kids have fairly severe physical handicaps. I'm also told that nearly all are mentally handicapped to some degree. I'm impressed by how hard the health workers are trying to give these kids a chance. I can tell that they are constantly frustrated but they continue their efforts. The room is not air-conditioned, and beads of sweat are evident on everyone’s face. A thick haze of humidity hangs about over the constant din of screams and cries. The toys and mat look very dirty, ants are crawling along some of them. As I start to sweat in the room I become uncomfortable and wonder how these people can stay here all day. The kids keep looking at me, in my few days here I've gotten accustomed to receiving stares everywhere I go.
I wish I could do something useful here, rather than just stare and marvel at their efforts to overcome their disabilities. A kid in a NBA jersey stumbles about, trying with every fiber to control his movements that are hindered by cerebral palsy. A young girl flails about, her joints contorted in unnatural positions. She is forced to wave goodbye sideways, unable to lift her arms vertically. An infant lies sprawled out on a pillow on the floor, wearing an expression of pain while his older sister hand feeds him pieces of bread. Another child cries with pain as her mother tries to manipulate her 'clubfeet'.
Rice Field House:
After traveling up a mountain for what seemed an eternity (the Jeep ride was rough, no shocks in that thing!), we disembark and trek through the jungle. After being nearly attacked by a giant pig we come to a wooden shack. Lying in the upstairs veranda is a young boy of 18 years bedridden with an unknown ailment. Large, infected bedsores cover portions of his lower body and slowly ooze pus. He is complete skin and bones, with severe edema in his feet and knees. Apparently he has been to the hospital in Cagayan, where he recieved an MRI and X-ray. Still no one knows what is wrong with him, and since his parents could not afford the hospital bills they had to take him home a few days ago. As he raises his rail-thin arm to push open his window overlooking the empty fields outside I can't believe that the health care system would leave this kid to die on a matter of insufficient pesos. At night we are told he lies awake because of pain in his pelvis. Looking there I can see huge contusions coming out of the skin, almost as if his hip were dislocated. After a few minutes we leave him and his parents alone again, I can't imagine him surviving for much longer in that shack.
Mountain Village shanties:
During the day we also saw several infants with cleft palettes and clubfeet. Such problems are readily addressed in the US, but here it’s quite an ordeal to remedy these things for the lower class folks. Doctors are for some reason often reluctant to perform the operations. Additionally, qualified surgeons rarely come over to this island, thus requiring that parents spend a significant amount of money to travel to the bigger islands. It’s just more needless suffering that stems from an inefficient infrastructure.
At the other end of the spectrum, we also got to see some really nice resorts. I was really excited about some of the scuba diving they have around here. A month in or so I'd like to check out the 'bay of giant clams', no further explanation needed. It's supposedly world class diving, albeit not for beginners.
At dinner we talked about a lot of the problems here in this country, especially the health care. It seems that the health training is adequate in most cases, and the essential problem is one of money. People can’t afford their drugs, they can’t take time off work to go to the hospital, etc. More on this later I'm sure.
-Steven Campbell
Steven: Wednesday May 23rd, 2007
Today we met with a local woman whose son needed some medication, so we went down to the provincial hospital. We walked around with Diane as she showed us around. We met a young boy that had fallen back into a pot of boiling water. Huge welts covered his body as his father tried to keep him cool by fanning him. I debated on whether or not to post a picture of him but I decided not to as it is quite graphic. I wondered why these people couldn’t have one of the air-conditioned rooms, but apparently there was a charge associated with them. Meantime the chief of the hospital had several AC units in his office.
I was surprised at how clean the hospital seemed. The floors were being mopped as we walked around, and they were also building a new ward. It turns out that at that hospital, the only real one on the island, most of the doctors were heading out in the following months. No one seemed to know what would happen with the health care once they were gone. Unfortunately in all likelihood the poorer folk would be left to fend for their own.
There is so much potential here, yet it seems to be kept down by traditional views of classes and social structure. This place is in the grips of poverty, only the foreigners come and live comfortably. They build nice resorts and live in large air conditioned houses on the sandy beaches. At the same time the indigents keep getting pushed further inland, up the mountains, where the conditions are deplorable. No running water, no electricity, filth, in a way straight out of national geographic. The locals have trouble getting steady work, it's mostly day to day tasks. A large part of the local population is made up of fishermen who take out their rickety outrigger boats and catch food for their family.
One has to wonder why this country can't straighted itself out in a manner similar to Singapore? There's clearly a ton of international business interest in this place.
I don't mean to sound vindictive, but a lot of people here are looking for a way to cheat and steal their way to material 'wealth'. It's almost as if it's an inherent aspect of the culture here and that this type of behavior is expected and permissible. Additionally, officials look out for their own self-interests with brutal efficiency. Townsfolk are paid to vote for certain candidates, often having their ballots filled out for them. The elections are all open, meaning everyone knows who voted for which candidate. Candidates use threats to make sure they get enough votes to win.
-Steven Campbell
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Steven: Tuesday May 22nd, 2007 Camiguin, Philippines
Today had an interesting beginning. After a breakfast of oatmeal and chickpea filled sweet bread, my compatriot and I decided to get a little game of badminton on. I’d have to say my game needs some major work, but it was a still a good time. Smashing the ‘shuttlecock’ is a great satisfaction. Then we decided to go for a swim in the ocean. So we gathered a couple of snorkels/masks and headed out to check the sights under the sea. Bright purple starfish and multi-colored fish were everywhere, and the water was quite clear. Both of us then decided to take the outrigger boat and explore a little further out to sea to see what we could find. However, after lugging the craft into the ocean we soon met with an untimely demise. Part of the rigging snapped off and sent us overboard. We spent the next half hour or so bailing the water out of the craft and hauling the remnants back onto the beach. A couple of local fishermen were watching us, I’m sure they thought we were total idiots. We took a brief nap around lunchtime, although I didn’t do anything but sweat off a couple of pounds.
Later on in the afternoon (after watching Pimp My Ride on MTV Philippines) we went with our host to the local basketball court. Walking through the area I started to get a better sense of the type of conditions I was surrounded by. Families sat outside rickety hats staring at us intently as their farm animals scurried about their business. After a brief walk we came upon the court, a hodgepodge of concrete and wood. At first the local kids were shy and hung off to the side, but as soon as I gestured to one of them that it was fine for them to play they all swarmed to the court. I was surprised at their athleticism, and their knack for picking up on words that we used (Oh yes!). All the kids were wearing sandals, which didn’t seem to be the optimal footwear choice for sporting activities, but they made it work. We rode back in a WWII era Japanese Jeep, I had to hold on tight lest I be thrown off into the gulley.
Sitting for dinner we once again noticed fishermen patrolling the waters with flashlights and spear guns. Dinner consisted of salad and spam type meat with mango for dessert. We saw a huge gecko crawling around the living room, nice touch. I’m still having issues adjusting to the proximity of wildlife. It’s literally everywhere, on the toilet, in my bed, on my food. It’s something totally different from the American exterminate everything attitude, you just have to deal with it here.
-Steven Campbell
Later on in the afternoon (after watching Pimp My Ride on MTV Philippines) we went with our host to the local basketball court. Walking through the area I started to get a better sense of the type of conditions I was surrounded by. Families sat outside rickety hats staring at us intently as their farm animals scurried about their business. After a brief walk we came upon the court, a hodgepodge of concrete and wood. At first the local kids were shy and hung off to the side, but as soon as I gestured to one of them that it was fine for them to play they all swarmed to the court. I was surprised at their athleticism, and their knack for picking up on words that we used (Oh yes!). All the kids were wearing sandals, which didn’t seem to be the optimal footwear choice for sporting activities, but they made it work. We rode back in a WWII era Japanese Jeep, I had to hold on tight lest I be thrown off into the gulley.
Sitting for dinner we once again noticed fishermen patrolling the waters with flashlights and spear guns. Dinner consisted of salad and spam type meat with mango for dessert. We saw a huge gecko crawling around the living room, nice touch. I’m still having issues adjusting to the proximity of wildlife. It’s literally everywhere, on the toilet, in my bed, on my food. It’s something totally different from the American exterminate everything attitude, you just have to deal with it here.
-Steven Campbell
Steven: Monday May 21st, 2007 Philippines
This morning I woke up to a loud knock at our $15 a night motel room. Standing there was a doorman with some white bread and marmalade; apparently our deluxe continental breakfast had arrived. Needless to say I was still hungry so I went across the street and grabbed some eggs and noodles. People in the street kept staring at me, I wonder if they’d ever seen someone like me before.
Finally made it to Camiguin today. Took a two-hour bus ride from Cagayan de Oro to the port where we got the ferry. The bus ride was crazy; the driver sped through winding curves and headed straight into oncoming traffic at numerous points. I swear every 5 seconds he would honk the horn like a madman at children playing in the street or at motorcycles careening back and forth. Additionally, as I was sitting towards the back of the bus I’m pretty sure the shocks were worn out, my spine definitely took a beating on that ride. I was crammed in on a window seat with no room to maneuver, it wasn’t as bad as one of those buses you would see in India, but it was close. Packed, sweaty, and uncomfortable is a good way to describe it, and it was the A/C bus! I can only imagine what the non A/C bus was like.
The ferry ride was surprisingly pleasant. It took about an hour and a half and we got a great view of Camiguin on our way in. I got a bag of chocolate pretzels and bottled water as my post-breakfast snack. I found out that the island is actually sitting on an active volcano; the last time it blew was in 1950. It’s anyone’s guess when it will blow again, as soon as it does the island will be uninhabitable for a few years with all the ash around.
After we made landfall a swarm of locals clamored aboard looking to make a peso by helping us with our bags. That’s one thing I’ve noticed around here, people are always scrambling to help you with every menial task in order to earn a little more money. Every establishment has multiple security guards, with numerous people waiting around to cater to the customer; it’s definitely over-employment. Anyway, we climbed aboard a World War II era truck and headed down the island’s main road to the Palmeri residence. The island looked fairly well-off for the Philippines, meaning I didn’t see an excess of pollution or dilapidated houses, although it certainly did still exist.
The house is surprisingly nice, a lot of modern conveniences such as satellite TV, refrigerator, stove, and fluorescent lights. Wildlife is everywhere… Ants crawl along all surfaces inside and outside the house, as do large geckos. Cows and pigs roam the yard, I’ve been told to be on the lookout for cobras and boa constrictors. After a quick tour I sliced myself some break and made a peanut butter/banana sando, quite tasty. I took out my guitar and played a few licks, still in good working order. Finally unpacked all my stuff, even though I’m only here for two weeks until moving on to the school I am tired of living out of my bag. So begins my time here, already miss the A/C.
-Steven Campbell
Finally made it to Camiguin today. Took a two-hour bus ride from Cagayan de Oro to the port where we got the ferry. The bus ride was crazy; the driver sped through winding curves and headed straight into oncoming traffic at numerous points. I swear every 5 seconds he would honk the horn like a madman at children playing in the street or at motorcycles careening back and forth. Additionally, as I was sitting towards the back of the bus I’m pretty sure the shocks were worn out, my spine definitely took a beating on that ride. I was crammed in on a window seat with no room to maneuver, it wasn’t as bad as one of those buses you would see in India, but it was close. Packed, sweaty, and uncomfortable is a good way to describe it, and it was the A/C bus! I can only imagine what the non A/C bus was like.
The ferry ride was surprisingly pleasant. It took about an hour and a half and we got a great view of Camiguin on our way in. I got a bag of chocolate pretzels and bottled water as my post-breakfast snack. I found out that the island is actually sitting on an active volcano; the last time it blew was in 1950. It’s anyone’s guess when it will blow again, as soon as it does the island will be uninhabitable for a few years with all the ash around.
After we made landfall a swarm of locals clamored aboard looking to make a peso by helping us with our bags. That’s one thing I’ve noticed around here, people are always scrambling to help you with every menial task in order to earn a little more money. Every establishment has multiple security guards, with numerous people waiting around to cater to the customer; it’s definitely over-employment. Anyway, we climbed aboard a World War II era truck and headed down the island’s main road to the Palmeri residence. The island looked fairly well-off for the Philippines, meaning I didn’t see an excess of pollution or dilapidated houses, although it certainly did still exist.
The house is surprisingly nice, a lot of modern conveniences such as satellite TV, refrigerator, stove, and fluorescent lights. Wildlife is everywhere… Ants crawl along all surfaces inside and outside the house, as do large geckos. Cows and pigs roam the yard, I’ve been told to be on the lookout for cobras and boa constrictors. After a quick tour I sliced myself some break and made a peanut butter/banana sando, quite tasty. I took out my guitar and played a few licks, still in good working order. Finally unpacked all my stuff, even though I’m only here for two weeks until moving on to the school I am tired of living out of my bag. So begins my time here, already miss the A/C.
-Steven Campbell
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